Is Keith Thurman Next For Vergil Ortiz Jnr?

The return of one of boxing’s most exciting fighters, Vergil Ortiz Jnr (24-0, 22 KOs), appears to be just around the corner, and who he is expected to face in his much-anticipated return is slowly becoming clearer.

FightsATW reported late Tuesday night that Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman (31-2, 23 KOs) may be the fighter to face Ortiz Jnr on December 12 in Phoenix, Arizona, as a co-main to the three-belt cruiserweight unification fight between David Benavidez and Michal Cieslak.

Dan Rafael reported last week that Ortiz Jnr was being discussed for the December 12 fight card in Phoenix. That was followed on Saturday by a report from Chris Mannix that he was indeed looking to fight on that date, with the three finalists being Jesus Ramos Jnr, Thurman, and Jermell Charlo. That led to FightsATW being told that Thurman appears to be the one who will get the fight. Nothing is finalized yet, which means things can change quickly. Hours later, FightsATW was followed by Dan Rafael tweeting that the finalists were Charlo and Thurman.

The reaction to Thurman being the potential opponent didn’t go over too well with fans on X, as they feel he is a massive underdog against Ortiz Jnr based on Thurman’s last fight. I would argue that against WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora, Thurman gave up nine inches in height. Against Ortiz Jnr, he would only be giving up. Thurman would be fighting for the second time this year, which he hasn’t done since 2019. That in itself is a story, but in general, Ortiz Jnr vs Thurman would be a competitive fight, with 2027 being a year of answering big questions for Ortiz Jnr.

Will you be excited to watch Ortiz Jnr vs. Thurman, or will you pass on the fight if it indeed gets made?

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

See author's posts