It?s been more than two months since boxing?s pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather Jr., successfully defended his throne against rival Manny Pacquiao?s feeble attempt at a cope d?e tat.
After the first 70 days of the post May-Pac era, Mayweather?s next opponent remains anyone?s guess.
Keith ?One Time? Thurman (26-0, 22 KO) failed to separate himself from the field of suitors Saturday thanks in part to his opponent Luis Collazo?s bizarre refusal to continue before the eighth round. Collazo (36-7, 19 KO) quit on his stool, citing an eye injury that appeared quite manageable and handed Thurman a win.
Luckily for Thurman, his case for a Mayweather clash is no less problematic than that of his Haymon Sports counterparts.
British superstar Amir Khan defeated Chris Algieri in May, but nothing about their encounter solidified Khan as the frontrunner in the Mayweather sweepstakes.
Although ?Showtime? Shawn Porter?s unanimous decision triumph over Adrien Broner in June bolstered his resume, the fight itself was a disappointing bore.
Hopefully, a contender is revealed after an analysis of each fighter?s experience, drawing power and record against mutual opponents.
Thurman (26-0, 22 KO)
Notable wins ? average viewers:
2015 – Luis Collazo – TKO 8 (peaked at 1 million)
2015 – Robert Guerrero UD 12 * (3.1 million)
2014 – Leonard Bundu UD 12 ** (650,000)
2013 – Jesus Soto Karass TKO 9 *** (1.3 million)
2013 – Diego Chaves KO 10 (Ratings never released)
Combined opponent record at the opening bell ? 149 Wins, 12 Losses, 4 Draws
* aired on broadcast television (NBC)
** undercard of Khan-Alexander
*** Rating of Broner-Maidana main event, average viewership for Thurman-SotoKarass undercard bout never released
Notable losses or draws: None
For a young fighter, Thurman?s resume is fairly decent, though it lacks big names. Nonetheless, Thurman deserves credit for dominant performances against tough, albeit lesser fighters. His undefeated record is the lynchpin of his Mayweather campaign and he has publicly challenged Mayweather to ?take his 0.?
Saturday?s ratings for the Premier Boxing Champions card headlined by Thurman should be seen as a huge disappointment. His failure to attract more than one million viewers on a major cable network such as ESPN suggests his participation on March?s PBC on NBC event had minimal effect on the program?s remarkable 3.1 viewership.
Khan (31-3-0, 19 KO)
Notable wins ? average viewers:
2015- Chris Algieri UD 12 * (peaked at 1.2 million)
2014 – Devon Alexander UD 12 (762,000)
2014 – Luis Collazo UD 12 ** (Mayweather-Maidana undercard)
2011 – Zab Judah – KO 5 (1.4 million)
2010 – Marcos Maidana UD 12 (1.1 million)
2010 – Paul Malignaggi TKO 11 (1.2 million)
Combined opponent record at the opening bell ?178 wins, 18 losses, 0 draws
* aired on cable television (Spike)
** 900,000 pay-per-view buys
Notable losses or draws:
2012 – L, Danny Garcia TKO 4 (1.3 million)
2011 – L, Lamont Peterson SD 12* (1.3 million)
*2008 – L, Breidis Prescott KO 1 (UK broadcast)
Combined opponent record at the opening bell ? 71 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw
* Peterson tested positive for banned substance following fight
Khan?s list of vanquished opponents trumps those of both Thurman and Porter. Noticeably absent from Khan?s record is an attempt to redeem any of his three defeats, though. Despite whatever promotional hangups may, or may not, have stood in the way, the fact those losses remain unanswered years later allows for debate. Had Khan emerged victorious in a rematch against Danny Garcia, he?d be the obvious choice to face Mayweather next.
In comparison to Thurman and Porter, Khan?s viewership history sparkles. His numbers, however, lose their luster when weighed against the entire boxing landscape. Most HBO boxing telecasts garner at least 1 million viewers. For example, the 1.3 Nielsen score Khan-Garcia pulled on HBO made it only the 10th most watched non-PPV fight of 2012. Khan has yet to regain the star power afforded to him by the HBO promotional vehicle since leaving the network.
