Undefeated WBA Welterweight world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman returns to the ring after a lengthy injury layoff to defend his title against veteran Josesito Lopez.
The bout takes place on Saturday, January 26 live in primetime in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
Read on for Round By Round Boxing‘s staff predictions for Keith Thurman vs. Josesito Lopez and let us know who you think will win.
Keith Thurman vs. Josesito Lopez
CJ Halloran, Staff Writer
King Keef is back! After being gone from the sport for so long that BoxRec currently had him listed as inactive, Keith Thurman has come down from his mountain to take on Josesito Lopez.
I honestly mean no offense to Lopez, but I think this is probably the easiest fight he could possibly get in order to keep his WBA title. He’s lost seven fights, his last one coming to Andre Berto, and the only top-tier fighter he’s defeated was Victor Ortiz back in 2012.
I think this is a fight meant to announce Thurman back into the boxing world, and give him about six rounds to take out Lopez.
Prediction: Thurman
Joseph Hammond, Staff Writer
Prediction: Thurman
Joseph Rodriguez, Staff Writer
Prediction: Thurman
Amber Williams, Photographer
Prediction: Thurman
R.L. Woodson, Staff Writer
Riverside Rocky is a solid opponent and pick for this occasion. Hopefully Josesito Lopez’s expected effort validates the full return of One Time–even if he is a sure bet for 12 rounds nowadays.
Keith Thurman sees some lucrative plays, so I hope he’s tested, but his performance shortens his rumored ‘get back year’ to one camp. One Time, decisively.
Prediction: Thurman
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Keith Thurman is back and that’s a great thing for boxing and the 147-pound division.
Welterweight is stacked and while this particular fight might not tell us all that much about Thurman and where he’s at compared to the other top tier fighters (Errol Spence, Terence Crawford, Shawn Porter etc.) we’ll at least get to see One Time knock the ring rust off.
Josesito Lopez is tough, but at this point in his career he doesn’t have enough in the tank to knock off a guy like Thurman, even a Thurman coming off a two year layoff. And ultimately, that’s why Lopez is here. He’ll take some punishment before before being beaten into submission.
Let’s hope Thurman stays healthy and active in 2019 and perhaps we’ll get that Errol Spence matchup in 2020.
Prediction: Thurman
