“All close rounds go to Tszyu” – Keith Thurman’s wild judging claim ahead of Las Vegas blockbuster
Ahead of Keith Thurman and Tim Tszyu’s Las Vegas blockbuster, Thurman has claimed “all close rounds go to Tszyu” but promises the bout won’t make it to the judges’ scorecard.
Boxing/MMA
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Keith Thurman has made the stunning claim that the judges will be against him when he fights Tim Tszyu, but promises to deliver a thunderous knockout similar to the one Anthony Joshua landed on Francis Ngannou last weekend.
Speaking exclusively to this masthead two weeks out from their hugely anticipated main event, Thurman also questioned his underdog status, and detailed how he plans to shake up world boxing by derailing Tszyu’s American takeover.
Watch Tim Tszyu vs Keith Thurman on Sunday, March 31 on Main Event on Kayo. Order the fight now
To do that though, the enigmatic 35-year-old, who referred to himself in the third person throughout our wide-ranging interview, believes he needs a knockout to have any hope of winning.
That’s because, although Tszyu’s WBO super-welterweight title isn’t on the line, Thurman thinks the judges will favour him as the champion and the rising star.
“Tim Tszyu is the undefeated champion,” Thurman said. “Are the judges, out of habit, going to look at it like Keith Thurman needs to beat the champion?
“That’s the question you’re bringing up, and Tszyu is the undefeated champion.
“So, all close rounds go to Tszyu. All marginal rounds go to Tszyu. They’re not gonna go to Thurman.
“This is just something we have to deal with sometimes in boxing.
“If you leave it up to the judges, there’s a lot of variables, a lot of unpredictability.”
The former unified welterweight (147-pounds) world champion, Thurman is adamant he can match Tszyu’s power and bring his movement up to the 155-pound weight limit.
“Tszyu has never fought an accurate power puncher like myself,” he said. “The way he stands up and moves forward, he could move into a big punch, and he’s going to have to realise that Keith Thurman has a punching power he needs to respect.
“Look at what happened in Saudi. The MMA fighter (Ngannou) put up a good fight (against Tyson Fury), then all of a sudden gets in the ring with Joshua and it’s lights out.
“Boxing is like that. Somebody can appear to be something until someone else says they’re not.
“And I’m gonna use all my ring knowledge and skillset to upset the applecart and defeat the undefeated Tim Tszyu.”
With 22 knockouts in his 30 professional wins, Thurman undoubtedly has the better resume at this stage of their respective careers.
He boasts wins over Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter and Mario Barrios, and his only defeat was a split-decision loss to Manny Pacquiao.
But, he has only fought once since that July 2019 battle with Pacquiao and has battled elbow and hand injuries.
Still, he claims he’s the A-side, and revealed he could have taken more lucrative fights closer to his natural weight.
“It’s funny, you say he’s the A-side, but we’re fighting in America and all the posters say ‘Thurman-Tszyu’, not ‘Tszyu-Thurman’,” he said. “On that, I’m the A-side, but the bookies don’t see that.
“They see that Keith Thurman had bone spurs when he fought Danny Garcia, and a hand injury right after he fought Manny Pacquiao.
“They see Tszyu in his prime, Thurman slightly past his prime. They couldn’t make Keith Thurman the A-side.
“But I love the underdog story – who doesn’t?
“I signed to take this fight not for the payday, but to shake up world boxing.
“If I wanted just a payday, I could’ve fought at 147. When I got the phone call to fight Tim Tszyu, I slept on it for two days then said, ‘run it, let’s go’.
“I love big fights in boxing. I love exciting fights in boxing. I love controversial fights in boxing, and this fight right here does all of that.
“Yes, Tim Tszyu is trying to make a name out of Keith Thurman.
“But Keith Thurman is also just trying to move past Tim Tszyu so the world can recognise that what I was, is what I am, and what I’ll continue to be, which is one of the toughest and baddest fighters in the sport of boxing today.”
Thurman didn’t lean into the “Mexican Tszyu” sledge he has adopted since the fight was announced, but revealed some gaps he has seen in Tszyu’s style.
“We see him as a move-forward fighter,” Thurman said. “I think he gets a little wide, but he’s very good at basic in and out.
“He’s a little bit lanky, but he’s not the tallest. He has a very long jab and a long straight right hand, a nice uppercut and decent body shots.
“But, strategically, I’m just going to be different to what he’s faced in the past. I’m gonna be sneaky, more crafty and more awkward than what he’s used to.
“He’s adamant he’s gonna knock me out in two rounds, so I’m pretty sure he’ll be throwing deadly punches, but the fight will end with me smiling and Tim Tszyu disappointed.”
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