Keith Thurman wants to rule the middleweight division. And according to recent boxing news, Thurman is eyeing big showdowns against fellow world champions Danny Garcia and Kell Brook.
Thurman, who owns a perfect 26-0 record with 22 knockout victories, will defend his World Boxing Association welterweight title against Shawn Porter. The Thurman-Porter showdown is scheduled on June 25 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Thurman is confident that he will run away with a convincing win over Porter. And after winning against Porter, the Clearwater, Florida native told BoxingScene that he wants a shot at Garcia, who is the reigning World Boxing Council welterweight champion.
"With a tremendous victory over Shawn Porter, I am definitely going to be gunning after Danny Garcia," Porter said, when asked about his future. "I would love to have my hands on that WBC."
Like Thurman, Garcia is also undefeated with 32 victories, 18 of it coming by knockouts. The 28-year-old captured the WBC title with a unanimous decision win over Robert Guerrero in January. The Philadelphia native is still waiting for his next fight and is continuously being linked to a showdown with Floyd Mayweather, Sky Sports reported.
Meanwhile, Thurman also expressed interest in facing Brook, who is the reigning International Boxing Federation welterweight champion. The 30-year-old Brook will get a chance to add the World Boxing Organization welterweight title to his collection if he wins against Jessie Vargas on Sept. 9.
Thurman said his goal is to capture all world titles in the welterweight division. When asked who he will pick first if given a chance to select between Garcia and Brook, Thurman said that it will all depend on the venue for the title unification bout.
"If we were to do the fight in the U.S. then yes it would be the biggest," Thurman said, referring to the fight against Garcia. "But if we were to do the fight in the UK then the Kell fight would be just as big or bigger."
Thurman had a breakout year in 2015. The 27-year-old officially took the WBA welterweight title with a unanimous decision win over Guerrero in March last year. He successfully defended the title four months later, winning against Luis Collazo via eight-round technical knockout.
Watch the highlights of Thurman's win over Collazo below.