Thurman on Danny Garcia: What He Did At 140, What I Did At 147, We're Hall of Fame Fighters

[Ruthless-RKO]

Thurman on Danny Garcia: What He Did At 140, What I Did At 147, We're Hall of Fame Fighters

Keith Thurman holds a lot of respect for Danny Garcia, even if his frequent trashtalking does not necessarily reflect that.

The Clearwater, Florida, native recently offered a pithy retort to Garcia after Garcia expressed interest in a rematch of their encounter in 2017 that saw Thurman pick up a split decision win. Garcia made his feelings clear last Saturday night upon making a successful debut at the 154-pound mark against Jose Benavidez Jr. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Thurman warned Garcia to reconsider the idea of a return bout, saying he was able to defeat Garcia while injured.

“I’m too pretty, I’m too blessed,” Thurman posted on his social media. “Danny Garcia can never pass the Keith Thurman test! I beat that boy with bone spurs, you see, I wasn’t even at my best. Look man, my IQ is even higher, his feet are slow like a flat tire. Be careful what you wish for. You silly Philly boy. This is not a game, it’s not Street Fighter — but I will still hit you with that yoga fire!”

In an interview with FightHubTV after his initial statement, Thurman indicated that he would be willing to face Garcia in a rematch at some point down the line. He also expressed his admiration for Garcia’s achievements, especially his campaign at 140, where he picked up notable wins over Lucas Matthysse and Amir Khan. Indeed, Thurman believes both he and Garcia will see their names enshrined in Canastota some day.

“I love Danny, man, he accomplished so many great things in his career,” Thurman said. “Obviously he ran into some hurdles that couldn’t leap over at 147, me being the first one. But at ’54, you know, to me, there’s not a lot in it for Danny to be at 154 besides the continuation of the legacy.

“If he was to truly get an opportunity to become a three divisional world champion—what he did at 140 already puts him in the Hall of Fame. What I did at 147 already puts me in the Hall of Fame. So we’re Hall of Fame fighters. So if I talk that ish it’s with all due respect.”

As for a rematch with Garcia, Thurman said he would consider it even at 154, where Thurman has not yet fought but has previously expressed interest in doing so. Thurman has stated he expects to be back in the ring by the end of the year, possibly in October. Both fighters are handled by Al Haymon of Premier Boxing Champions.

"I can play jump rope," Thurman, 33, said. "We can do whatever is good for the fans. I can compromise to make a good fight happen. But right now I’m ready to go. I been ready to go. I don’t know when he’s going to get back into the ring.

"At the end of the day I think it’s a good fight. I’m surprised it took him this long to really bark at the rematch. It was a tremendous fight when it happened, man. I had a great rivalry with him.”

Of course, should they ever fight again, Thurman, whose last fight was a solid decision over Mario Barrios in February, believes he will produce the same outcome.

"I don’t think they have a real strategy and the capacity to override what I bring to the table, man," Thurman said of Garcia and his team. "It’s a chess match and I’m a grandmaster."

[Ruthless-RKO]

I don't like when boxers talk about themselves being HOF fighters..

If you're good enough or deserve it, people will mention you.

There's plenty of boxers i never liked watching but I respectfully would say they're HOF worthy.

[squiggy]

Garcia close-ish, Thurman nowhere near.

[Bandog]

Thurman would 100% take on DG at 154, as long as it gets him out of fighting Boots at 147.

[gilgamesh]

1 or 2 more big wins and Garcia may well find the doors to the Hall open for him.

Keith has miles to go, and rivers to cross before he's even on the ballot IMO.

[Bandog]

1 or 2 more big wins and Garcia may well find the doors to the Hall open for him.

Keith has miles to go, and rivers to cross before he's even on the ballot IMO.

Thurman is in the same boat right now as Andrade and Mall Charlo. People just want them to stfu and fight someone good.

[Mexi-Box]

Garcia is extremely borderline. It depends on how strong the class is if he gets in or not. Thurman is arguably the better fighter H2H, but the dude did nothing near what Danny did in his respective division.

[Enlightened-One]

There are several Hall-of-Famers that were only inducted into the IBHoF because of their popularity or due to them having competed in highly-exciting bouts.

Some of these guys definitely have weaker resumes than Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia.

But there are fighters regularly appearing on the IBHoF voting ballot that never get inducted, but they have better resumes than Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia.

In the context of historical contribution to the sport of boxing, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia haven’t done enough to gain entry into the IBHoF.

The same applies with their sporting credentials too.

But then again, there are several fighters (worse than Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia) that should never have been inducted into the Hall-of-Fame.

So I can understand the conundrum, it’s incredibly easy to argue that Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia should eventually become Hall-of-Famers, due to the fact fighters like Arturo Gatti, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Barry McGuigan and Ingemar Johansson were also inducted.

