I think the following links detail just how far off the reservation Keith Thurman is. He makes the claim that a fight between himself and Spence would be as big as Pacquiao and Mayweather in 2015, but first, Spence needs to get "more popular" in order to secure a fight with him, yet the Spence vs Garcia fight sold over 360,000 PPV'S at $75-85 grossing at least 27 million. Thurman wants nothing to do with Spence and I'm sure he will find a reason to avoid Crawford also. After July 20th it's not going to matter because after he gets beat by a 40 year old with a career spanning 22 years, he will not be discussed for future big fights with Crawford or Spence. http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/26374021/spence-garcia-tops-360000-ppv-buys
To be fair to Thurman, his last few fights had big viewing audiences. If he hadn't got injured and then taken so long to return, he would almost certainly be considered the biggest draw at Welterweight right now, if he isn't already.
He`s nowhere near as famous ass Manny and Floyd were in 2015 nor as respected by pundits, Floyd wwas still considered P4P the best fighter in the world in 2015, Thurman has never even been near anyone`s P4P top 10.
If you actually read what he is supposed to have said, rather than someone's interpretation of it, you would realise that he was suggesting that the Spence fight could be as big after both have elevated their profiles. As for P4P, Thurman was certainly considered top 10 after the Garcia win, and for quite a while. The only reason he dropped off the list was because of his long absence. He has only had one comeback fight so far. A couple of wins and he will shoot straight back up the rankings.
He got injured, had surgery, got injured again, got married, became some sort of new age mystic, traveled around Asia, then came back to boxing. In that time his name and status (in which he was pretty much considered "the guy" at WW) has cooled considerably.
No way will Thurman ever be as big as Floyd and Manny, I think you are underestimating Floyd`s marketability, no way would a fight between Thurman and an MMA fighter like Conor generate the interest that there was when Floyd clashed with McGregor.
He wasn't comparing himself to Floyd or Manny. Headlines are misleading. From the direct quotes that I have read. He didn't claim that he was anywhere close to as big as Floyd or Manny. He didn't claim the fight against Spence would be as big as Floyd - Pacquiao. What he did say, was that if both he and Spence elevate their profiles, a fight between the two of them could be the next Floyd - Pacquiao or Oscor - Trinidad. A big fight for the current generation.
Even then, he would still be wrong. Manny and Floyd captivated the boxing audience and beyond with all of their drama and fights. Keith and Errol are nowhere near that level and likely never will be. I like both guys but they don't grab people the way the other two did.
Forget the boxing audience. Pacquiao and Mayweather captured the attention of nom-boxing fans. That's why there were so popular. The fact is that a lot of people watch Thurman's fights. If Thurman and Spence can beat Pacquiao and Porter respectively, watch interest in the fight between Thurman and Spence to rise quickly.
