Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. are finally jumping into the ring for all of the welterweight marbles on July 29th. But while they’ll look to beat each other senseless, two of the division’s mainstays will likely go toe-to-toe shortly after.
Although a date and time haven’t been revealed, Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) did acknowledge that his next ring appearance will come against Yordenis Ugas likely in August. When looking closely, both sides have a ton in common. They both have fought roughly the same number of fights, 31 for Thurman and 32 for Ugas, the pair also former champions. Also, the two have plenty on the line come the night of their fight.
While Thurman and Ugas have earned their stripes, Thurman, at least, admits that the loser of their showdown will be discarded and forced to dwell in boxing’s purgatory for the rest of their careers.
“If Thurman loses, Thurman might be the next gatekeeper,” Thurman said on The Last Stand Podcast with Brian Custer. “If Ugas loses, Ugas is the next gatekeeper.”
Gatekeeper is often viewed as a disparaging word. Essentially, its connotation is one that no fighter likes to associate with. In layman’s terms, it means that said fighter isn’t elite but he isn’t quite at the end of his rope. He’s a good litmus test for those looking to build their careers by beating a solid name. Basically, if you can make it past him, you’re ready for the upper echelon.
In the case of Ugas and Thurman though, their qualifications would seemingly rank a bit too highly to be associated with that of a journeyman. So why does Thurman believe that he’ll have to settle for that distinction if he comes up short? He broke it all down.
“You climb up the ladder, you get to the top, you fall down. You don’t quit just because you fall down. You try to climb up again. In that second pursuit, that second leg of a fighter’s career, as you try to get back to the top, and if you fall back down again, then maybe you’re never going to solidify yourself again at the top.”