But there are at least thirty names appearing on the IBHoF voting poll every single year that will never become Hall-of-Famers, that enjoyed better careers than Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia.

Here's a list of those I researched a year ago:

• Yuri Arbachakov
• Jorge Arce
• Paulie Ayala
• Nigel Benn
• Timothy Bradley
• Vuyani Bungu
• Ivan Calderon
• Joel Casamayor
• Sot Chitalada
• Diego Corrales
• Miguel Cotto
• Chris Eubank
• Carl Froch
• Leo Gamez
• Ricky Hatton
• Genaro Hernandez
• Chris John
• Mikkel Kessler
• Santos Laciar
• Rocky Lockridge
• Miguel “Happy” Lora
• Rafael Marquez
• Henry Maske
• Dariusz Michalczewski
• Sung-Kil Moon
• Michael Moorer
• Orzubek Nazarov
• Sven Ottke
• Vinny Paz
• Gilberto Roman
• Gianfranco Rosi
• Samuel Serrano
• Antonio Tarver
• Meldrick Taylor
• James Toney
• Fernando Vargas
• Israel Vazquez
• Wilfredo Vazquez
• Ratanapol Sor Vorapin

[Enlightened-One]

Off-topic, I know, but my previous post got me thinking about Dereck Chisora.

In the context of a fictional British domestic level “Hall-of-Fame”, I think he’s a dead-cert first-ballot future Hall-of-Famer.

He’s enjoyed career longevity, scored some decent wins, probably won a few fights he “officially” lost, is massively commercially popular and he nearly always competes in incredibly exciting bouts (seemingly engaging in FOTY candidates every single year).

Del Boy appears to tick all of the proverbial Hall-of-Fame check boxes.

[gilgamesh]

1 or 2 more big wins and Garcia may well find the doors to the Hall open for him.

Keith has miles to go, and rivers to cross before he's even on the ballot IMO.

Thurman is in the same boat right now as Andrade and Mall Charlo. People just want them to stfu and fight someone good.

I don't know. With Keith I really don't give a damn if he fights at all to be honest. He strikes me as a guy who's heart ain't in the game, and he really don't wanna be in it, so I really don't wanna see him in it.

Next time you see him. In all likelihood it'll be as a name opponent.

[DrDuke]

Neither of the two is worthy for now. Thurman is a bit better than Garcia. Winning aged Zab Judah, Erik Morales and nailing the chinny Khan isn't better than winning Garcia himself and Shawn Porter, to him Garcia also lost. Yet Thurman lost to the aged Pac, so this ultimately eliminates his HoF claims for today. However, both of them doesn't seem to be finished. If they rematch and Garcia wins, he'll surpass Thurman in terms of legacy, but for the HoF both of them need to do something more than facing each other once again.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hearn Downplays Thurman-Garcia Rematch, Wants To See Garcia Fight Conor Benn

“I’d like to see Danny Garcia fight Conor Benn,” Hearn said on The DAZN Boxing Show. “Everyone knows we are in discussions for the Chris Eubank fight, it’s a generational fight that will be one of the biggest of all time over here.

“But we are also focused on 147 pounds and Conor Benn’s development. The Danny Garcia fight is a tremendous fight for Conor Benn. It’s a very dangerous fight as Danny is a brilliant fighter. I just feel like intriguing matchups is what we want.”

“I kind of feel like Danny Garcia is part of that previous generation of fighters,” Hearn said. “I don’t mean that disrespectfully. I still think he’s a great fighter and he’s a great advocate for mental health, but I look at Keith Thurman now talking about fighting Danny Garcia again at 154.

“I’m not being funny, but who is interested in that? Unless I’m missing something.”

“I’m trying to get Keith Thurman to fight Conor Benn and I’m looking at that fight going wow, Keith Thurman, one time great welterweight, still potentially a great welterweight [versus] Conor Benn, he’s a young, fearless lion from Britain that wants to come over and let’s just have a crossroads fight.

“I’m looking at Thurman-Garcia 2 and going [puts on a quizzical look].”

“That fight (Eubank-Benn) is just huge, but we are not signed,” Hearn said.” There’s still a ways to go on that. I can’t really tell you with extreme confidence that fight is next so we have to keep our options open. And Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia are two fights we would like to make.”

[caldo2025]

Thurman has always been a likable boxer to me. Unfortunately, he was either a pro wrestling fan or trying to copy Floyd’s acts by attempting to be the black hat bad guy that people want to pay to see lose.

I love the respect he shows for Garcia in these quotes. Thurman has always had tier 1 ability so I didn’t feel he needed that shtick but who knows? Maybe it’s earned chin more that way but I think he’d have a much larger following had he lead with this side. Fans appreciate guys that choose to be upstanding and have class.

[KiwiRider]

Thurman would 100% take on DG at 154, as long as it gets him out of fighting Boots at 147.

