Keith Thurman Dismisses Claressa Shields Fight
For the past several years, two-division undisputed champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (14-0, 2 KO’s) has pursued a showdown with former welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (30-1, 22 KO’s). For the better part of it, Thurman has ignored one and all of the callouts. In recent months though, the would-be duel has gained some momentum in boxing talking circles.
During an interview with Mill City Boxing, One Time has shut down any notion that this match will happen. After a slew of stipulations, Thurman gave his rationale as to why it was so far-fetched and even insulting.
RELATED: Claressa Shields To Keith Thurman: “He Gotta Land More Than One To Get Me Outta There!”
“I have no interest in this type of fight . . . I forgot, but someone reminded me, women don’t even do three minute rounds bro, they don’t even do three minute rounds! Like it’s not even the same thing! Then she had the audacity to say, ‘I spar men,’ and she puts this video of some kids that looked like they just walked into my boxing club. They looked like the softest amateurs I’ve ever seen.”
“I didn’t think it would take off like that but I think it’s just the world that we are in today with the battle of the sexes, with all the discrepancies of gender and all this stuff going on in the world today . . . we’re not supposed to call girls ‘girls’ in this generation. I don’t know what we’re supposed to do. So I am not going to say she hits like a girl, let’s just say that she hits like her genetic predisposition bro!”
LOST AT SEA
In the not so distant past, Thurman was actually the man to beat at welterweight. Yet, that was before injury and inactivity began chewing away large chunks of his prime career. Having fallen so far from grace, One Time has spent the last several years fruitlessly trying to snag the attention of either Errol Spence Jr. or undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford. For all his trouble, he’s been given the brush-off in virtually every attempt.
Clearly, Thurman is not looking at Shields as a realistic method to regain some positive attention in the sport and division. With this being said, it’s unclear what path will lead One Time back to the promised land that he’s been exiled from. For many, Interim IBF 147-pound champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis is the best option for the slick-talking Floridian. By securing a victory over the dynamic Philly fighter, Thurman puts himself in the position to be able to force a title fight.
Despite the strategy associated with the scrap, One Time has displayed zero interest in going head-to-head with Boots. However, he has a tough task ahead of him on March 30. The former unified champ will move up to junior middleweight on a two-year layoff to face WBO champ Tim Tszyu! With this, it is easy to conclude that nothing else in the boxing world is a priority for Thurman right now!
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