Can Keith Thurman Clinch Glory Again?

Five years ago, Keith Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) was a boxing prodigy nobody wanted to mess with. However, his rise to stardom has fallen in the last few years.

He has been inactive, coming off a loss to Manny Pacquiao and hasn’t been able to walk the talk.

Thurman does not shy away from talking smack in media, but his performance hasn’t backed it up. The former top-ranked welterweight star barely grabbed a win over Josesito Lopez before the Pacman, who was 40 then, beat him in a one-sided matchup.

He is scheduled to return to the ring against former WBA light-welterweight champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios (26-1, 17 KOs) on February 5, Saturday. With a win in the 12-round bout, Thurman could make a case for fighting for a world title.

But American journalist Chris Mannix doesn’t think that the 33-year-old will rule the welterweight division.

“He didn’t have that edge anymore [against Lopez]. Not the Thurman I saw when he was trying to win those titles back in 2016 and 2017,” Mannix told DAZN.

“I don’t know how you get that back at 33-years-old. I think Thurman can win this fight against Barrios. I don’t think Barrios is all that good.

“This is his first fight since coming up from junior welterweight, but as far as beating the Crawfords and the Spences at 147, I just don’t see it.”