That's the thing isn't it?
Thurman was never the best at his weight, he was 'one of the best' but he never cleaned up, or even unified. And now he is blatantly ducking Ennis, and big mouthing on social media what a great he is, what a twat more likely.
As for Garcia, he came close, but has passed his peak, so there is no way he can pull back a significant win to be a sure inductee.
They have to lower the HOF bar somewhat now, with a lot of fighters retiring before they even have 40 fights. Your usual inductee has 60 or more...

[Ruthless-RKO]

Thurman would 100% take on DG at 154, as long as it gets him out of fighting Boots at 147.

That's the thing isn't it?
Thurman was never the best at his weight, he was 'one of the best' but he never cleaned up, or even unified. And now he is blatantly ducking Ennis, and big mouthing on social media what a great he is, what a twat more likely.
As for Garcia, he came close, but has passed his peak, so there is no way he can pull back a significant win to be a sure inductee.
They have to lower the HOF bar somewhat now, with a lot of fighters retiring before they even have 40 fights. Your usual inductee has 60 or more...

Thurman beat Garcia and unified the WBA and WBC belts remember.

[KiwiRider]

Thurman would 100% take on DG at 154, as long as it gets him out of fighting Boots at 147.

That's the thing isn't it?
Thurman was never the best at his weight, he was 'one of the best' but he never cleaned up, or even unified. And now he is blatantly ducking Ennis, and big mouthing on social media what a great he is, what a twat more likely.
As for Garcia, he came close, but has passed his peak, so there is no way he can pull back a significant win to be a sure inductee.
They have to lower the HOF bar somewhat now, with a lot of fighters retiring before they even have 40 fights. Your usual inductee has 60 or more...

Thurman beat Garcia and unified the WBA and WBC belts remember.

Oh, that's right! And he had to drop out later from injury.

[Bandog]

Thurman avoided fighting Spence, much like he's doing with Boots, Benn, and V Ortiz now.

5-6 yrs ago he narrowly beat Garcia, but also struggled with Collazo and Joseito Lopez, almost getting stopped. Put on his ass by 40yr old Manny.

I think Thurman has a ways to go to get into the hof. At least Garcia was champ at 2 weights.

[margaret thatcher]

Thurman avoided fighting Spence, much like he's doing with Boots, Benn, and V Ortiz now.

5-6 yrs ago he narrowly beat Garcia, but also struggled with Collazo and Joseito Lopez, almost getting stopped. Put on his ass by 40yr old Manny.

I think Thurman has a ways to go to get into the hof. At least Garcia was champ at 2 weights.

jeez, and you moan the other day that people talk about ducking too much , now here you are yet again accusing a fighter of ducking

avoiding connor benn, jesus

[Bandog]

Thurman avoided fighting Spence, much like he's doing with Boots, Benn, and V Ortiz now.

5-6 yrs ago he narrowly beat Garcia, but also struggled with Collazo and Joseito Lopez, almost getting stopped. Put on his ass by 40yr old Manny.

I think Thurman has a ways to go to get into the hof. At least Garcia was champ at 2 weights.

jeez, and you moan the other day that people talk about ducking too much , now here you are yet again accusing a fighter of ducking

avoiding connor benn, jesus

Pointing out the obvious, not going out of my way to create a headline while drawing attention to myself. I didn't think you'd realize the difference, but figured you'd speak up for your bff EO.

[margaret thatcher]

ya, going on about ducking yet again

[Ruthless-RKO]

Keith Thurman on Conor Benn: Send Me Contract, Legitimate Payday – We’ll Fight In UK

“I had to Google what [Benn’s] face looks like, so I kind of have an image now. He’s a London boy, a European fighter. It seems like he has a decent boxing background, coming from a fighting family. I don’t know enough about the kid. You see that I was inactive. I really wanted to have a fight this summer,” Thurman told Marcos Villegas of Fight Hub TV.

“That’s why I’m getting my weight ready because we’re going to have something before this year is over. But anybody that says my name, you know what you really got to do.

“If you talk hard enough, I might have to talk back because I can only let people do so much. I might have done three days of silence but it doesn’t mean I’m out here trying to be silent. I’m all about good fights. I’m all about contracts.


“If [Benn’s] management has a contract and a legitimate payday. Anytime they say, ‘Thurman won’t fight this young fighter.’ I’ll fight all the young fighters – I’ll fight them all.

“The only thing is, I love great fights, I love good contracts. So if the money is there on the table, the date is good and we can make it happen. I’ve never fought overseas. It might entice me. I love doing something new.

“I just schooled one young blood. I don’t mind. I’m not a gatekeeper. I’m a real one. I have the capacity to go toe-to-toe with these undefeated champions right now.”

[bobcatbox]

Garcia close-ish, Thurman nowhere near.

Well said. And I really liked watching Garcia. Dude could fight.