By Victor Salazar
New York - Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman (28-0, 22 KO’s) has been out of the ring since he defeated Danny Garcia (33-2, 20 KO’s) in March of last year.
Thurman says he suffered a shoulder injury within his camp in preparation for Garcia. He was scheduled to return this year but a hand injury kept him out of the ring even further.
Talking to the media this past Saturday, it seems that a return is imminent.
“In a few weeks, there should be an announcement,” Thurman said. “I’m hoping to get good news from my doctor and then we should hopefully be negotiating a new date. You might hear something you’re going to like.”
Thurman says part of the reason he was out so long because he did not listen to the doctors the second time around when they ordered him to rest.
“When I got back in camp, we injured our hand, its called bone bruising and it put me on the bench,” explained Thurman. “There were times I thought it was feeling quicker and I would spar and it would hurt. The doctor said I’m not going to get better until you rest it. My motto don’t change, I got an 0, I’m not afraid to let it go.”
Thurman says he will come back soon and fight the fighters everyone wants him to fight including Shawn Porter (29-2-1, 17 KO’s) and Errol Spence (24-0, 21 KO’s).
“Most people don’t know shit about boxing and I don’t really enjoy quoting the Mayweathers but it’s real,” stated Thurman. “I haven’t been in the ring in a while and my next fight is going to be a tune-up and a rematch with Porter is a respectable fight. To act like its not a respectable fight is dumb.
“At the end of the day, why do they want Keith and Spence? Number 1 versus number 2. They want to see it. Spence is number 2. He deserves to be number 2, if there wasn’t Keith Thurman, Spence would be number 1. I don’t think Crawford’s fought any welterweight yet. To me he’s barely a champion. That Australian [Jeff Horn] - give me one eye and one arm and I beat him too.”