Keith Thurman followed his victory over Brock Jarvis by insisting he isn’t committed to fighting Tim Tszyu.
On the occasion of his first fight at junior middleweight, at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia, he stopped the 27-year-old Jarvis in three rounds. Wednesday’s fight also represented his first for three years.
Thurman had been scheduled to fight Tszyu for the WBO title in March 2024 until a biceps injury forced his withdrawal and jeopardised his career.
Tszyu subsequently lost to Sebastian Fundora, who at late notice replaced Thurman as his opponent, and Bakhram Murtazaliev, contributing to the perception that Thurman’s injury has also threatened Tszyu’s career. The Australian, 30, has returned to his home country to rebuild.
To that end Tszyu fights Joseph Spencer on April 6 in Newcastle, Australia. That both Thurman-Jarvis and Tszyu-Spencer are in quick succession being overseen by No Limit Boxing, and have the history they do, suggests that more than just speculation surrounds the possibility of them finally fighting, but Thurman is adamant that he hasn’t signed a contract to do so and that he is therefore open to alternative offers.
“I’m open to any contract right now,” the 36 year old said. “Tim Tszyu’s not finalised. It’s very easy to say; it’s very easy to talk about. He came off two losses – he needs to get a W.
“I can’t say that if a great contract was to come to me from the US that I wouldn’t sign it and hold interest in Tszyu. But it was a lot of fun being here in Australia; it was a lot of fun performing under No Limit Boxing, who are doing a fantastic job promoting boxing in Australia.
“I know they would love to see a fighter of my calibre continue to put on some of the best fights out of any other promotional company here in the country. We can negotiate those things if I don’t have a better offer that comes to the table.”
Jarvis had been considered a potential opponent for Tszyu before Thurman-Jarvis and Tszyu-Spencer were announced, and a potential opponent for Nikita Tszyu, Tim’s younger brother, in the event of victory. Michael Zerafa, having earlier defeated Besir Ay on the undercard, called out Tszyu, who was ringside in his role as a broadcaster. Thurman, similarly, called Tszyu out from the ring once his victory was secured.
“I know a lot of people wonder what Keith Thurman has, but Keith Thurman has the heart and will of a champion, today, tomorrow, and forever more,” Thurman continued. “[I knew that Jarvis] can’t do more than what he did in round one. All he can do is repeat that, and potentially land cleaner shots, but I was keeping them smothered; I was letting him work.
“It was important to get back in the ring. It was important to make a statement; we had a lot of good hype.
“I was a seven-time national champion. I had 80, 81 wins, 11 losses, before I ever turned pro. I’ve always been in the ring with some of the best. I never lost internationals as an amateur. The IQ is real, man. That’s why I was able to do what I wanted to do in round one, which was let him show me his strength; his power; then in round two start to execute my tactics.
“[That performance is] for you – it’s for this country – and it’s a little bit for me on the note of I signed my contract last year, in 2024; I trained hard, in preparation for Tszyu. I popped my bicep tendon in the 11th round of sparring, in preparation for that fight. I walked away from big, big money, in Las Vegas – the type of money that makes you want to fight one-handed.
“Being here is the evidence of my spirit; of my resolve, to always stay true to myself and give you guys the best performance that I can, and not just fight for the money, which is really hard to do at the top level. A lot want to fight for the money. I fight for the glory.”
