Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) obliterated his overmatched comeback opponent Brock Jarvis (22-2, 20 KOs), knocking him out in the third round in a scheduled ten round contest on Wednesday night at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, Australia.
Thurman got the job done, dropping Jarvis a couple of times in the third round before the referee halted the contest. You can argue that the fight should have been stopped after the first round knockdown because Jarvis looked in no condition to resume fighting after getting up off the canvas. Thurman had nailed him with a right hand that put him down hard.
What’s Next?
Jarvis, 27, scurried to the corner for a last stand, and dropped by a left hook from Thurman. That was a good punch but Brock looked like he would have gone down with anything at that point.
After the fight, Thurman was his usual long-winded self at the post-fight press conference, talking about his long career and past accomplishments. Whatever. He says he’d be interested in fitting Tim Tszyu next unless a bigger offer comes from the U.S. He’s obviously hoping for Turki Alalshikh to offer a bundle of dough for him to be used at one of his shows.
Thurman would be an ideal opponent for IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev to fight on June 28th on Alcatraz. Vergil Ortiz Jr. says he can’t take the fight with Bakhram for that event because he’s still injured from his last bout on February 22nd.
If Thurman wants to fight in the U.S, why not take on the guy that destroyed Tszyu in three rounds? Murtzaliev crushed Tim on October 19th last year, dropping him four times in a massacre in Orlando, Florida.
It would be interesting to see if Thurman would be willing to take that fight or if he would suddenly start talking about injuries like Vergil Jr. It would be fun to see how long Thurman lasts against Bakhram. Still, based on how the 36-year-old ‘One Time’ looked tonight, I can’t see it going past one or two rounds. Thurman looked barely world class against an opponent with a glass chin.
Murtazaliev would be like a shark in the ring with ‘One Time,’ and I can’t see that fight going more than one round unless Thurman runs. His mobility looked gone tonight after three years of inactivity. It looked like he had rust in his once limber legs. If I didn’t know Thurman’s age, I would guess he was a 45-year-old. He’s not beating anyone looking like this.
“Yes, the referee could have stopped the fight, but if Brock had any chance of getting out of the round on a big PPV stage like this, there would have been more action and more entertainment to come,” said Keith Thurman to the media at the post-fight press conference after this third round knockout of Brock Jarvis on Wednesday night in Australia.
“I didn’t allow that to happen. I pressed the gas and closed out the show. When you have an opponent weak on their feet, you have to press the show and unfortunately, I was given that opportunity. I didn’t hesitate to do what we do as fighters of world class. It was important to get the statement.
“Tim Tszyu is not finalized. He’s coming off two losses. He needs to get a W. I can’t say if a great contract from the U.S were to come that I wouldn’t sign it and hold interest in Tszyu,” said Thurman. “We can negotiate those things [for a fight with Tszyu’s promoters, No Limit] if I don’t have a better offer that comes.”
Before he stopped fighting on a regular basis six years ago, his career wins were against Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia. He was just mostly known for those wins, and then disappeared after losing to 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao in 2019.
Last Updated on 03/12/2025
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