With both fighters having
been out of action for 11 months when fight night rolled around two weeks ago it
meant that Keith Thurman vs Shawn Porter received very little attention from
the boxing world prior to the fight. However, what was to unfold was an
all-action domestic bust-up between two of the top five welterweights in the
world. Thurman and Porter went toe to toe for 12 rounds with Thurman winning
a unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring the fight 115-113.
This article will take a look at where Thurman now goes from this point and the
potential match-ups he could potentially be involved in in the coming year.
Very few fans were
expecting the kind of fight that happened on the 23rd June, as it was
predicted that Porter’s style of smothering not only his opponents punches, but
also his own would offset the usually attacking-minded Thurman and make the
fight into a holding fest. However Thurman boxed unbelievably well on the back
foot throughout timing Porter’s oncoming attacks to almost perfection
with counter right hands and left hooks.
Like the fans in the
arena, many had Porter winning the fight on their scorecards personally however, I find it hard to come to this decision even on watching the fight a second
time. It is clear that Thurman won at least seven rounds with the decision
going to the right man on the night which rarely seems to be the case in close fights these days.
This is by far his most impressive win and performance to
date. There is always the potential for a rematch as the fight was close and
unbelievably exciting throughout however Thurman will want to move on to bigger
and better things as he attempts to secure his place as the no.1 fighter in the
welterweight division.
A contest with WBC
champion, Danny Garcia is a fight that fans are clamouring for. Unbeaten Garcia
has yet to fully test himself at the 147 lb limit, only fighting Rod
Salka, Lamont Peterson, a fight he lost, a past his best Paulie Malignaggi and
Robert Guerrero. These are match-ups which have been typical of the PBC since
its inception and it is time for Garcia to step-up and fight the best. This
would be another fantastic fight however it is unlikely that it will get made
anytime soon due to Garcia’s antics in the past couple of years.
A fight with UK’s, Kell
Brook looks set in the making for 2017 as both fighters have made it clear that
they want the fight and if Brook’s fight with Vargas is made and he wins, as he
should then three of the four belts will be on the line. Brook and Thurman are
two of the three best welterweights at the moment with the other being Timothy
Bradley however he is on the other side of the divide and a fight between him
and Thurman is extremely unlikely to happen.
There is no doubt that
Thurman vs Brook is the best fight that can be made in the welterweight
division and it should be made by 2017 if Brook hasn’t moved up in weight by
then. For now, Thurman should enjoy his very impressive win against Porter
however keep one eye on the prize of becoming the no.1 welterweight in the
world.
Tom Eckett
@boxingguru44
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