Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman could be heading for a “brutal knockout” in his title challenge against WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora on October 25.
Age Isn’t Just a Number Here
Boxing analyst Tim Bradley sees a dire outcome for the 36-year-old former WBA and WBO welterweight champion ‘One Time’ Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) in his headliner against the younger 27-year-old Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs).
If boxing were working right, Thurman would have had to earn a title shot against Fundora by running this little gauntlet against these three fighters:
- Vergil Ortiz Jr.
- Jaron Ennis
- Israil Madrimov
If Thurman came through those fights in one piece, he would get a world title shot against Fundora. Realistically, it doesn’t look good for Keith.
Tim said he studied Thurman’s recent comeback fight against Brock Jarvis from March 12, 2025, and his loss to then 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao on July 20, 2019. He doesn’t see a likely victory for Thurman, apart from getting a lucky knockout. The chances of that happening are slim.
Bradley’s Breakdown: ‘He Ain’t Beating Fundora’
“Fundora may even knock him out. I watched Thurman’s fight with 40-year-old Pacquiao [2019]. Thurman was at his peak then, and he couldn’t be a 40-year-old Pacquiao,” said Tim Bradley on his channel. “He ain’t beating a young Fundora.
Thurman has been too inactive over the last eight years since his fight against Danny Garcia on March 4, 2017. He’s fought just three times since that fight against these fighters:
- Brock Jarvis: March 12, 2025
- Mario Barrios: February 5, 2022,
- Manny Pacquiao: July 20, 2019
- Josesito Lopez: January 26, 2019
Fundora-Thurman will battle at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be shown on PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view for $74.99. That’s not cheap for a fight that there’s no demand for, and not much interest in.
The younger fighters don’t know who Thurman is, other than a long-winded fighter who is interviewed occasionally on YouTube. Many of the older fans who know ‘One Time’ lost interest in him a long time ago, tired of waiting for him to return.
“With that work rate from Fundora. That’s all it was with Pacquiao. You got Thurman backing away with his hands down. You can’t do that with Fundora. This is a different Thurman now. A little bit more mature,” said Bradley.
No Prayer for ‘One Time’
The flaws in Thurman’s game aren’t the reason he has very little chance of winning. It’s this witch’s brew:
- Age
- Facing a superior fighter
- Inactivity
- Fighting outside of his natural weight class
- Inexperience at 154
- Never being that good in the first place
If you factor all those up, it comes out to old ‘One Time’ Thurman not having a prayer. He’s heading for a near-certain loss, and the only thing that makes it interesting is whether he’ll be taken out on his feet or counted out flat on his back.
Written by Ken Woods, Ringside Boxing Analyst covering world title fights since 2018.
Last Updated on 10/09/2025
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