Why Keith Thurman’s win over Brock Jarvis should sound alarm bells for Team Tszyu and No Limit
Keith Thurman’s win over Brock Jarvis instantly went viral on social media. And that could be bad news for a number of reasons.
Keith Thurman delivered on his promise of scoring a “TikTok knockout” of Brock Jarvis on Wednesday night, stopping the brave Aussie with a brutal third round TKO.
The finish was made for social media, with footage of his first win in three years immediately going viral. It all but sets up a long-awaited PPV blockbuster with Tim Tszyu later this year, provided Tszyu beats Joey Spencer in Newcastle on April 6.
Thurman denied claims the fight has already been made, but there are hopes it will take place on the Gold Coast on July 6.
Despite a fun-filled build-up with Jarvis, a Tszyu-Thurman showdown was always promoter No Limit’s long-term plan, with the big-talking American calling Jarvis “an appetiser” and “the little kangaroo”.
But No Limit may have unwittingly created a monster. Thurman barely got out of second gear in weathering an early storm from Jarvis before picking him off with two pinpoint right hands, a devastating left uppercut and a lethal left hook.
Nothing the game but overmatched Jarvis offered was new to Thurman. If there were any doubts about “One Time’s” body or mindset after just one fight in five years, he answered them in emphatic fashion.
And that might spell bad news for No Limit and Team Tszyu, because former two-time world champion Thurman is back in a big way. Tszyu is an entirely different prospect to Jarvis, and should be a favourite if a fight with Thurman is ever made, but the American showed enough to prove he’ll make it a tough night.
His power has always been underrated, and is still there. His renowned movement was on point – even for a 36-year-old – and his reflexes are still sharp.
Ironically though, his win may have been so impressive that he might be able to field bigger offers back in America.
“I’m open to any contract right now. Tim Tszyu’s not finalised,” Thurman said. “I know it’s easy to say, it’s easy to talk about
“I can’t say without a doubt that if a great contract came in from the US that I wouldn’t sign it and not really hold interest in Tszyu.
“But, it was a lot of fun being here in Australia, and it was a lot of fun performing under No Limit boxing.
“We can negotiate those things if I don’t get a better offer on the table.”
Tszyu has officially banned his team from talking about future fights after falling into that trap ahead of the Bakhram Murtazaliev loss last year, but is keen on stepping into the ring with Thurman.
Tszyu is in heavy sparring three-and-a-half weeks out from his showdown with Spencer, but his manager, Glen Jennings agrees it’s the fight to make.
“Great fight,” he said moments after Thurman’s win over Jarvis. “He’s very cagey, Keith Thurman never got out of second gear.
“Tim and Keith will be two very high level, skilled fighters going at it.
“In Tim’s current mental state, where he’s focused and absolutely knuckled down on what he needs to do, I think it’ll be a cracker of a fight. I really do.”
In Wednesday’s co-main event, Michael Zerafa broke his right hand in the second round of his seventh round TKO victory over Besir Ay, but still used the same hand to score the stoppage.
Michael Zerafa shows off his broken hand. #ThurmanJarvispic.twitter.com/k6ucImVqRa
— Brendan Bradford (@1bbradfo) March 12, 2025
A Tszyu-Zerafa showdown would be one of the biggest fights in domestic boxing history, but four years after they were originally supposed to fight, it’s officially dead in the water.
Tszyu is adamant he will never fight Zerafa, while the ‘Pretty Boy’ is looking elsewhere too.
“I’d love to be a world champion,” Zerafa said. “I’ve fallen short twice against the best in the world twice in their backyard.
“It’ll be good to go again, maybe No Limit can bring them down here and I’ll get the win.”
Jennings shut down talk of Zerafa fighting Tim, but didn’t close the door on the Melburnian fighting another Tszyu sibling.
“It won’t happen,” he said. “There’s always talk about that, and No Limit will say it can happen, but we say it’s not happening.
“Tim’s moved on, and I’m sure Michael has too. But if there’s any way Michael can shit-stir a fight, he’s going to do that, and we respect that.
“He may get his wish to fight a Tszyu, but I think it’ll be Nikita.”
Thurman brutally stops Jarvis, calls out Tszyu for blockbuster
Keith Thurman made light work of brave Aussie Brock Jarvis, knocking him down twice in the third on the way to a brutal TKO win.
The former two-time world champion proved class is permanent despite three years out of the ring.
Jarvis was game and landed several big shots in his eight minutes in the ring, but there was a massive gulf in class between the pair as Thurman’s precision was too much for Jarvis’ raw athleticism.
“I knew that’s what Brock was all about. From the face-off, he was still holding onto some animosity,” Thurman said.
“After I saw that anger in him, let that boy use it up in the first round.
“A small left hook to the body, I saw him wince, I put the pressure on. He showed some grit, then my signature uppercut got him down.”
The sequence that got the job done for Keith Thurman 💣#nolimitboxing#nolimitppv#thurmanjarvispic.twitter.com/F4B42dtCrS
— No Limit Boxing (@NoLimit_Boxing) March 12, 2025
Thurman dedicated the win to his daughter who turned two on Monday and immediately doubled down on his call out of Tim Tszyu, who was watching from the broadcast booth.
