By Edward Chaykovsky
WBA 'regular' welterweight champion Keith 'One Time' Thurman (26-0, 22KOs) has zero interest in facing rising contender Errol Spence Jr. (17-0, 14KOs).
Thurman had been pursuing a fight with WBC/WBA super champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (48-0, 26KOs), who countered back by advising Thurman to face Spence instead.
Once Mayweather started the Thurman-Spence hype trainer, it continued to roll as Mayweather continued to mention the fight in several interviews.
Thurman feels Spence has yet to earn his opportunity at such a fight and means very little in the scheme of things if he beats him now. Spence will return to action on September 11th in Canada against Chris Van Heerdan. Thurman is back in the fall but the details have no been finalized as of yet.
"Yeah he’s reaching a little too high right now. One, he doesn’t deserve the fight and two, it’s just too big of a step up. But I did the same thing three years ago when I was practically in his shoes, so I understand exactly where he’s coming from," Thurman said to On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
"He believes that he’s one of the top dogs in the welterweight division and he wants to call out one of the top dogs and show the world that he’s ready to take out some of the best welterweight fighters in the world. Out of all the welterweights there is, he picked me and I think to a degree that’s actually a sign of respect to call me out like that. It is what it is."
"It’s really not a problem but he does need a few more fights and he needs to at least fight some B level fighters or something of that nature. He hasn’t fought the ex-world champions that I’ve fought and the champions that I’ve fought. It just is what it is, but I’m here and I look forward to him climbing up that ladder."