Earlier this month former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman returned to the ring with a dominant twelve round unanimous decision win over Mario Barrios.
It was Thurman’s first bout since July of 2019, when he dropped a close twelve round split decision to Manny Pacquiao.
Due to injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic, Thurman spent a lot of time on the shelf and now he wants to come back in full force in the welterweight division.
“I don’t see that I’m a defeated fighter. I don’t feel like I was defeated by Manny Pacquiao. It was a split decision. At the end of the day, I want to know if there’s anybody who can defeat Keith Thurman out there,” Thurman told Ask The Experts.
“I F-d up bro. I F-d up [vs. Pacquiao]. It happens to human beings. We be F—ing up. 2019 just wasn’t my best year.”
“2022 – I’ll stay busy as a fighter. It’s not like this fight (with Barrios) is what I wanted. It was a good fight to make happen and come back and perform for the fans.”
One possible fight, if Thurman chooses, is WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
Crawford is currently a free agent after parting ways with Top Rank.
“People talk about Crawford this and that. I’ve been trying to tell everybody. It’s real simple with Keith Thurman. You can talk whatever you want. You can go on 100 interviews. None of that matters. Where is my contract? How do you want to do business? Write it up. That’s all I have to say,” Thurman said.
