By: Sean Crose
Keith Thurman returned to the ring in thunderous fashion Wednesday in Australia. After three years away from prizefighting, Thurman wiped out Brock Jarvis in under three rounds. Indeed once the opening bell had sounded, Thuman began employing an effective jab. He also showed little respect for the hard hitting Jarvis’ power, at times employing a rather risky and low guard. Yet Jarvis couldn’t capitalize on Thurman’s potential mistake. He simply wasn’t that skilled a fighter. By the second it appeared that even Jarvis himself realized he was outclassed. He simply couldn’t put a dent in Thurman’s strategy.
Thurman worked his jab and kept his distance in the fight. Jarvis kept plodding forward, landing on occasion, but making no real impact. Things came to an abrupt end in the third, courtesy of a highlight reel uppercut that Thurman landed on Jarvis with laser like precision. Jarvis, to his lasting credit, was able to beat the count after first hitting the mat. Thurman immediately moved in for the kill, however. After firing off numerous potent shots, Thurman got the victory, as the referee stepped in and put a stop to the action. Energized by the win, the former world titlist hopped onto the ropes and roared his excitement.
While it would have been a shock if Jarvis had pulled out the upset, Thurman was in need of a notable win after so much time away from the ring. He got that notable win on Wednesday, and now has numerous options lining up before him. “My love for the sport’s still here,” Thurman stated after Wednesday’s match, “and that’s why I did what I did today.” Thurman then spoke directly to potential opponent Tim Tszyu. ‘I just raised the bar on you,” he said. “You want to come back, you gotta come back hard, baby.”
About a decade ago, Thurman was one of the top names in the sport. His run lasted until his defeat at the gloved fists of Manny Pacquiao in 2019. He hasn’t fought much since then. Sure enough, injuries have plagued the entertaining Thurman throughout much of his career. Still, the man has bested the likes of Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Robert Guerrero. In other words, he’s long known how to win on the big stage. There’s good reason to believe he wants to step on that big stage once again. It will be interesting to see where Thurman goes from here.
