On Saturday, July 11, 2015, Premier Boxing Champions will be putting on yet another show, when power puncher Keith “One Time” Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) takes on seasoned veteran Luis Collazo (36-6, 19 KOs) in a welterweight clash in the 147 pound division.
The young rising prospect will be fighting the former world champion out of the USF Sun Dome located in Tampa, Florida, near his hometown of Clearwater, Florida. ESPN and ESPN Deportes will have full coverage starting at 9:00, pm EST.
Thurman, who is looking to add Collazo under his list of notable wins, is a pretty feared opponent due to his high percentage knockout rate and savvy boxing skills. A young force in the division, formally trained by the late Benjamin Getty, Thurman has been training to be a champion since the age of seven.
Notable wins over Carlos Quintana, Jesus Soto-Karass and most recently Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero have shown the talent and skill Thurman possesses. Thurman, who helped launch the premiere of PBC on NBC brought in an impressive 4.2 million viewers with his fight with Guerrero and is looking to exceed those margins this time around.
The now 34-year-old Collazo has rolled with the punches his whole career. Collazo has always given the elite trouble even with being the B side to the equation in many fights. Coming of a unanimous decision loss to Amir Khan, Collazo will be facing tough opposition in Thurman, however Collazo has been known to brawl out to the final bell.
Read on for the three keys to victory for Keith “One Time” Thurman.
Header photo by AP/Eric Jamison
1. Know Your Distance
Although Keith Thurman has been known to be a crafty boxer, he has also showed signs of weakness when fighting in the pocket. This is definitely a craft he wants to perfect, considering he wants to be a superstar champion. You can’t afford to make any mistakes when fighting a vet like Luis Collazo. He has been in there with tough opponents such as Ricky Hatton, Andre Berto, Shane Mosley and Victor Ortiz–who he scored a second round KO against.
Most boxing fans would agree that Thurman was stumped by Robert Guerrero anytime they fought on the inside. This is where Guerrero was most effective and was able to tag Thurman up.
When he fought Jesus Soto-Karass, he was also able to crack Thurman’s guard with a straight right along the ropes that pushed ‘“One Time” back. For this fight with Collazo he is going to want to use his jab as a measuring tool and preserve that distance. Collazo is also a southpaw fighter, unlike Thurman who fights in an orthodox stance. This can be risky due to headbutts and cuts, another good reason Thurman, who has never been cut, should maintain that distance at all times.
Collazo possesses favorable technical skills, good chin, solid defense and has a lot of experience backing him up. Even with Collazo’s losses, he has not become gun shy. Collazo is known to answer fire with fire and we all know it just takes one good punch to change momentum.
2. Stamina
Keith Thurman, who has only been to the 12th round three times in his professional career, looked a bit fatigued in the later rounds when fighting Robert Guerrero. Thurman relies on his punching power and exceptional KO rate (81 percent) and has successfully knocked out 21 of his last 25 opponents. Thurman usually doesn’t have to fight into the championship rounds.
Luis Collazo, who began his professional boxing career 15 years ago, has visited the championship rounds plenty of times. Even with the long term layoffs between fights, Collazo has proved that he can still put together explosive combos, has elusive head movement and still bangs it out. He recently went all 12 with UK’s Amir “King” Khan, who showed up ready to fight, using effective aggression in the ring and let off combos with blinding speed.
Although he did not leave with the victory, he was knocked down three times in this bout and continuously came back to thump. The 34 year old went all 12 rounds with a top ranked former world champion who happens to still be a young strong competitor, proving his stamina is still top notch. Thurman’s best bet is to pace himself and not to underestimate the durability of the older fighter.
3. Stay Active
Luis Collazo is the type of boxer you don’t want to give too much time to think out his steps. He has a lot of experience in the ring, fighting various styles and opponents. He has given most elite boxers trouble and if he feels comfortable in the ring he can become very dangerous.
He gave Ricky Hatton and Andre Berto hell in two highly contested bouts that could have gone either way, despite the fact that most fans felt he was robbed. Collazo knows how to accurately throw a punch, is defensively sound and clearly still has knockout power, taking 28-year-old Victor Ortiz out in just two rounds.
Thurman has to make it uncomfortable for Collazo. He needs to increase the volume of his punches and put his jab into play all night, much like Amir Khan did, besides all the holding. He needs to apply pressure early in the fight, and overwhelm Collazo with combinations to stump his game plan. The best way to score a knockdown or throw Collazo off his rhythm is to constantly come forward.
The question is can Thurman do this triumphantly without getting caught in return? We saw him fight southpaw Carlos Quintana, where he had trouble cutting off the ring but was able to pull off a fourth-round TKO stoppage over the Puerto Rican.
Collazo, who also fights in the southpaw stance, is also known for throwing wide power punches that can be anticipated. If Collazo, who is also a counter puncher, can foresee these punches does that present a problem for the younger fighter?
If Thurman pulls off this win, who would you prefer to see him against next? Amir “King” Khan or Shawn “Showtime” Porter?
Tune in July 11, 2015 on ESPN to watch the action unfold.
