Losing To Fundora, Keith Thurman Is Still Targeting The Match Against The Tszyu Team On The Gold Coast

JAKARTA Just lost to TKO in the seventh round to WBC middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora last weekend in Las Vegas, Keith Thurman still shows his interest in fighting against Team Tszyu. The boxer nicknamed "One Time" said he was ready to fight on the Gold Coast, Australia, if he got the appropriate payment.

Thurman (31-1, 23 KO) did not mention the exact nominal, but indicated that his value would reach millions of dollars. He is used to getting paid a lot since dueling with big names such as Manny Pacquiao, Danny Garcia, and Shawn Porter in the past.

Many boxing fans think that the former WBA and WBC welterweight world champion is now desperate for payment. They saw Thurman realize that he had wasted a lot of time outside the ring over the years and is now trying to catch up with money while still having time.

Last year, he (Tszyu) lost his middle-class WBO world title against Fundora. Then he fought against Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF title, made a comeback match against Joey Spencer, and tried to win the world title again," Thurman said in a Punch podcast while discussing Tszyu.

Thurman understands why Tszyu accepted a rematch with Fundora. The money offered for the match was so large that it was impossible to refuse. However, he considered that one warm-up match against Spencer was not enough to prepare Tszyu for the fundora again.

Spencer is definitely not a good enough opponent to prepare for Tszyu. Postponing the reply match will be too risky, given the depth of talent in the 154 pound division. Even boxers who are in the bottom 15 like Charles Conwell (ranked #12) also have a great opportunity to beat Tszyu," he added.

"They (Tszyu's promoters) rushed to put him back at the top, and the result looked not easy. The kid hasn't run out yet, but they have to choose the right opponent. Look for a better opponent than Spencer, but not a world champion or Hall of Fame like me," Thurman said.

However, in reality, Keith Thurman himself is not a Hall of Famer, and it is unlikely that he will enter that line. Tszyu's management will most likely not consider Thurman as an opponent after his defeat to Fundora. Their strategy now is to give Tszyu light opponents to rebuild confidence and momentum.

However, Thurman remains confident that he can still pose serious threats. "Take me to the Gold Coast, and I will end Tim Tszyu's career. If that's what you want to see, pay me, and I will. I will get rid of Tszyu," he said loudly.

It was difficult for Thurman to get into a big fight. Since 2017, he has only fought four times and most of his time has been spent in inactivity. His popularity has faded, and top boxers are now reluctant to serve him because he is considered no longer attractive from a commercial and achievement perspective.

With these circumstances, Thurman's efforts to get a duel against Tszyu seem to be difficult to materialize, unless there is a big boost from promoters and markets in Australia. But one thing is for sure: Thurman has not given up, even though time is no longer in his favor.