Keith Thurman knows a showdown with WBC welterweight champion Shawn Porter could be imminent.
Both are signed with the same management company and box on the same network and are big names at 147lbs.
It’s an easy fight to be made in reality.
Thurman is upping his trash talk at his rival accordingly and speaking on PBC Fox alongside Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini this past weekend, Thurman was less than impressed with Porter’s split decision victory:
“They’re trying to convince Shawn that he can win fights on the outside and he did win this fight on the outside tonight, but, I don’t think he’ll ever win fights on the outside against me and he didn’t win on the outside according to Ray. I don’t think it’s his strong point. I think he should throw more punches on the inside and make it a rough and ugly fight.”
Perhaps Thurman has a fair point in that if you look at a lot of the success Porter has had in his career it’s because of his work rate, massive heart and toughness when he exhibits these characteristics in rough and tough fights.
Why change his style now when it has been so successful all in all for him as a two-time world champion?
Perhaps making the weight might also need to be looked at as it proved to be a bit of a struggle this past weekend.
No one can doubt Porter’s dedication but perhaps making 147lbs just isn’t as easy as it used to be.
As for Thurman, he didn’t look totally sensational in his last fight either after a long enough layoff from the sport to be fair.
He’s also been linked with a fight against Manny Pacquiao next up so a lot will tell in the coming weeks in terms of what’s happening this summer in the welterweight mix.
