Photo By Art Hernandez/RBRBoxing
Well, at least one bout was impressive. In the main event of the first episode of PBC on NBC, (or main-er event? Apparently there were two main events, but whatever…) Keith Thurman beat the hell out of Robert Guerrero en route to a wide unanimous decision victory. Guerrero showed balls of steel, but frankly had little else. Thurman out punched and outwitted “The Ghost” all night long.
Thurman has been desperately calling for a major fight for quite some time, but he brought little to zero monetary clout, certainly not enough for an elite fighter to risk getting in the ring with him. After Saturday night, that probably changed. He did exactly what he was supposed to do–he gave us an exciting fight, and he scored a win.
Guerrero was by far the best name on his resume, and there was some concern over whether his southpaw style would pose some problems for “One Time.” Those concerns were eradicated right around the first massive right hand Thurman landed, which was very early in the fight. In fact, maybe more impressive than his offensive output was the fact that he was razor-sharp defensively, despite the grotesque swelling on the left side of his head.
The swelling, which appeared as though an alien being was trying to burrow its way out of his dome, was the result of an accidental headbutt–not a punch, as the abysmal commentary crew eagerly stated after it happened. More on them later.
AP Photo/Eric Jamison
Even after Guerrero rose from the canvas and mounted one last massive offensive attack, Thurman calmly covered up along the ropes, waited for his openings, and countered brilliantly. Despite not getting the knockout, it was a complete performance, one that should springboard him to some major events in the near future.
But who’s up next?
One of the more intriguing fights would be a battle with English boxer (and alleged multiple partner enthusiast) Amir Khan.
Khan has been just as desperate as Thurman in calling out elite fighters, namely Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Obviously, neither of those guys are currently available. But Thurman would probably be ready by summer, if Khan were willing to hold out a couple of months longer.
It’s actually a pretty damn interesting matchup–Khan’s blazing hand speed and boxing skill against Thurman’s cement fists.
But there are some hurdles here, Khan could probably make some serious cash to face Kell Brook in England. Also, I’m not sure how the multiple knockout victim would feel about sharing a ring with a man who could bounce his skull into the 15th row with either hand.
But eventually, if Khan wants to be considered an elite fighter, he’s got to shed the “chinny” label. It’s my opinion that it’s less of a chin issue with him and more about him diving in wide open while leaving his face exposed to counter shots. But again, a fight between Khan and Thurman would be a really interesting matchup, one that could serve as a precursor to the biggest fish–either Floyd or Manny.
The other option is for Thurman to take on Kell Brook. They’re both title holders, so there may be some interest there, especially if the ever self-aware Khan prices himself out of either fight.
If a Khan or Brook fight isn’t possible, how about Thurman vs. Marcos Maidana? Take a minute and clean yourself up after thinking about that matchup.
Next month, we’re getting Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov. A Thurman vs. Maidana bout would be Al Haymon’s answer to that–a can’t miss fight between two massive punchers.
Maidana has been idling since his September loss to Mayweather. While you could understand how one would be hesitant to jump into a ring with Thurman, Maidana would probably welcome a fight with a fellow puncher after chasing Mayweather unsuccessfully for 24 rounds.
But there is a serious risk here for Maidana–he’s lost two straight, and Haymon might be looking to get him back into the win column. A fight with Thurman is an extremely difficult proposition. Thurman proved that he’s got some serious boxing skill to go with that pop. Maidana, though a lethal puncher, would be the underdog here.
Thurman may call out the winner on May 2, but that doesn’t appear to be realistic. It’s hard to envision Bob Arum working with Al Haymon twice in a row, and if Mayweather gets by Pacquiao, he’d probably go elsewhere for his swan song.
Hopefully, Thurman scores the big time fight he’s been craving. He appears to have fully matured from prospect to title challenger. Guerrero is no easy out, and Thurman beat him pretty easily, something only Floyd Mayweather can say. What Mayweather can’t say is that he busted Guerrero’s face to shit. Thurman certainly did that.
If Haymon wants PBC to gain momentum, he should use Thurman as his workhorse. He’s likeable, fun to watch, and he brings knockout power. Put him in there with a credible opponent, and he should flourish, along with his fanbase.
If Thurman gets what he’s been asking for, he’ll be on the short list for fighter of the year when 2015 is over.
Some Random Notes From The PBC Broadcast:
Photo by Art Hernandez/RBRBoxing
If the intro to the show had us pumped, our excitement turned sour pretty quickly. Where to start here? Well, the production was a little bloated. And the ring entrances were a goddamn travesty. We were all waiting to see Adrien Broner in full dance mode, rapping along with the other 37 members of his team on their way to the ring. Instead, we got some shitty music and a subdued Broner. I don’t ever want to see a subdued Broner again. If you take the bombastic personality away, what the hell do you have left?
Later, Thurman’s entrance was even worse. Wearing a confused expression, he appeared as though he was going to exit left and head back into the casino. Get rid of this shit.
The return of Marv Albert and his hairpiece was less-than-stellar. He tried, I suppose, but anybody who complains about Jim Lampley should no longer complain. And Ray Leonard? It pains me to write this, because he’s one of my favorite fighters of all time, but holy hell. From utterances such as “he needs to start punching,” and exclaiming “he’s hurt” every time anyone so much as landed a glancing blow, to his insistence on praising John Molina for little more than standing up, he was just dreadful.
Aside from having zero chemistry with Albert’s reanimated body, he made the worst mistake a color-commentary guy can make–he tried lying to the audience. Molina looked like shit. He was awful. He looked shot from the very beginning. Telling us about his short amateur career like he was making an excuse for a poor student was just plain lousy. Say what you want about Teddy Atlas’ bizarre psychosis, he would have been telling it straight–Molina sucked.
B.J. Flores and Laila Ali? Utterly superfluous, but I suppose they were fine.
You know what was fucking awesome though? Steve Smoger. Steve Smoger is a badass. We need more of him. Twitter exploded with glee when he called out Robert Byrd for being a dickhead. When I was a kid, I used to watch those NFL Films season highlights on the Buffalo Bills, because I was young and they were actually a good team.
One of the highlights was Marv Levy calling a referee an “overofficious jerk.” Smoger did that same thing on live television while mere feet from Byrd. Hall of Fame-level snark. He should take over for Ray. And Laila. And B.J. And he should do the interviews too. I’d much rather see him kiss a fighter and call him “baby” like Christopher Walken than watch that stiff-in-a-tie Kenny Rice feign disapproval when Broner says something stupid.
To the writer of Undateable that I offended–sorry bro. I’m sure young people will tune into the show.
John Molina had nothing left. He was awful against 47 year veteran of the sport Humberto Soto, but Molina is inconsistent, so we chalked it up to another bad night. But it appears that the wicked beating Matthysse inflicted upon him has rendered him badly worn. Let’s hope he doesn’t get himself hurt in the future.
What the hell happened to Abner Mares? His decline has been even more precipitous than the guy who shot up the ranks with him a few years ago, Nonito Donaire. I mean I guess a win is a win, but yikes. His hair remains among the very elite however.
I’m looking forward to hearing Antonio Tarver next Friday on Spike TV. No snark here. He got jobbed by Showtime. He deserved another shot on the mic.
