Former two-time welterweight titlist Shawn Porter was commentary duty for his old rival Keith Thurman's return to action after a three-year hiatus.
Porter liked what he saw when Thurman blitzed Brock Jarvis in three-rounds in Sydney, Australia, last Wednesday.
"Keith looked as good as he could ever have looked against Brock Jarvis," Porter told The Ring. "I have to be a realist, they put him in ring with someone he was supposed to beat, and he did it, and not only did he do it, he did it how he was supposed to do it, three-rounds, landed the right punch. He made an early adjustment in the fight and go in and got out."
Porter, who held IBF and WBC titles in a productive career, feels the Jarvis fight could be an important crossroads in the Floridian-born fighter's career.
"When you're 36-years-old going up against these young lions, you use your smarts and build from there," he offered. "I thought he looked fantastic. [That fight] gave him some confidence and I know that made him feel happy.
"The main thing for Keith now is to continue to take care of his body and stay ready. You can't come off the couch from three-years, get in the ring one time and then go back to the couch. I put that bug in his ear, he's got to stay active, he's got to stay ready. Keep working out and training from a high level, that way when the next fight comes, he can build from where he was, not lose all he gained."
Over the years people have written off Thurman and Porter feels that is dangerous.
"I think he's on a mission to prove a lot of people wrong," said Porter. "And usually, guys like Keith that's not where you want him to be because the lengths that someone like Keith is willing to go to prove he is who he is."
To that end, if Tim Tszyu defeats Joey Spencer on April 6, the two are expected to meet later this year after originally being tabbed to meet in March 2024.
"I think that's going to be a really good fight now," he said. "I told Tim, we did the broadcast the other night. When the fight was announced [for March 2024], I had Keith winning that fight, hands down, didn't matter how long he'd been out of the ring, he was smarter, stronger, he's going to get the job done.
"He gets injured again and I said, 'Well, another injury, he's not going to be 100 percent anymore, Tim's going to win the fight.' Then Tim gets knocked out by [Bakhram] Murtazuliev and I said, 'God damn, I think this fight is a 50/ 50 fight now. I think truly the best man will win."
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