Brock Jarvis says he’s worried about 36-year-old Keith Thurman showing up for their March 12 fight because of his injury problems. Jarvis (22-1, 20 KOs) notes Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought in three years and pulled out of his fight last year with an “old man’s injury” for his scheduled return against Tim Tszyu.
Age and injury
Thurman has been plagued with constant injuries since 2017 and it is anyone’s guess whether his tired, fragile and aging body can withstand a grueling training camp to fight the young lion Jarvis on March 12th.
Thurman-Jarvis will headline a 12-round contest at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia. This is an important fight for Thurman because he already has big things mapped out for him in 2025 into 2026 and he hopes to use the 27-year-old Jarvis (22-1, 20 KOs) as a springboard to get the big money fights against the stars.
Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought since his 12-round unanimous decision win over Mario Barrios on Feb. 5, 2022. That was a long time ago, and Thurman still doesn’t look like the young man he was. , spry fighter he was then. Like any person who has sat on their couch watching TV and reading books for three years, Thurman could be a shadow of himself — fodder for Jarvis.
As we saw with Sugar Ray Leonard when he came out of a long six-year layoff to face Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho, Thurman may be headed for a loss.
Keith Thurman: “At 36, I still have a passion for the sport. I have become world champion twice. I love the sport. I have fans all over the world and this gives me the opportunity to give back to the sport of boxing, which I love,” Keith Thurman told Fox Sports Australiatalking about his return on March 12 against Brock Jarvis.
“It allows me to travel overseas to let the fans see me showcase my skills and talent in Australia to show you how wrong you are when you 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) was not a champion. You have to understand that not only was Keith Thurman a champion, but I have beaten a champion and 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 is going to fight. He is an initiate. he is going to come and bring punches of power to the table. I was notorious when I was coming up, I was a powerful puncher. This allows me to go back to my roots. Of course, my feet are always under me. I have a smart IQ ring that I can always bring to the table.
“As the promoter says. He knows that on March 12 there will be some firecrackers from the USA and Australia and life in action on March 12. I can’t wait. This young man in his prime at 27 and the fact that he’s not Mexican, but he’s got to have some cajones to get to me,” Thurman said.
Brock Jarvis: “He stated there that he’s a strong puncher, but I know he hasn’t scored a knockout in 10 years. He hasn’t competed in three years. That’s a long time at his age. To say that, last year he had a fight scheduled (Tim Tszyu) and he left with an old man’s injury, a torn biceps. Well, I’m a little worried that it won’t even show up. I’ll feel a bit better when it gets here and on Australian soil.”
