28-year-old Keith “One Time” Thurman has slowly but surely established himself as one of the very best welterweights in the world.
An Errol Spence Jr vs Keith Thurman fight would be one hell of a matchup in 2017 either way you slice or dice it.
The reigning WBA and WBC welterweight champion possesses an impressive 28-0-1 professional record and he’s coming off of back-to-back marquee victories over the likes of Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia.
Thurman outpointed Porter last June at the Barclays Center to retain his WBA strap before recently scoring a decision victory over Garcia to add the WBC strap to his collection.
Thurman’s next opponent is currently unclear, but perhaps Errol Spence Jr. would serve as an intriguing option assuming he’s successful in his bout against IBF titleholder Kell Brook, which is set to take place later this year.
The 27-year-old Spence has proven to be a rising force in the welterweight division, as he possesses a perfect 21-0 professional record with 18 knockouts.
He is coming off of consecutive stoppage victories over the likes of former champion Chris Algieri and Leonard Bundu.
Prior to turning professional, “The Truth” won three state United States national championships as an amateur before representing the United States in the 2012 Olympics.
From a stylistic standpoint, a bout between Thurman and Spence is certainly an interesting one.
Thurman is actually the smaller fighter, standing at 5 ft. 7 1/2 in. and possessing a 69 in. reach, while Spence stands at 5 ft. 9 1/2 in. and possesses a 72 in. reach.
Errol Spence Jr vs Keith Thurman – Who Wins?
Thurman, however, has competed at light middleweight in the past, while Spence has spent his career as a pure welterweight.
“One Time” is a powerful and proven knockout artist, as 22 of his 28 professional victories have come by way of T/KO.
While he isn’t afraid to trade big shots in the pocket, Thurman has also shown the ability to box intelligently.
It can also be argued that Thurman has competed against tougher than competition than Spence, and he has been successful against that competition as well.
While Thurman fights out of the orthodox stance, Spence is a southpaw, which could present “One Time” with a unique challenge.
“The Truth” is an extremely fast fighter, exploding in and out of the pocket, while consistently showing the ability to string together big shots.
If Spence is indeed able to get by Brook later this year and add a title to his trophy case, a unification bout between him and Thurman is certainly a possibility for the second half of 2017, and it presents a bout that would pair two of the best welterweights in the world against each other.
Who would you pick to come out on top in an Errol Spence Jr vs Keith Thurman showdown?
