Stephen Espinoza: Keith Thurman “Entitled To Take Less Than A Killer In His First Fight Back”

Unified WBA and WBC welterweight champion Keith Thurman still has no opponent for his planned return to the ring, but Showtime Sports’ Stephen Espinoza said he’s still looking for an opponent.

Espinoza talked to BoxingScene.com, saying that he is still trying to find a suitable opponent for the welterweight champion. Espinoza said the plan is to have Thurman fight a credible opponent, but not necessarily a world title contender, echoing Thurman’s statements for several months in regards to who he wants as his first opponent since undergoing elbow surgery last year.

“There have been a variety of different discussions. The challenge there is it’s fair that Keith be in with a guy something short of world championship level. (He’s had) an elbow surgery, a car accident, a long layoff. Not to mention marriage. He’s entitled to take less than a killer in his first fight back,” Espinoza said.

There had been talks of Espinoza fighting former WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas, but those talks failed after Vargas told Fightful that Thurman backed out of the fight. Thurman had also told Fightful that he wasn’t going to fight Shawn Porter in his first fight back. Porter, as well as former WBC champion Danny Garcia, both won separate title eliminators and both are in line to challenge Thurman. Both Porter and Garcia previously lost to Thurman in world title fights.

Thurman became the unified WBA and WBC champion in his last fight back in March at the Barclays Center when he defeated Garcia by split decision. Thurman was originally scheduled to fight on May 19, but a reported left hand injury forced Thurman to back out of that fight.