By Ian S Palmer
The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York will see the return of unbeaten WBA Super World Welterweight Titleholder Keith Thurman of Clearwater, Florida this Saturday, January 26th after a two year absence out of the ring. Thurman will be taking on veteran Josesito Lopez of Riverside, California and the 12-round bout can be seen live in North America on Fox, Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes. Fans in the UK can catch it on ITV 4. Thurman hasn’t fought since March of 2017 when he beat Danny Garcia by unanimous decision and took his WBC Welterweight crown. Lopez last fought in April when he beat Miguel Cruz by a 10-round unanimous decision.
The 30-year-old Thurman will enter the ring with a perfect record of 28-0 with 22 Kos. He won his title with a unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero in March, 2015 and has defended it against Luis Collazo, Shawn Porter and Garcia. Thurman’s a skilled boxer/puncher who combines speed and power to produce a fan-friendly style. He’s got the power to stop most opponents and the boxing skill to wins decisions if he has to go the distance. He’s not known as a KO artist, but owns an impressive knockout ratio of 76 per cent.
Thurman possesses an effective jab which he often doubles or triples up on. He likes to back his foe up with the jab and then unleash power shots or quick combinations to the head and body. He’s also an effective counterpuncher and an intelligent boxer overall who can throw punches from a wide variety of angles. His hardest shot is the left hook and his mobility makes him one of boxing’s best prospects at the moment. He’s not the easiest guy to hit, and so far his chin has appeared to be pretty solid.
He’s boxed 126 rounds since turning pro in 2007 following an excellent amateur career that saw him go 101-6 with half of those losses coming to Demetrius Andrade. Thurman is just over 5-feet-7-inches tall with a reach of 69 inches. He’s also won a few regional and minor titles since turning pro including the WBO NABO Super Welterweight Championship as well as the WBO Inter-Continental Welterweight Title. He’s 4-0 in world title fights with 1 KO and is 7-0 against former or current world champions with 3 Kos. He’s also beaten Julio Diaz, Jesus Soto-Karass, Diego Chaves and Carlos Quintana.
Lopez is now 34 years of age and has a mark of 36-7 with 19 Kos to his name. He’s best known for stopping Victor Ortiz back in 2012 and breaking his jaw in the process. Lopez turned pro in 2003 and has 259 rounds under his belt. Lopez has been stopped three times as Saul Canelo Alvarez stopped him in five rounds in 2012, Marcos Maidana halted him in six in 2013 and Andre Berto took him out in six rounds in 2015. He’s also dropped decisions to Rodrigo Lopez in 2003, Wes Ferguson in 2006, Edgar Santana in 2008 and Jessie Vargas in 2011.
Lopez has taken on a lot of top-grade boxers over the years and along with beating Ortiz he’s also been successful against Adrian Navarrete, Luis Arceo, Tyrone Harris, Anthony Mora, Marvin Cordova Jr, Sergio Rivera, Mike Dallas, Mike Arnaoutis, Aaron Martinez and Saul Corral. Lopez is just over 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 69-inch reach so has a 2.5-inch edge in height on Thurman with the same reach. He’s not known for his power and has a current knockout ratio of 43 per cent. He’s a solid pro though with a lot of heart and good skills to go along with his experience.
Along the way, Lopez has won the WBC Silver Welterweight, NABF Light Welterweight, WBC Youth World Lightweight, WBC Continental Americas Lightweight, WBC Youth World Super Featherweight, and WBC Intercontinental Mundo Hispano Super Featherweight Titles.
Prediction
Thurman may have to work through some ring rust, but his natural speed, boxing ability and power should present itself after a few rounds. Lopez in an experienced pro, but doesn’t have the power or boxing skills to pull off an upset unless he lands the perfect punch.