Porter (26-1-1, 16 KO)
Notable wins:
2015 – Adrien Broner UD 12 (2.4 million) *
2014 – Paul Malignaggi TKO 4 (897,000) **
2013 – Devon Alexander UD 12 (515,000)
2013 – Phil Lo Greco UD 10 (ratings unavailable)
2013 – Julio Diaz, rematch UD 10 (ratings unavailable)
Combined opponent record at the opening bell ? 153 wins, 15 losses, 1 draw
* aired on broadcast television (NBC)
** outdrew the main event of Bernard Hopkins-Beibut Shumenov (760,000)
Notable losses or draws:
2014 – L, Kell Brook MD12 (661,000)
2012 – D, Julio Diaz SD10 (ratings unavailable)
Combined opponent record at the opening bell – 72 wins, 7 losses, 0 draws
Porter?s utter annihilation of Malignaggi is, without a doubt, his finest hour. Malignaggi never quite cracked the sport?s elite tier, but he always competed at a high level. Just 10 months before facing Porter, Malignaggi lost a close split decision to Adrien Broner. Against a veteran fighter who almost always goes the distance against the sport?s best, Porter destroyed Malignaggi within four rounds. Wins over Devon Alexander and Adrien Broner round out a solid resume.
As the undercard on a Showtime event headlined by future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, Porter-Malignaggi amazingly outdrew the main event. Porter compelled audiences to tune in with an all-out assault that reminded fans of a prime ?Iron? Mike Tyson. Porter-Broner also yielded a fantastic rating of 2.4 million on NBC, but it?s safe to say Broner brought in the majority of viewers. Casual fans will always tune in to see a villainous ?heel? such as Broner. Evidence of Porter?s drawing power is better represented by the 897,000 fans who witnessed the Malignaggi beat down.
Record Advantage: Too close to call
A contest between undefeated fighters sends a curious buzz throughout the sport only possible with two zero loss columns. Despite the limited number of bouts against top talent, Thurman?s flawless record is a priceless bargaining chip.
That?s not to minimize the accomplishments of Khan and Porter. The list of bonafide stars is longest on Khan?s resume, and Porter?s features a never-before-seen demolition of an esteemed prize fighter.
A decision between the three requires the implementation of personal preference. Someone who values the feel of an undefeated showdown above all else is going to go with Thurman. Another person may be inclined to favor Khan?s history and big fight experience. The conversation remains wide open for debate.
Ratings Advantage: Too close to call
By default Khan owns the slight edge given his experience main-eventing premium cable broadcasts. Keep in mind, though, Khan has never headlined a pay-per-view card, thus ultimately putting him in the same category as Thurman and Porter.
Khan?s inflated ratings on HBO came years ago. As members of Showtime and PBC, Porter has outdrawn Khan. Despite the lackluster numbers of his last bout, it?s Thurman who still owns the highest rated fight of all three.
Again, the brainstorm session has hit a snag.
The Clincher – Julio Diaz
Former champion Julio Diaz (40-10-1), of all people, holds this debate?s smoking gun.
Not only is Diaz the only common opponent of all three fighters in question, he conveniently faced them back-to-back-to-back.
April 2013
L, UD 12 v. Khan
Scorecards – 113-114, 113-115, 112-115
Khan was knocked down in the fourth round and barely survived a late Diaz rally en route to a close decision victory.
September 2013
L, UD 10 v. Porter II
Scorecards – 93-97, 92-98, 93-97
In the rematch of their 2012 encounter which resulted in a draw, Porter effectively outworked Diaz with a steady diet of combinations on his way to an unanimous decision win.
April 2014
L, RTD 3 v. Thurma
Thurman not only forced Diaz?s corner to stop the fight in the third round after a rib-crushing right hook to body (literally); he knocked Diaz into retirement. An absolute mollywopping.
Common Opponent Advantage: Thurman
The Julio Diaz angle is especially convincing considering the time frame. Usually, a look at common opponents forces the analyst to jump across years and determine how close the subject was to their prime.
This quirky anomaly prevents any loose interpretation of a fighter?s prime timeline from unfairly skewing the results in the ring. Each candidate squared up against an identical 2013-2014 model Julio Diaz – no hypotheticals, no excuses.
Opposite the same tough veteran in a span of one year, Thurman?s electrifying performance easily outranks Porter?s redeeming decision and Khan?s near meltdown.
All three men would make for worthy Mayweather opponents and all three have an intriguing, but subjective, logic as to why.
If Mayweather pays attention to mutual foe line of reasoning above all else, the only discussion with a categorical conclusion rooted in facts; he will stand toe-to-toe with Keith ?One Time? Thurman on Sept. 12.
Thurman just better offer Julio Diaz a ticket to the show.