“I just raised the bar on you, Tszyu,” Thurman said. “Three years of inactivity. You wanna come back, come back hard, baby.
“Represent Australia. We’ve got another American fighter coming for you.
“I’m looking forward to fighting anybody, but if the contract materialises, you know what Keith Thurman do. I’ll sign the contract, baby.”
Tszyu was shown on the broadcast holding his finger to his mouth telling him to be quiet.
“I’ve got business to do on April 6, but I’m pretty psyched,” said Tszyu, who fights Joey Spencer next month.
“He comes in swinging, and when you have a pure boxer, you can exploit that.
“But, easier said than done. He’s a talent, and what he did tonight, it’s one hell of a performance.”
Jarvis had a disrupted fight camp after his high profile split with Jeff Fenech. For the first time in his career, the Marrickville Mauler wasn’t in his corner, but was sitting ringside with wife, Suzee.
Fenech became emotional and left the arena seconds after Jarvis walked to the ring. He returned before the fight started, but walked through the barricades and watched the third round TKO loss at a ringside seat.
Thurman rattled Jarvis with a one-two after just one minute of the opening round, but was caught himself jumping in too eagerly.
Jarvis went to work on the inside in his best Fenech imitation, but Thurman fought back by the end of the frame.
Two outrageously big right hands stopped Jarvis’ attacks in its tracks in the third round, and Jarvis crumpled to the mat after a hook to the body and vicious left uppercut.
The brave Sydneysider only barely beat the count, but was on unsteady legs and shouldn’t have been allowed to continue.
Thurman wasted no time ending it, sending Jarvis to the canvas a second time with a left hook.
Zerafa injures hand in KO win
Michael Zerafa walked out to boos, but left the ring to cheers after a seventh round stoppage of Besir Ay in the co-main event.
One of Australian boxing’s biggest villains over the past five years, Zerafa won over the Hordern Pavilion crowd in a back and forth battle with the dangerous Ay.
Zerafa had Ay hurt in the sixth, before dropping him twice in the seventh, and forcing referee Chris Condon to stop the bout before the German could take any more punishment.
“I always play the villain and you guys boo me, but sometimes I just need to focus,” he said. “I think I broke my hand on his head in round two.
“I felt it go in round two, then I started headhunting. I was a little bit flat, but we got the wind.
“Whether you love me or hate me, I want to thank you, because you make boxing great. We need villains sometimes, and I’m happy to play that role.
“This sport’s hard as hell.
“Everyone that’s in here, whether you love me or hate me, thank you. This is what the sport needs.
“The main question is Tim Tszyu – I’ve got nothing against Tim, and as an Aussie I’m getting behind him,” he said. “I hope he beats Spencer. When we fight, we’ll punch each other’s heads in.
“He’s an athlete, I’m an athlete, and that’s the biggest fight in Australia.”
Tapia claims wild war
Mateo Tapia won a wild war against Sergei Vorobiev, knocking the Sydney-based Russian out in the fourth round of their all-action middleweight scrap.
Two pinpoint right hands on Vorobiev’s chin rattled the Russian in the closing seconds of the third, stopping his relentless attack.
It was an even bigger overhand right on the tip of Vorobiev’s chin that ended the fight in the next round.
Vorobiev regained his feet, but was on unsteady legs and referee Les Fear called it off.
The finishing punch was so violent that the sold out Hordern Pavilion groaned each time the replay was shown on the big screen.
Vorobiev was furious at the stoppage, protesting for minutes afterwards as the Florida-based Tapia celebrated.
A new star emerges
Kirra Ruston showed why he’s the hottest rising prospect in Australian boxing, jabbing Tonga Tongotongo’s left eye mercilessly for six rounds before the fight was stopped.
Ruston stunned Tongotongo with a massive straight right with 15 seconds remaining in the sixth round, before landing a barrage of big shots as the Kiwi slumped against a ropes.
Tongotongo beat the count and saw the bell for the end of the round, but his corner stopped it before the start of the seventh.
Brisbane-based Ruston is a star in the making and takes home the Australian light heavyweight title, having fought just 11 days ago.
Ruston displayed all his fearsome attacking prowess, but weathered a storm as well, in the first of his five pro fights that has gone beyond two rounds.
Fawcett calls out Jarvis
Central Coast slugger Jason Fawcett stopped dangerous Japanese fighter Kohei Hakatana and immediately called out Brock Jarvis.
“If the money’s there, I’ll take Brock Jarvis and put him in retirement,” Fawcett told this masthead. “Definitely.
“We’ll see how he goes tonight.
“A couple of the boys in our gym fought him in the amateurs in the junior days.
“I reckon I’ll end his career. Jokes. It’ll be a good fight, but I’ll get it over him.”
Earlier, Linn Sandstrom scored a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Yoselin Fernandez and Jason Clenshaw continued his rise up the welterweight ranks.
The card opened with an upset, with Angel Rushton – daughter of Jeff Horn’s trainer, Glenn Rushton – dropping a unanimous decision in an untelevised bout against Nadia Flalhi.
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