During this interview with Brian Custer, former welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman, 31, talks about his current physical condition and mentions that an ongoing issue with his hand has prevented him from performing at his best, including during his loss to Manny Pacquiao last summer. Thurman also gets rather animated over Terence Crawford saying he just likes to cry wolf. Check out some excerpts below...
Thurman on his current physical condition:
“The hand is the only real issue right now, as far as mentally. It was a big mental barrier in the Pacquiao fight. You yourself should be able to point out “where’s the left hook, Keith?”...we didn’t see it that day. And I felt way too much consequence of letting go punches on my end, how I was gonna feel due to what happened to me in sparring leading up to that competition.
“So really, it’s just a barrier, a mental barrier. Even if I can’t throw the punch 100% ever again, I just need to know what can I do, what can I do consistently so I can perform and put pressure on my opponents and just know what I’m capable of doing so I don’t have to hold anything back. I feel 80% right now.
“I just think as we go along, as I get into my next camp, it’s just about getting as close to 100% as we can from there. That’s all.”
On who he wants to fight more, Errol Spence or Terence Crawford:
“Hey, right now I want Crawford more, man. He got under my skin. Errol, that’s a timeline issue. You know, I know how the game works, we got the same manager. That’s a timeline issue...that’s a calendar issue. We kinda gotta work close together to make that happen. This Crawford dude, send me a contract, bro! Tell ESPN to send some zeros my way — they know an appropriate, respectful number, you know what I’m saying — and then I sign on the dotted line, baby.
“Don’t act like I’ma run from you! You know what I’m saying? You never weighted 147. You never got respect in the game anyways at 147. You haven’t pushed the buttons at 147. You ain’t touch Shawn Porter, you ain’t touch Thurman, you ain’t touch Garcia, you ain’t touch Spence. I’m gonna run outta fingers! I can name all my opponents you ain’t touch. I’m gonna run outta fingers, boy. Stop. Stop it. Send the contract. Tell me when you want it, you want it before Christmas?! Merry Christmas, I’ll take the check.”