Keith Thurman Scouting Floyd, Khan, Maidana, Collazo

Keith Thurman has been a presence during fight week here in Vegas, and I get the sense that “One Time” is itching–like, needs Benadryl-level itching–to ditch his WBA interim welter crown, get a “real” one, and be seen across the board as the level of athlete he believes he is.

A Floyd, a Khan, they get clusters of press.

A Thurman, a Shawn Porter, they get pockets.

I've run into Thurman (23-0, with 21 KOs) a few times, him and his galpal, and I've managed to collect some insights and info on the Flordian over the last few days.

First, and maybe foremost, here is his REAL Twitter account. https://twitter.com/keithfthurmanjr Yep, the one with the modest amount of followers is really him, and the one with over 7,000 IS NOT, no matter what UFC guy tells ya lol.

Also, Thurman expects to fight next in July or August. He told me why he showed in Vegas.

“I'm here to watch Mayweather. I'm here to see if he's getting old. The numbers say he's getting old, but is his body getting old?”

He said he hasn't seen a loss of speed, reflexes, sharpness in “Money,” but we all deteriorate eventually. Maybe now, at 37, maybe tonight, it will occur…or maybe there will be a slight hint of it, a slippage that only a seasoned boxer will pick up on. “My original trainer, Ben Getty, used to say, 'Every dog has his day.'

And what bone is he looking to pick next? Porter?

“It's not Porter, he has his mandatory (Kell Brook) next. I can take the winner or the loser of the two main fights. In Khan vs. Collazo, I got Collazo favored, even though he's the underdog in Vegas. I like him because his experience in the welterweight division. Khan needs to prove to me he can hang with a true welterweight, that he belongs at 147. Put a couple bucks on Collazo, it's a smart bet. It's not a bad bet.”

I asked Thurman if he thinks people think Porter has surpassed him. He pondered it, and offered this. People maybe like how Porter handled Paul Malignaggi, and that makes him sort of flavor of the month, but, Thurman said, he handled Julio Diaz better than Porter did (UD10 for Porter, stoppage 3rd for Thurman.)

Hey, I got a brilliant idea. Let's hash that debate out in the place that makes the most sense….

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