Keith Thurman facts for kids

Keith Fitzgerald Thurman (born November 23, 1988) is an American professional boxer. He used to be a world champion in the welterweight division. He held the WBA title from 2016 to 2019 and the WBC title from 2017 to 2018. As of July 2022, he is ranked as one of the top welterweight boxers in the world.

Early Life

Keith Thurman was born in Clearwater, Florida, in the United States. His father is African-American, and his mother is European-American with Polish and Hungarian family roots.

Amateur Career

Thurman started boxing as an amateur in 1997. An amateur boxer is someone who competes in the sport but does not get paid for it. He was trained by Benjamin Getty, who also worked with famous boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. Getty helped shape Thurman into the fighter he became.

Thurman had a great amateur career, winning 101 fights, with 76 of those by knockout (KO). He won 6 National Championships, including the 2006 PAL National Championships. In 2007, he won a silver medal at the Olympic Trials.

Professional Career

A professional boxer is someone who gets paid to compete. Keith Thurman turned professional in 2007.

Starting Out

On November 9, 2007, when he was 18, Thurman had his first professional fight. He fought Kensky Rodney as a light middleweight. Thurman won by knockout in the first round. This means his opponent couldn't continue the fight.

In August 2008, Thurman knocked out Omar Bell, who had never lost a fight before. In April 2009, his fight against Francisco Garcia ended as a "no contest." This happened because an accidental clash of heads stopped the fight early.

Over the next few years, Thurman became a more complete boxer. He was known for his powerful punches. In November 2012, Thurman knocked out Carlos Quintana in the fourth round. This win earned him the NABO super welterweight title. After this loss, Quintana decided to stop boxing.

Becoming a Welterweight

In March 2013, Thurman moved down to the welterweight division. This is a specific weight class in boxing. He fought Jan Zaveck, a former champion. Thurman won this 12-round fight by a unanimous decision (UD). This means all three judges agreed that Thurman won every round. It was the first time Thurman had fought for 12 rounds.

WBA Interim Champion

In July 2013, Thurman fought Diego Gabriel Chaves for the interim WBA welterweight title. An interim champion is a temporary champion while the main champion is unavailable. Thurman won the title by knocking out Chaves in the tenth round. He landed strong body shots throughout the fight.

In December 2013, Thurman defended his interim title against Jesus Soto Karass. Soto Karass was a tough opponent. Thurman knocked him down in the fifth round and again in the ninth round, winning by technical knockout (TKO). A TKO happens when the referee stops the fight because one boxer can't defend themselves.

In April 2014, Thurman fought Julio Díaz and won when Díaz couldn't continue after the third round. In December 2014, he defended his title against Leonard Bundu. Thurman won by unanimous decision, dropping Bundu in the first round.

WBA Welterweight Champion

In January 2015, Keith Thurman was made the full WBA welterweight champion.

Thurman vs. Guerrero

In March 2015, Thurman fought former world champion Robert Guerrero. Thurman started strong and controlled most of the fight. He knocked Guerrero down in the ninth round. Thurman won by unanimous decision. This fight was very popular, with 4.2 million people watching it, making it one of the most-watched fights since 1998.

Thurman vs. Collazo

In July 2015, Thurman defended his title against Luis Collazo in his home state of Florida. Thurman won by TKO after the seventh round because Collazo had an injury near his eye that blocked his vision. Thurman was ahead on the judges' scorecards at the time.

Thurman vs. Porter

In June 2016, Thurman defended his title against Shawn Porter. This fight was very exciting and was called a "Fight of the Year" candidate. Thurman won by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 115–113 in his favor. Thurman landed many strong punches, and Porter also hurt Thurman with a body shot. This fight was watched by 3.1 million people.

Unified Welterweight Champion

In October 2016, it was announced that Thurman would fight Danny García. García held the WBC welterweight title. This fight was to unify the titles, meaning the winner would hold both the WBA and WBC belts.

Thurman vs. García

The big fight happened on March 4, 2017. Thurman won the fight by split decision (SD). This means that two judges scored the fight for Thurman, and one judge scored it for García. With this win, Thurman became a unified welterweight world champion, holding both the WBA and WBC titles. The fight was watched by 3.74 million people, peaking at 5.1 million viewers.

Taking a Break

After unifying the titles, Thurman had to take a break from boxing. In May 2017, he had surgery on his right elbow. In April 2018, he also had to pull out of another fight due to a hand injury. Because of his injuries and time away, Thurman decided to give up his WBC title. The WBC made him a "champion emeritus," which means he can challenge for the title again when he returns.

Thurman vs. López

In January 2019, Thurman returned to the ring to defend his WBA welterweight title against Josesito López. Thurman won the fight by majority decision (MD). This means two judges scored the fight for Thurman, and one judge scored it as a draw.

Thurman vs. Pacquiao

Thurman warming up with his trainer Dan Birmingham for the Pacquiao fight.

In July 2019, Thurman faced boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao is famous for winning world titles in eight different weight classes. Pacquiao knocked Thurman down in the first round. This was only the second time Thurman had been knocked down in his career. Pacquiao won the fight by split decision. After the fight, Thurman praised Pacquiao, calling him a "legendary boxer."

Career from 2022

After his loss to Pacquiao, Thurman did not fight for almost 31 months.

Thurman vs. Barrios

He returned to the ring on February 5, 2022, to fight Mario Barrios. Barrios had also recently lost his first professional fight. Thurman showed he was still a top boxer, winning by unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 117–111 and 118–110 twice in Thurman's favor.

Thurman vs. Jarvis

Thurman is scheduled to fight Brock Jarvis in Sydney, Australia, on March 12, 2025.

Personal Life

In 2016, Keith Thurman started dating Priyana Thapa, who is from Nepal. They got married in 2017.

Professional Boxing Record

Pay-per-view Bouts

See also

In Spanish: Keith Thurman para niños