Keith Thurman has fought only once since the summer of 2019, and although his jab might be rusty, the gab is still operating at the peak of its powers.

The Floridian Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) will travel halfway around the world to the land down under to take on Brock Jarvis (22-1, 20 KOs) on March 12 at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia.

The former unified welterweight champion Thurman, 36, will be making his junior middleweight debut in a 10-round fight, as he’s promising a win will kickstart the greatest comeback of 2025.

“Who is Brock Jarvis, and what has he done in boxing? It’s a good question. I ask myself the same thing. What have you done, Brock? I don’t know. First time you stepped up, you didn’t get past the first round,” Thurman said in a video released by event promoter No Limit Boxing.

“Brock Jarvis is a sturdy guy – rough and tough, an inside fighter – but he’s been sheltered on his island, in his little bubble. And I’m coming to pop that bubble.

“So do me a favor – for me, for your Australian fans, for everyone tuning in – can you make it to round two? Just round two, man. I promise it won’t be much longer, but I have faith you can make it out of the first round. Let’s go, Brock … let’s go.”

Jarvis has fought once in each of the past three years. His only career loss came in 2022 when he was knocked out in the first round by Liam Paro.

Thurman last fought in February 2022 and scored a unanimous decision win against Mario Barrios. His only other fight before that was in July 2019 when he got dropped and suffered a split decision loss as a betting favorite to Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao.

Thurman was set to make his 154-pound debut last March against another Australian in Tim Tszyu but withdrew just a week before the fight due to a biceps injury. It marked yet another setback in a career frequently stalled by injuries.

Between 2015 and 2017, Thurman defeated top-tier opponents including Robert Guerrero, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia during a four-fight stretch. The caliber of competition Thurman has bested is certainly better than Jarvis, but immense inactivity could potentially prove to be his kryptonite.

“Watching Brock Jarvis highlights, it’s hard to consider him a threat for a fighter of my caliber,” said Thurman. “I haven’t just faced world champions, I’ve beaten undefeated world champions and a list of ex-world champions.”

“To me, he looks like somebody who hits the gym, who knows how to go for the win, but has he really been swimming with the sharks? It doesn’t look like it. And that’s what I’m bringing to the table – something he’s never seen before.

“Assessing his tape, I’d say he does well getting to that left side for a nice body shot. He likes to double up the left hook. Sometimes he switches it up and mixes in uppercuts on the inside.

“And what does he do wrong? He stays in the pocket a little too long. But in boxing, you can do the wrong thing over and over again – it takes your opponent to prove why it’s a mistake. Otherwise, you continue these bad habits without even knowing they’re bad. So, I’ll be exposing that.”