Tim Tszyu vs. Keith Thurman Set For March 30 At A Catchweight Of 155 lbs

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According to ESPN, WBO junior middleweight world champion Tim Tszyu will defend his title against former unified welterweight world titlist Keith Thurman on March 30 in Las Vegas. The 154-pound bout will kick off PBC’s (Premier Boxing Champions) first pay-per-view event as part of its new deal with Amazon’s Prime Video. (Editor’s note: Since the writing of this article, it has been announced by ESPN that Tszyu vs. Thurman will be at a catchweight of 155 pounds)

Tszyu (24-0, 19 KOs), the son of Hall of Fame fighter Kostya Tszyu, had a banner 2023 campaign with three impressive victories, defeating former WBC titlist Tony Harrison via ninth-round TKO Carlos Ocampo in a first-round destruction, and Brian Mendoza by unanimous decision.

The 29-year-old Australian stated following his triumph over Mendoza that he would fight in the United States for the foreseeable future. His first quest to conquer the empire of liberty begins against his most high-profile name to date in, Thurman, who was a force in his prime. The 35-year-old Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) suffered the lone loss of his career to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019, when Thurman was dropped in the first round from a blistering combination before rallying late but ultimately lost a split decision to the surefire first ballot Hall of Famer in Pacquiao.

There’s a saying in boxing, “Activity matters.” If history repeats itself, Thurman could be in dire straits. He has fought just once in the past four-and-a-half years and just five times in the last eight years. His most recent bout came in February 2022, when he defeated Mario Barrios in a one-sided unanimous decision. The fight against Tszyu, his first in 25 months, will mark his first marquee event as a junior middleweight. He competed above the 147-pound limit for most of his contests from 2007-2012.

Thurman, who holds signature wins over Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia, was linked to a fight with then-unbeaten unified welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. last January, but the deal fell apart. It was initially reported that both fighters were finalizing a deal for a PBC on PPV bout that was expected to take place at 154 pounds. Instead, Spence faced longtime rival Terence Crawford in a highly-anticipated super fight on July 29 and was battered and floored three times en route to a ninth-round TKO. Thurman, in the meantime, didn’t fight at all in 2023.

It has been the opposite for Tszyu, boxing’s most active high-profile fighter. Tszyu was set to challenge then-undisputed junior middleweight king Jermell Charlo last January before Charlo withdrew with a hand injury. Attempts to renegotiate failed when the Texas-based Charlo decided to move up two weight classes to face undisputed super middleweight king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez last fall, only to get dropped and thoroughly dominated over 12 rounds.

The WBO stripped Charlo and elevated Tszyu to full champion status when the bell rang to commence the Alvarez fight. Tszyu’s 12-round win over Mendoza marked his first defense as world champion.

Tszyu-Thurman marks the start of PBC’s partnership with Amazon Prime, albeit the PPV will also be available on traditional television. PBC fights were previously showcased on Showtime, but the network announced in October it was shutting down its sports programming at the end of the year.

Ryan O'Hara

Ryan O’Hara is an award-winning sportswriter based in Denver, Colorado. The 30-year-old has been recognized by the Boxing Writers Association of America three times for his accomplishments, with a best finish of 2nd at the 2022 awards ceremony.

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