‘I’ve never been so calm’: Keith Thurman says he’s in a great place, ready for Sebastian Fundora
· Yahoo Sports
We’re just days away from this weekend’s super welterweight title fight between Sebastian Fundora and Keith Thurman, and after the final press conference Thurman spoke about where he’s at in his life and why he’s feeling so good about his chances to beat Fundora and become world champion once again.
Thurman on his thought process heading into the Fundora fight
“He’s definitely the biggest task, the tallest task I’ve ever been up against. You can’t even imagine these types of matchups when you’re going through any of the rankings or any stage of your career. He’s just one of those phenoms in the division like a Paul Williams at 147.
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“Every once in a while a phenom appears and Sebastian Fundora’s that phenom right now. But what I love about a challenge is when you overcome it is that’s when the glory comes in…How is this not a great moment? How is this not a great stage? How is this not a great opportunity? And like I said, you only get one shot at it, baby. So I’m just going to try to capitalize and make all of these dreams come true and please myself and entertain you.”
On why he’s feeling confident
“I don’t know if it’s the sparring that I had, the preparation, my daily breath work, my meditation — I’ve never been so calm and serene. Maybe it’s because I’m not defending the title, I’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose. I can’t really even figure it out. I’m just so grateful I feel so blessed, and I know Keith Thurman is going to do Keith Thurman’s job, and that’s to give it his best.
“I know just like Sebastian has been a problem for a lot of people, I’ve really been a problem for every champion, every ex-world champion that I’ve ever been in the ring with whether they’re young or old, and I plan on confusing this boy, showing him some movement, showing him some tactics, seeing how poised he is. He’s trying to mature in the ring, he’s adding onto himself, which means he’s changing the way he fights, where I been doing what I’ve been doing so long, so well.
“The real challenge is it’s obvious: he can hit me before I can hit him, and then we’re going to be moving and grooving…So my defense will have to be up, my guard will have to be up, I will need to use those tactics, be a moving target, leaning in, leaning out, catching, rolling, and just using these eyes and these reflexes and hopefully everything holds up and I’m able to trip him up and hit him with a big one, just like catching a big fish.
“It’s not going to be about countering the jab as much as the distance. Closing the gap at the right moment and the right opportunities is where the real magic’s going to happen…Once we are back on the inside, if he resorts back to some of his old style as he opens up as I open up, who gets caught first, who gets clipped, who’s vulnerable, who gets hurt? And you heard him say it himself, he don’t see it going 12 rounds. I don’t see it going 12 rounds.”