KEITH THURMAN: "I'D TAKE A ROBERT GUERRERO FIGHT...I'M READY TO SIGN ON ANY DOTTED LINE"
By Ben Thompson | August 08, 2013
"I'd take a Robert Guerrero fight, you know. Everybody's got fight dates right now, you know what I'm saying. There is no ideal world in the world of boxing, you know. Otherwise, as soon as I stepped on the scene, I would've gotten the three people I called it...A lot of people want to see me and Broner. It doesn't really matter. Floyd Mayweather. The whole Top 10. We coming, man....Like I said, it's everybody. I'm just waiting for the phone call and for them to verify because I'm ready to sign on any dotted line, baby. I'm gonna be bringing y'all some of the best fights in the welterweight division, guaranteed," stated newly-crowned WBA interim welterweight champion Keith Thurman, who talked about his recent TKO victory over the previously undefeated Diego Chaves, his future plans, and much more. Check it out!
BT: Keith, congratulations on the win over Chaves. As promised, you delivered on the knockout.
KT: That's right, man.
BT: What did you think of your performance?
KT: I think it was a great performance, you know. It was a great fight. Chaves brought a lot out of me. He's a young, strong dude and, I mean, I just went in there and represented One Time, man. I showed my heart, my determination, and my will to never give up. You gotta understand, these people, you know, you train hard and this and that, but a lot of these people, you've never stepped in the ring with them a day in your life, you know what I'm sayin', so I wanted to show him One Time and I got to learn him. I just showed him that I was not one-dimensional. We switched the game up during the fight and we took control easily after that.
BT: Was there anything about Chaves that surprised you or was he pretty much what you expected?
KT: Um, for the most part, you know. I mean, he might have been a little faster than I expected. He moved his feet a little bit more and his head a little bit more in the beginning, but, you know, that's why you should never really step into the ring with a whole bunch of expectations. What I really expected was a great fight. I was prepared for a great fight, you know. I was prepared for the fight of my career, you know, because that's pretty much how it is from here on it. Every fight, when you're an undefeated fighter, that's the fight of your career, so I was just well prepared. I don't think he really knew what he was stepping in the ring with. We just went hard.
BT: What was the game plan going into the fight? Did you pretty much stick to that game plan or were you making adjustments?
KT: The game plan was exactly what I did; to go toe-to-toe because I knew this dude would. I knew he would be ready to fight, ready to throw, and I was gonna try to see if I could have an easy night, man, a quick night, but after 3 or 4 rounds, then I realized, you know, we're both strong, we're both here, this is a 12-round fight, so I'ma see if this kid can box. I said I still got my hands, I'm ready to throw, but I'm gonna move on him now and I'm going to take control. I just knew I was going to take control; all I had to do was move my feet. So I fought the first 4 rounds pretty much toe-to-toe. I moved a little bit, but I just wanted to be in the pocket more and, you know, let's trade; let's go for it. And we did. It was a great fight and then I just changed it up, man. I knew from watching tape he wouldn't be able to box with me. We swung for awhile and then, you know, plan B, show him the real Keith Thurman and we took over.
BT: At what point in the fight did you feel like you were totally in control and it was only a matter of time?
KT: At the end of the 4th round. If you watch back on the clip, I rasied my hand at the end of the 4th round. It was just a signal to tell the people back at home, my family members that were watching, your boy got this; don't worry. It was a good fight till then, but, you know, I figured him out. You never meet these people in your life and I figured him out, man. He was already breathing hard and I said I'm going to take him around the ring like we're doing laps, and every punch that I hit him with, he's not going to like. He's not going to like any of them that I throw. I could throw 2 punches per round and I'd make sure he don't like them 2 punches.
BT: What was it that made you realize that you were in full control of the fight?
KT: Well, it was pretty much a fair fight. I know he was being given the rounds, but to me, inside the ring, I'm like, man, this is a fair fight. I felt his punches, he's feeling my punches, but, you know, he was breathing out of his mouth. I was doing it too, but because he hit me in my nose. When I saw that in the ring, I just knew how much longer the fight was, you know; I said I'm going to use my boxing skills now and I'm definitely going to incorporate my head movement. I felt like I was a little too stiff early on in the fight. We just had to warm up and get ready, man. I was ready for the long haul; I was ready for the whole battle and, you know, apparently he wasn't and that body shot proved it.
BT: Talk to me about the knockdowns. Did you know the openings would be there and purposely target the body?
KT: Yeah, you know, in the round, I was trying to get my distance right and something just told me that, you know, you need to step in on him now; he has nothing left for you, you got plenty of fight in you, commit, step in, and when you get the shot, you know, just dig. Take the shot and dig, and it just happened to be a body shot. I ducked into position and I saw it, so I just dug.
BT: With the win, you picked up the WBA interim welterweight title. Although that's a great accomplishment, is it somewhat unsatisfying knowing that it's an interim title and there's someone else out there who can lay claim to being the champion?
KT: Yeah, man, you know, it's like a teaser or something, man. It's nice, but when you know that there's more competition out there, man, you know, it's not enough. But I'm 24-years old, I'm not going nowhere, man; I'm planning on having a long career here in the world of boxing and I'm just looking forward to mixing it up.
BT: I know during the post-fight press conference, questions about fights with Adrien Broner and Floyd Mayweather quickly surfaced, but obviously both of them have other plans in their immediate future. That being said, if you were playing the role of manager or promoter, who would you target for Keith Thurman's next fight?
KT: Um...hmm...I'd take a Robert Guerrero fight, you know. Everybody's got fight dates right now, you know what I'm saying. There is no ideal world in the world of boxing, you know. Otherwise, as soon as I stepped on the scene, I would've gotten the three people I called it. It just is what it is, man. You gotta take whatever's gonna come your way. I said I'd like Maidana, you know, but he wants to fight Broner. Broner might want to fight him. A lot of people want to see me and Broner. It doesn't really matter. Floyd Mayweather. The whole Top 10. We coming, man. We're going to have to see who Golden Boy gets me.
BT: Speaking of Maidana, a lot of people have been impressed by his last couple of performances, but I can't help but wonder if that would be the case if he would've faced you 3 or 4 fights ago, when you were scheduled to make your debut on HBO, instead of pulling out of the fight. Do you think that he purposely ducked you?
KT: Yeah man. I think it's obvious that he sees me as a dangerous threat and they're just trying to go whichever money-making route they can go. I mean, they checked out of the fight early on, you know. I mean, he said he needed a tune-up or a warm-up or whatever. I mean, I think he should be warm by now. I'm ready to fight.
BT: You were on the same card as Jesus Soto Karass vs. Andre Berto. Did you get a chance to watch that fight or were you still back in the locker room?
KT: Yeah, I watched that fight.
BT: What was your take on it? Were you surprised at the outcome?
KT: It seemed like something happened to Berto's shoulder or whatever; he was moving it around. Karass just came to fight, man. He was landing his shots. Berto was standing in his distance, but he kind of wasn't calculating the fact that Karass's arms were so long. There wasn't a whole lot of in and out movement, so he was getting caught even after landing his own punches. It was just a battle, man; the whole card. It was definitely worthy of being called Knockout Kings.
BT: Do you prefer fighting guys who are willing to stand and trade with you as opposed to someone who prefers to move and box more?
KT: You know, you just take all styles into calculation. Like you said, to knock people out, it's obvious if they're going to move forward and just move right into my power punches, then it's an easier night. But we like all forms of challenges, man. We like challenges too.
