By Norm Frauenheim-
LAS VEGAS – Time is in his nickname. But time is not on his side.
Keith Thurman, who calls himself One Time, faces the inevitable. At 33, the former welterweight champion is confronted by the calendar, the ceaseless career clock, that says not much prime time is left.
It’s easy to make fun of Thurman’s nickname. He hears it often.
“People can say what they want,’’ Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) said a few weeks before his comeback Saturday night against Mario Barrios (26-1, 17 KOs) in a Fox-pay-per-view telecast (9 pm ET/6pm. PT) at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena. “Thurman ‘sometimes,’ ‘one time’, ‘no time.’
“Say what you want. I see your comments. Say what you want. But Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman will always be one of the best welterweights in the welterweight division today.”
But all the mocking has yet to include the inevitable:
Out Of Time.
That prospect approaches and might bring a growing sense of urgency to Thurman’s first fight in more than 30 months.
Thurman’s pursuit of legacy and a spot in the Hall of Fame has been interrupted by injuries, or the Pandemic, or boxing’s balkanized politics, or all of the above during the five years since he held two of the 147-pound belts in 2017. Then, it looked as if anything was possible. Now, not so much.
Instead, there are questions. Maybe, Thurman knocks them out against Barrios, a former junior-welterweight who is fighting for the first time at 147 pounds. But there are doubts, all still there after Thurman lost a split decision to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019.
There’s enough doubt, in fact, that a panel of trainers picked Barrios, who has Virgil Hunter in his corner, to upset Thurman during a zoom session Tuesday.
“I truly believe Mario Barrios has a great chance of beating Thurman, especially since Thurman has been out for so long and he’s made millions of dollars, so that changes anybody,’’ Robert Garcia said, “He’s (Thurman) gonna say he’s been training 10, 12 months, non-stop.
“But he could be saying that, it might not be true. I can’t wait for this fight, I’m actually excited about this fight, but I truly believe Barrios has whatever it takes to win.”
Thurman, about a 2-to-1 favorite, says a lot, of course. He’s a tireless self-promoter. His confidence has been evident throughout the sales-pitch for the Fox telecast, which has been criticized for it $75 pay-per-view price tag.
At the formal weigh-in Friday, he laughed at any suggestion that Barrios had a chance.
“He already knows what’s up,’’ Thurman said after weighing in at 145.5 pounds. “Keep your hands up, defend yourself at all times, because you’re about to get your ass knocked out.’’
But the weigh-in also included one fact that could not be explained away. Barrios is bigger. In posing for the cameras, Barrios stood taller, looked broader. He also weighed more, He came in at 146.25 pounds.
“I’m just more comfortable now,’’ said Barrios, who was knocked out by Gervonta Davis in his last outing at 140 pounds in a June loss in Atlanta. “I feel better, stronger. This is my natural weight.’’
Barrios is also 26. He’s seven years younger, which only means he’s got more of the time that is no longer there for Thurman.
