Keith Thurman defends title against Luis Collazo

LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 07: Keith Thurman is seen with a welt after a punch by Robert Guerrero during a Premier Boxing Champions bout in the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 7, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“He’s a young, hungry fighter”, he added. He’s willing to challenge the top fighters out there but there’s a whole pool of young fighters out there.

As far as what Floyd Mayweather is doing, there’s nothing imminent as of yet. Collazo’s fight against Khan showed that he struggled with movement and speed, two attributes that Thurman possesses, although the threat of that “one time” power is still what has people excited about him. That said, there are still plenty of compelling options for Mayweather not named Andre Berto or Karim Mayfield – fighters who can push Mayweather based on their unique sets of skills. “I’ve never ducked any fighter and a fight with Thurman is one I would certainly be open to”.

“””(Fighting Collazo) was not on my priority list, but at the end of the day, I wanted to stay active”, Thurman told US TODAY Sports. “In my opinion Keith Thurman can’t beat Errol Spence”, Ellerbe said to ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael.

Thurman needs to make the move, as tough as it is, to accept the fight with Spence. Spence, although he is fit from a talent standpoint, simply hasn’t worked his way up the ladder yet (but he’s moving fast).

Collazo once held the belt, but that was 10 years ago, and Thurman is slotted in as one of the “PBC” series possible future break out stars. “He’s not on Floyd’s level”, Ellerbe said.

Unlike so many tantalizing fights in boxing, promotional politics don’t appear to be an obstacle to this. Even in a recent interview Keith Thurman said that he does understand how the game goes, and although he wants the fight with Mayweather, he’s under no illusion that it would happen – and he’s perfectly okay with that. Fight fans are sure to be happy with the anticipation that this fight could well be a slugfest.

Thurman had in April accused Khan of avoiding a fight against him because the Brit apparently doesn’t like “laying on canvas”, Dog House Boxing reported. Does Keith Thurman deserve a shot at Floyd Mayweather?