Keith Thurman is pushing for a fight against Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, asking him to send a contract. The former WBA and WBC welterweight champion, ‘One Time’ Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) is interested in fighting Ennis at 154.
Thurman’s Desperate Ennis Challenge
Thurman, 36, is sounding desperate now for a well-paying fight against Boots or one of the other top junior middleweights. ‘One Time’ has frittered away most of the last six years, fighting just twice since 2019. Keith is a classic example of a fighter who makes a lot of money and then loses their ambition.
Now, he’s trying to make up for lost time by targeting Ennis, Tim Tszyu, Vergil Ortiz Jr., and Sebastian Fundora. It’s probably too late for Thurman to get any of those fights, because he would want them to be given to him without working his way up the ranks at 154 by beating contenders.
Thurman would expect to be given the fights based on his past accomplishments, which were made many years ago. It’s a lazy, shiftless approach to the sport.
Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) will likely ignore ‘One Time’, treat him like he’s a house fly, because there’s nothing for him to gain from fighting him. He’s a relic from a bygone era of boxing, and he’s coming back now, likely smelling Saudi money and wanting to refill his bank account before disappearing for another five years.
Keith: Send Me Contracts
“Everybody, send me the contracts. Do you really want Keith Thurman on your resume? You really don’t. So just send the contracts,” said Keith Thurman to MillCity Boxing about his desire to fight Jaron Ennis, Vergil Ortiz Jr., and Sebastian Fundora. “I’m ready to put on some great fights.”
Thurman could be taken seriously if he came back and beat some of the top 15 contenders to earn a fight. His comeback last March against second-tier fighter Brock Jarvis doesn’t count because that wasn’t a world-class opponent. That was a cherry-pick by old One Time.
Thurman Needs Top 154 Contenders
If Thurman wants to fight Boots, Vergil Jr. or Fundora, he needs to beat these types of fighters:
– Erickson Lubin
– Yoenis Tellez
– Israil Madrimov
– Jesus Ramos
– Serhii Bohachuk
It would be fun to see how well Thurman does against Madrimov. I don’t think it would end well for Thurman, but if he did get lucky, he’d have proven himself worthy of fighting Ennis, Fundora, and Ortiz Jr.
Thurman Disses Ennis’s Performance
“Boots is moving up. Me and Boots never got to scrap,” said Thurman. “There’s no such thing as a bad Keith Thurman fight. I don’t know what’s going on with Boots not taking good fights. Send me Boots. You think beating Stanionis that you did something in life, kid? That man stands there in the ring like his name, Stanionis.”
Well, of course, Thurman and Ennis never fought. How could Boots fight Thurman when he was inactive for most of the last six years since 2019? Thurman has only fought twice in six years, losing to 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao in 2022, and then beating little-known Australian Brock Jarvis in 2025.
Thurman took three years off after that nice little payday against Pacquiao. He was supposed to have stayed active after that fight, but he disappeared again. There’s a trend with Thurman. After a big payday, he disappears for three years.
“He was just standing there flat-footed. You think what Keith Thurman brings in the ring is not more heat than that?” said Thurman about Ennis’ win against WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis last April. “Everybody is still seeing you getting clocked. You ain’t been clocked by the right ones. I’m back. put it together. You’ll get the best Thurman fights. I turned the Brock Jarvis fight into an entertaining fight. I make boxing fun.”
That’s a ham-handed attempt by Thurman to try to coax Ennis into a fight. It’s not going to happen. If Ennis wasn’t interested in fighting the likes of Teofimo Lopez and Vergil Ortiz Jr. for millions, he’s not going to want to fight Thurman, where he’ll receive no credit.
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