Brock Jarvis says he’s worried that the 36-year-old Keith Thurman will show up for their fight on March 12th due to his injury problems. Jarvis (22-1, 20 KOs) notes that Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought in three years and pulled out of his fight last year with an “old man injury” for his scheduled comeback against Tim Tszyu.
Age and Injury
Thurman has been plagued with constant injuries since 2017, and it’s anyone’s guess whether his tired, brittle, and aged body can endure a grueling training camp to fight the young lion Jarvis on March 12th.
Thurman-Jarvis will headline in a 12-round contest at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia. This is an important fight for Thurman because he’s already mapped out big things for him in 2025 in 2026, and he’s hoping to use the 27-year-old Jarvis (22-1, 20 KOs) as a springboard to get the big-money fights against the stars.
Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought since his 12-round unanimous decision win over Mario Barrios on February 5, 2022. That was a long, long time ago, and Thurman physically doesn’t resemble the still-young, spry fighter he was then. Like anyone who has been sitting on their sofa watching TV and reading books for three years, Thurman could be a shadow of himself—food for Jarvis.
As we saw with Sugar Ray Leonard when he came off a long six-year break to take on Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho, Thurman could be heading for a loss.
Keith Thurman: “At 36, I still have a passion for the sport. I’ve been world champion twice. I love the sport. I have fans all over the world, and this gives me the opportunity to get back into the sport of boxing, which I love,” said Keith Thurman to Fox Sports Australia, talking about his March 12th comeback against Brock Jarvis.
“It allows me to travel overseas to let the fans see me showcase my skills and talent in Australia to show you guys what a mistake it is when you think you’re going to fight Keith Thurman and it’s going to be an easy fight.
“You got to understand that he [Brock Jarvis] hasn’t been a champion. You’ve got to understand that Keith Thurman has not only been a champion, but I’ve beaten champion, and I schooled the last champion, Mario Barrios [in 2022]. So, it’s hard to impress me, but what I saw was a very lively fighter.
“I saw a guy that is going to fight. He’s an insider; he’s going to come and bring power punches to the table. I was notorious when I was coming up, I was a power puncher. This allows me to go back to my roots. Of course, my feet are always under me. I have an intelligent ring IQ I can always bring to the table.
“Like the promoter says. He knows on March 12th, there will be some firecrackers from the USA and Australia, and life in action on March 12th. I’m looking forward to it. This young man in his prime at 27-years-old, and the fact that he’s not Mexican, but he’s got to have some cajones to step up to me,” said Thurman.
Brock Jarvis: “He stated there that he’s a power puncher, but I know he hasn’t scored a knockout in 10 years. He hasn’t fought in three years. That’s a long time at his age. For him to say that, last year he had a fight scheduled [Tim Tszyu] and pulled out with an old man injury, a torn bicep. So, I’m a bit worried that he might not even show up. I’ll feel a little bit better when he gets here and arrives on Australian soil.”
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