Errol Spence Jr. rejected the advances of former world champion Keith Thurman for a defense of his three welterweight titles.
“The Truth” defeated Yordenis Ugas to claim a third strap at 147 and now has a target on his back for the future.
But with fans clamoring for a fight between “The Big Fish” and Terence “Bud” Crawford, Thurman has no choice but to wait in line.
“One Time” would have to earn his mandatory stripes as Spence has no interest in handing Thurman the fight on a plate.
ERROL SPENCE JR
“Thurman, [I’m] not fighting that man. That mf wouldn’t utter my name when we were both champs,” said Spence.
Losing his belt to Manny Pacquiao in 2019 saw Thurman drop out of the running for an undisputed title shot down the line.
Pacquiao became the oldest welterweight champion globally but lost the belt to Yordenis Ugas at the first attempt.
The Senator subsequently retired to concentrate on a run at the Filipino Presidential Office. The voting happens on May 6.
As for Thurman, the American always backs himself against anyone, Pacquiao included, and still only has one loss on his record.
A win over Mario Barrios did little to enhance his reputation, though. At the time, it brought about a story about getting denied at the Casino SportsBook.
KEITH THURMAN
Thurman wanted to place a wager on himself to win. He was unable to do so in Las Vegas.
He explained: “You gotta bet the knockout. You have to bet the high risk, high reward. In Vegas, baby, you have to play the game.
“A first-round knockout was like 50-1 [odds], so I would have put something on that. At least I would swing [and go for the KO].
“I would swing two or three times for the record books and knowing I put some money down. $3000 on 50-1 is $150,000. That’s a new car,” he added.
Despite his confidence, Thurman faces a spell out in the cold. Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford will go for all the marbles at 147.
There is a silver lining to that for Thurman, though. Whoever comes out on top is likely to give up the titles for the division to fight for in 2023.
Thurman will undoubtedly be one of those in the running.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN us on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.
