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Keith Thurman Training Camp Quotes
Former unified world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman plans
to stamp his place as a future first ballot of famer when he
challenges WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Sebastian
“The Towering Inferno” Fundora headlining a PBC Pay-Per-View
event available on Prime Video taking place Saturday, March
28 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“This will definitely solidify me as a Hall of Famer,” said
Thurman. “This is just a beautiful opportunity. The last
time I held a world title was in 2019. I don’t think anyone
from that generation has a story like this. Boxing loves
great comeback stories and this as a modern day story right
now. This is what boxing movies are all about. It’s been
done, it can be done and it’s gonna be done again. I’m
looking forward to solidifying my place in boxing history.”
This matchup was originally scheduled to take place last
October, before a Fundora hand injury caused the delay.
While Thurman, who’s had several fights delayed or cancelled
throughout his career, was initially disheartened by the
news, he took solace in a certain delicious outside the ring
pleasure, before turning his attention back to chopping down
Fundora.
“At the time it just felt like it was hard to catch a
break,” said Thurman. “But I know how to be patient. Now the
fight’s happening and they say good things come to those who
wait. Only thing I did after the delay was take my daughter
to eat ice cream every day for a week. Might as well enjoy
it for a second before we got back track for this matchup.”
On March 28, Thurman will enter the ring for the second time
led by veteran trainer Tony Morgan, who trained Andre Berto
to world championship glory and who’s known Thurman since
the amateurs. After longtime trainer Dan Birmingham’s
retirement, Thurman feels lucky that his corner has always
been led by someone familiar with Thurman for decades.
“One of the reasons why I chose Tony Morgan is because we go
way back,” said Thurman. “There aren’t a lot of people who
know Keith Thurman the way Tony Morgan knows Keith Thurman.
He was very close friends with my first coach Ben Getty.
We’ve had a great relationship since my youth. I didn’t pick
Tony to replace my coach, my coach Dan Birmingham retired.
“Unlike a lot of fighters, I’m very blessed to have trainers
who really know my history and my background. Tony Morgan is
a world class trainer who’s had Olympians and world
champions and he’s extremely qualified for the job. I love
working with people who understand me. He sees what I see,
which is what can be taken advantage of in this fight.”
While Thurman was eager to return to world champion status,
the fight with Fundora was not one that had been in his mind
for very long before originally being agreed to last year.
Fundora was still early on his rise up the 154-pound ranks
when Thurman was atop the welterweight division. However,
after Fundora replaced an injured Thurman to face Tim Tszyu
in 2024, Thurman began to see a potential future clash as
his road to reclaiming a belt.
“Fundora wasn’t a big name when he was first coming up and I
was yet to enter the division,” said Thurman. “He’s so tall
that you weren’t sure if he was going to be moving up to
other weight classes. It didn’t really cross my mind until
he took my spot when I got hurt before the Tim Tszyu fight.
I knew that I wanted to win a world title and once he won
his rematch, I knew my path to the world title was gonna go
through Fundora.”
As fight week near, Thurman has promised fans a memorable,
action-packed clash on March 28, and believes he has the
ring savvy and power to end the action before the final
bell.
“March 28 the world is gonna see one of the best fights of
the year,” said Thurman. “Fundora really comes to fight and
I truly come to fight. There’s a lot of potential for some
great back and forth. I’m gonna look to set traps, drop
those heavy hammers on him and hopefully go home early.
Fundora’s never seen anything like this.”
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