Via Brian Webber: Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman said he plans to return to the ring in October against a still-to-be-determined opponent.
33-year-old ‘One Time’ Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) says he’s ready to face defeated former WBA WBA weight champion Yordenis Ugas to use him as a yardstick to compare him to. Errol Spence Jr. The latter stopped the talented Cuban last April in a fierce fight.
However, it’s unlikely that Thurman’s serveers will match him against Ugas, because ‘One Time’ will be in a second game against COVID 19, and he has gained considerable weight while recovering. recover from illness.
Thurman says he’s gained up to 188 lbs while sitting in the recovery chair, and he needs to drop his weight by 160s before starting his battle training camp in October.
Keith is on an impressive 12-round unanimous decision win over Mario Barrios last February in Las Vegas in his first bout for him in three years since his loss to Manny Pacquiao in 2019.
After Thurman’s one-sided win over Barrios, he had hoped to return to the ring in the summer, but contracting Covid 19 has scuttled those plans, as has his weight gain.
“I’ve been on a roller coaster ride and I’m trying to be more active this year,” Keith Thurman told Podcasts PBC. “I never got a call that I was going to fight the summer, and they said it would be pushed back a little bit.
“I was a little more relaxed, and I wasn’t quite managing my weight the way I wanted. Plus, I ended up contacting Covid a second time. First time this year, and second time because I had it last year.
“Seven days recovering from Covid, ordering an uber, sitting on the sofa doing nothing. I stepped on the scale as I recovered, and I was 188. So I went back to the gym the next week, and the next Friday I was down to 182.
“Before I got Covid, they said they fell,” Thurman said when asked when he would rematch. “Then they said September or October, and then I started hearing that it could be like October. After October, I waited impatiently.
“I am looking forward to this October day. I still don’t have a legal name. I had to pick up a few names. So anyone saying this is Thurman’s next opponent, it’s a rumor because I have to get a list, and I have to look at it with my team. I’d love to get an actual list of names for real opponents for Keith Thurman’s upcoming fight.
“Yes,” Thurman said when asked if he wanted to fight Yordenis Ugas. “We can start playing the measuring stick game. For that purpose, I think it’s a good fight.
“We just slow down the diet and exercise. We have a lot of work to do in July. I think July is going to be a great month for weight management, and by the end of July, if I can be somewhere between 168 and 165 preparing for my next training camp, that would make sense. thought.
“It’s been a while since I turned 172, which means I’ve lost 22 lbs. That’s my average for most of my matches. As for my fight with Manny Pacquiao, it was even worse. I was 182 years old at the start of camp, so I’ve lost 35 pounds.
“It didn’t help me during the preparation that made me focus a lot more on losing weight than on winning strategies. So I’ve learned from the past, I’ve set goals and have plenty of time to accomplish it, so that’s why I’m moving now,” Thurman said.
