“I never really cared about the belts. I cared about the fight,” Thurman said to Cigar Talk.
It’s difficult to take that at face value, given the position he’s in now. The 37-year-old is set to face WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora on March 28. Last year, Thurman was scheduled to fight Tim Tszyu for the WBO 154-pound belt before pulling out with a biceps injury. The pattern is clear. When opportunities come, they tend to involve titles.
Thurman has gone after the money fights when they were available. He had that with Manny Pacquiao in 2019 and Danny Garcia in 2017. After those nights, he stepped away for long stretches. That history has led some to question how committed he is to staying active at the top level and whether the priority has been financial.
He can say the belts were never the goal, but his path has often gone through them. Most of his wins have come against regular contenders, yet the biggest moments in his career have still been tied to title fights.
If Thurman beats Fundora, he won’t treat the belt as an afterthought. He’ll have options. Vergil Ortiz Jr., Conor Benn, and Jaron Ennis are all there. A returning Errol Spence would also be in play. In that position, the belt becomes useful, whether he says it matters or not.
He may downplay titles now, but if he wins one, he’s not walking away from it.
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