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Mike Coppinger
Former welterweight champion Keith Thurman will end a three-year layoff with a March 12 junior middleweight fight against Australia’s Brock Jarvis in Sydney, it was announced.
Thurman’s last fight was a decision victory over Mario Barrios (currently the WBC welterweight titleholder) in February 2022. Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) was slated to return last March vs. Australia’s Tim Tszyu in Las Vegas but withdrew due to a right biceps tear that required surgery.
“This is going to be one of the greatest comebacks in 2025,” said Thurman, 36. “Time does not take away the ability of champions.”
This will be Thurman’s first bout outside North America (he fought in Quebec City in 2019). The plan, sources told ESPN, is to build Thurman’s profile in Australia and set him on a collision course for a rescheduled bout with Tszyu, the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu.
Tszyu (24-2, 17 KOs) endured a nightmare campaign in 2024 with back-to-back losses. He lost his title via split decision in March to Sebastian Fundora, who had replaced Thurman on short notice. He was then upset by Bakhram Murtazaliev in October via third-round TKO.
This will be Thurman’s third fight in the past six years. He dropped a split decision to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019 for the only defeat of his career. Thurman had made five successful title defenses prior, most notably defeating Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia in 2016-17.
Jarvis (22-1, 20 KOs) is a 27-year-old who will be an underdog against Thurman. In his lone fight on the world-class level, he suffered a first-round knockout loss to future champion Liam Paro at 140 pounds.