Brock Jarvis says he is concerned 36-year-old Keith Thurman will show up for their March 12 fight due to injury issues. Jarvis (22-1, 20 KOs) notes that Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought in three years and pulled out of his fight last year due to an “old injury” for his planned return against Tim Tszyu.
Age and injury
Thurman has been plagued by constant injuries since 2017, and it is anyone’s guess whether his tired, frail and aging body will be able to withstand the grueling training camp for the fight with young lion Jarvis on March 12.
Thurman-Jarvis will headline the 12-round contest at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia. This is an important fight for Thurman as he has already lined up big things for him in 2025 and 2026 and hopes to use the 27-year-old Jarvis (22-1, 20 KO) as a stepping stone to big money fights against the stars.
Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought since his 12-round unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios on February 5, 2022. That was a long, long time ago, and Thurman still doesn’t physically resemble the young, fast fighter he was back then was. Like anyone who has sat on the sofa for three years watching TV and reading books, Thurman could be a shadow of his former self – food for Jarvis.
As we saw with Sugar Ray Leonard when he came back from a long six-year layoff to face Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho, Thurman could be headed for a loss.
Keith Thurman: “At the age of 36, I still have a passion for sports. I was world champion twice. I like sports. I have fans all over the world and this gives me the opportunity to return to the sport of boxing that I love,” said Keith Thurman to Fox Sports Australiatalking about his return against Brock Jarvis on March 12th.
“It allows me to travel overseas to allow the fans to see me showcase my skills and talent in Australia to show you how wrong you are to think you’re going to fight Keith Thurman and it’s going to be an easy fight.
“You have to understand that he [Brock Jarvis] he was not a champion. You have to understand that not only was Keith Thurman the champion, but I beat the champion, and I trained the last champion, Mario Barrios [in 2022]. So it’s hard to impress me, but what I saw was a very lively fighter.
“I saw a guy who was going to fight. He is an insider; he will come and bring powerful punches to the table. I was notorious when I started, I was a heavy hitter. This allows me to return to my roots. Of course, my legs are always under me. I have an intelligent ring IQ that I can always bring to the table.
“As the promoter says. He knows that on March 12, there will be firecrackers from the USA and Australia, and on March 12, life in action. I’m looking forward to it. This young man in his prime at 27 years old, and the fact that he’s not Mexican, but he’s got to have some cajon to get close to me,” Thurman said.
Brock Jarvis: “He said there that he’s a strong puncher, but I know he hasn’t scored a knockout in 10 years. He hasn’t fought in three years. That’s a long time for his age. To say that, he had an arranged fight last year [Tim Tszyu] and got away with an old injury, a torn bicep. So I’m a little worried that he might not even show up. I’ll feel a bit better when he gets here and gets on Australian soil.”
