Keith Thurman

Keith Thurman ( born November 23, 1988 in Clearwater, Florida) is an American professional boxer in the welterweight division.

Amateur career

Keith Thurman began at the age of seven years with the boxes and won 101 of 116 amateur fights, including 76 early. His successes include six national championships, including the Junior Olympic National Championships and the National Police Athletic League Championships.

In the elite class (adults) he won in 2006 and 2007 a ​​bronze medal in the welterweight division at the U.S. Championships and reached another third place at the U.S. Pan Am Box -offs 2007 in Colorado Springs. In countries fighting he struck also in 2006 the later Olympian Oleksandr Stretskii from Ukraine and twice in 2007 the Canadian champion Jonathan Bochner.

In the national Olympic qualification for participation in the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008, he won the silver medal in the welterweight division. He defeated Domonique Dolton here and the Military World Champion of 2004 Boyd Melson each by TKO, as well as the reigning U.S. champion Charles Hatley by points ( 23:14 ). However, in the final he was defeated on points against Demetrius Andrade.

Professional career

Sometime in 2007, he became a professional and stands at Golden Boy Promotions of Oscar de la Hoya under contract. His coach is Dan Birmingham, who already had the two world champion Ronald Wright and Jeff Lacy looked after, and was inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.

He won his first eight fights in a row by KO in the first round, including against the previously undefeated Omar Bell ( 6-0). His fight against the Mexicans Francisco García wertungslos ended in April 2009, after the fight was stopped due to an injury due to a crash of both athletes with the heads in the first round. This was followed by more victories including against Stalinn Lopez ( 7-0), Favio Medina ( 23-2 ), Brandon Hoskins ( 16-0 ) and Orlando Lora ( 29-2 ).

In November 2012, he won by t.K.o. in the fourth round against former world champion Carlos Quintana ( 29-3 ), the North American championship of the WBO light middleweight. On March 9, 2013, boxed welterweight against Dejan Zavec ( 32-2) for the WBO Intercontinental Championship and won by unanimous decision.

In July 2013 he boxed against Diego Gabriel Chaves ( 22-0 ) to the interime World Cup and won the WBA by Ko in the tenth round. In December 2013 he had a premature title defense by TKO in the ninth round against Jesus Soto Karass ( 28-8 ).