Tszyu Vs. Thurman Is PBC’s First PPV On Amazon Prime Video
Tim Tszyu will take on Keith Thurman on PBC’s first PPV with Amazon Prime Video.
That is according to Mike Coppinger. The PPV takes place on March 30, 2024, in a WBO Junior Middleweight clash. This will be Tszyu’s second defense of his title. He acquired the belt after Jermell Charlo was stripped for not fighting him. The American chose to fight Canelo Alvarez instead at 168, after which Tszyu was elevated from his interim status.
His first defense was successful, having beaten Brian Mendoza via a unanimous decision. As for Thurman, the former Unified Welterweight Champion has been suffering from mass inactivity. A combination of injuries and the failure to find an opponent meant that Thurman has only fought once since 2019, when he beat Mario Barrios in 2022. His sole defeat was against Manny Pacquiao. But this time, he will have to move up a weight class to dethrone Tszyu and become a two-weight world champion.
Tszyu Vs. Thurman
This may have been different from the PPV that fans were hoping for. Gervonta Davis was heavily linked with headlining on this card. Frank Martin was mentioned as a possible opponent. This suggested that Davis had one more fight at 135 pounds before targeting a bout with Devin Haney at 140 pounds. The failure of that to happen means that the pressure is mainly on Thurman to perform given the latter end of his career. The 35-year-old has a chance at a world title. This is perhaps his final one, making it all the more important to perform.
Canelo’s Next Opponent
Just as the Tszyu-Thurman fight may not be the one fans wanted, Canelo Alvarez’s next fight will likely be Jermall Charlo. Canelo is reportedly set to headline PBC’s second PPV with Amazon Prime Video on May 4, 2024. There is an expectation on Alvarez to face David Benavidez, who has been his WBC mandatory for over a year. Although that may be the case, Charlo is the front-runner.
He was on course to fight Canelo before his brother, Jermell Charlo, did, only for that to backfire. Jermell lost a one-sided unanimous decision after moving up two weight classes from 154 pounds. Since Jermall is a 160-pounder, there is a high chance that the weight will also make the bout heavily in favor of Canelo.
But if Alavrez does beat Charlo, there is a chance that the Benavidez fight will happen in the summer. That has set up the narrative for a huge fight on Mexican Independence Day, in line with a big UFC event on that date.
“That source said Jermall Charlo remained a frontrunner to box Canelo on May 4. The third Canelo fight on the PBC swing would likely, still, be against David Benavidez, which, the source added, could well involve a rematch clause, meaning that, if Canelo lost and activated that clause, the three-fight swing would turn into an effective four-fight deal,” as per ProBox TV
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
