LAS VEGAS — Calvin Ford believes Keith Thurman has a chance to face Terence Crawford if he defeats Tim Tszyu.
On March 30, Thurman from the United States and Tszyu, 29, from Australia will square off at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be available for pay-per-view on Amazon Prime.
Along with his fellow trainer Kenny Ellis, Ford is a well-known coach who plays a major role in Gervonta Davis’s career. Terence Crawford is the unsung hero in this situation. In July of last year, the two-division undisputed champion stopped Errol Spence Jr. in what was thought to be a 50-50 battle. However, Crawford controlled the bout and ended it via technical stoppage in the ninth round.
Although Crawford was supposed to face Spence again, the bout never materialized, therefore Crawford hinted at a move up in weight. At a catchweight of 155 pounds, Thurman-Tszyu is a fight one class higher than Crawford, who is the current WBC, WBA, and WBO welterweight champion.
Ford sees this battle as an opportunity for one of them to square off against Crawford, the greatest fighter of all time. “Like I said, the winner of this fight may have a chance to fight Terence Crawford. That is motivation right there,” said Ford in media reports.
Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) is returning from an extended period of inactivity and layoff. In seven years, he has engaged in three fights. Ford doesn’t discount Thurman, who went from being one of the biggest names in the sport to maybe losing out on matches against some of the biggest names of his period, including Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford.
“Thurman’s got options if he pulls this one off. Both of them have something to prove.” said Ford.
In contrast is Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs). Fighting three times in 2023, he seems to be attempting to get things done as quickly as possible. With victories over Brian Mendoza and Tony Harrison, Tszyu has advanced in the competition at that time. With the best names in the sport as his opponents, Tszyu will now try to show that he belongs. On paper, Thurman, 35, is the hardest exam he has taken so far.