“I never really cared about the belts. I cared about the fight,” Thurman told Cigar Talk.
It’s hard to take that at face value, given the position he’s in now. The 37-year-old will face WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora on March 28. Last year, Thurman was scheduled to fight Tim Tszyu for the WBO 154-pound belt before pulling out with a bicep injury. The pattern is clear. When opportunities come, they tend to involve titles.
Thurman went to the money fights when they were available. He had it with Manny Pacquiao in 2019 and Danny Garcia in 2017. After those nights, he walked away for long periods of time. That history has led some to question how committed he is to staying active at the top level and whether the priority was financial.
He can say the belts were never the goal, but his path has often passed through them. Most of his wins came against regular contenders, but the biggest moments in his career were still tied to title fights.
If Thurman beats Fundora, he won’t consider the belt an afterthought. He will have options. Vergil Ortiz Jr., Conor Benn and Jaron Ennis are all there. A returning Errol Spence would also be in the game. In that position, the belt becomes useful, whether he says it matters or not.
He can finish titles now, but when he wins one, he doesn’t walk away from it.
