Keith "One-Time" Thurman has struggled to find quality opponents willing to take the risk of fighting the knockout artist, and recent comments by Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya may hurt his case, despite being complimentary.
"Thurman, absolutey," De La Hoya said when asked who was better between One-Time and Gennady "GGG" Golovkin. "A lot of fighters are strong. There are ways of beating strong fighters. One thing about Thurman, he knows how to move laterally, he uses combinations, he thinks in the ring."
Thurman was booed in his most recent fight, a lopsided unanimous decision over Leonard Bundu, a previously unbeaten 40-year-old with a difficult style. Instead of overcompensating for the knockout Thurman chose to outbox and outwork Bundu. In the process he disappointed a knockout-thirsty crowd that wanted One-Time to finish him.
While the fans may not have appreciated Thurman's approach, De La Hoya seemed to think it proved his superiority over Golovkin.
"Golovkin is a fighter who has to beat you with his power. He can't beat you moving side to side or going back. One thing I've learned about Golovkin, because I've studied him, is he can't move back. He can't fight moving back."
The performance vs. Bundu is a double-edged sword. On one hand, Thurman failed to finish an unheralded 40-year-old on a big stage. That may lead some big names in the welterweight division to think they could survive One-Time, like Bundu withstood a first round knockdown.
On the flip side, Thurman's power did not just dissipate. He may have made himself a greater threat by showing he can outbox opponents who refuse to engage and allow themselves to be knocked out.
If De La Hoya is right about Thurman being superior to Golovkin, he may be as avoided as GGG by extension.
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