Before Errol Spence Jr. became a unified champion and prior to Terence Crawford capturing undisputed recognition, Keith Thurman was the man to beat in the welterweight division.

He checked all of the boxes.

Power? Check.

Speed? Check.

Good boxing ability? Check.

How about being slick on the mic? That isn’t a prerequisite to being a great fighter but Thurman checked that box too.

Injuries though, derailed the former WBA and WBC champion but he’s promised to make some noise this year. Officially, the now 36-year-old will return to the ring on March 12th against Brock Jarvis in his debut at 154 pounds.

As he continues to build up his body, Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) is looking ahead at new opportunities while simultaneously looking back at his old playground. It isn’t impossible for him to cut down the weight and make another title run but at this point, it isn’t about just winning a belt. Thurman wants to be challenged and pushed to his limit, something he doesn't believe will happen if heads back down in weight.

“Even with (Jaron) Boots Ennis, who’s one of the top guys in the welterweight division, all of these top guys just don’t feel that special,” said Thurman during a Zoom interview with FightHub TV. “These guys are good, but is there anybody special?”

Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) has picked up where Spence, Crawford, and Thurman left off. The Ring’s No. 1 ranked welter is set for his first unification on April 12th against Eimantas Stanionis. His goal all along has been to aggregate every title in the division. But even if Ennis were successful in his undisputed dreams, Thurman doesn’t see the point in facing him. Maybe he will in the future. But for now, he’ll remain at 154 pounds.

“I might as well just stay at a comfortable weight.”