Brock Jarvis says he’s worried Keith Thurman, 36, won’t show up for their March 12 fight due to his injury issues. Jarvis (22-1, 20 KO) notes that Thurman (30-1, 22 KO) hasn’t fought in three years and pulled out of his fight last year with an “old man’s injury” to his return planned against Tim Tszyu.
Age and injury
Thurman has been plagued by constant injuries since 2017, and no one knows if his tired, brittle and aged body can handle a grueling training camp to fight young lion Jarvis on March 12.
Thurman-Jarvis will headline a 12-round contest at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia. This is an important fight for Thurman because he already has big things mapped out for him in 2025 in 2026, and he hopes to use the 27-year-old Jarvis (22-1, 20 KOs) as a springboard to get big money. fights against the stars.
Thurman (30-1, 22 KO) hasn’t fought since his 12-round unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios on February 5, 2022. That was a long, long time ago, and Thurman physically doesn’t resemble the younger . , a keen fighter that he was then. Like anyone who has sat on their couch watching TV and reading books for three years, Thurman could be a shadow of his former self, fodder for Jarvis.
As we saw with Sugar Ray Leonard when he came off a six-year long hiatus to face Hector “Macho” Camacho, Thurman could be headed for a loss.
Keith Thurman: “At 36, I still have a passion for sport. I was world champion twice. I love sports. “I have fans all over the world and this gives me the opportunity to get back into the sport of boxing, which I love,” Keith Thurman told Fox Sports Australiaspeaking about his March 12 return against Brock Jarvis.
“It allows me to travel overseas to allow the fans to see me show off my skills and talent in Australia and show you how wrong it is to think you’re going to fight Keith Thurman and it’s going to be a fight easy.
“You have to understand that he (Brock Jarvis) was not a champion. You have to understand that Keith Thurman was not only a champion, but I beat a champion and I trained the last champion, Mario Barrios (in 2022). So it’s hard to impress me, but what I saw was a very sharp fighter.
“I saw a guy who was going to fight. He is an insider; he’s going to come bring some powerful punches to the table. I was known when I arrived, I was a powerful puncher. It allows me to get back to my roots. Of course, my feet are still under me. I have a smart ring IQ that I can always bring to the table.
“As the promoter says. He knows that on March 12th there will be firecrackers from the United States and Australia, and that life will be in action on March 12th. I’m looking forward to it. This 27-year-old young man in his prime, and the fact that he’s not Mexican, but he must have some cajones to make up for it,” Thurman said.
Brock Jarvis: “He said there that he was a powerful puncher, but I know he hasn’t scored by knockout in 10 years. He hasn’t fought in three years. That’s a long time at his age. For him to say that, last year he had a fight scheduled (Tim Tszyu) and pulled out with an old man injury, torn bicep. So, I’m a little afraid he won’t even come. I’ll feel a little better when he gets here and hits Australian soil.
