Still much to be settled post Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman

Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman may have been the biggest welterweight event since Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, but there is still so much to be settled in the welterweight division. A welterweight unification fight between IBF Welterweight World Champion Errol Spence and WBC Welterweight Champion Shawn Porter was recently announced, making an undisputed championship just three fights away.

It’s likely that the winner will square off with current WBA Welterweight World Champion Manny Pacquiao next year. The victor of the potential latter fight will be just one win away from collecting all the belts at 147.

In the meantime, WBO Welterweight World Champion Terence “Bud” Crawford will likely be left waiting in the wings until he gets to face an elite welterweight. His next opponent remains a mystery. Former welterweight titlist from the UK, Kell Brook, was at Bud’s last fight and mentioned wanting to face him. Brook suffered a broken orbital bone in both of his eye sockets, but still believes he has some fight left in him. Brook would like nothing more than to accomplish what his bitter domestic rival Amir Khan couldn’t do, which is to beat the Nebraska native.

The only welterweight that Top Rank has in its stable that could hang in there and provide some resistance against Crawford is the huge Dominican prospect Carlos Adames. He’s 5’11’’ and possesses a large frame for 147. He has the characteristics to potentially be the first welterweight to go the distance against “Bud,” but he’d be a considerable betting underdog due to his lack of top-notch opposition and experience.

Crawford will simply have to continue to win in impressive fashion, hoping he gets the welterweight super-fight versus Spence that fans have clamored for over the past year. Despite Pacquiao’s incredible victory at 40 years old and displaying some of the ring skills that reminded fans of the prime “Pac-Man,” experts expect the younger and stronger Spence to defeat Manny if the two eventually get in the ring.

Most also anticipate that Spence will defeat Porter in September, especially given Porter’s disappointing showing against Cuban Yordenis Ugas, a fight in which many believed Ugas was robbed of his win.

With respect to the future of Thurman’s career, he still has a lot left in the tank. He gave Pacquiao trouble at several points in the fight, and he can improve if he becomes more active. This year marks the first time since 2015 that he has fought twice in a year.

Thurman is an accurate puncher with considerable power, and can absolutely dominate a round if he gets in an offensive rhythm. Given Top Rank’s situation of not having an adequate roster of fighters to challenge Crawford, Top Rank might offer Thurman a handsome amount to lure him into facing “Bud.” If he gets the fight, he has the opportunity to spoil the anticipated Crawford vs. Spence fight.

Now that Thurman is looking more vulnerable, rematches with Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter have more intrigue and will be considered “pick-em” match-ups. The first fights were competitive, and the rematches seem to be the most notable fights that Thurman, Garcia, and Porter have a decent chance of winning.

Ugas had a quality performance against former undefeated fighter Omar Figueroa en route to a unanimous decision victory in which Ugas scored a first-round knockdown. Ugas deserves a rematch against Porter. He should be a current champion, as he out-boxed Porter and was the ring general for a majority of their March match-up. Ugas is athletic and a tricky fighter. He isn’t easy to time, and changes range often. He frustrates his opponents, and the top welterweights won’t be jumping at the opportunity to face a fighter who poses such a risk but isn’t yet worth the reward. Ugas is arguably a top-5 welterweight, but it will be a while until he gets another title opportunity.

The Cuban’s most ideal future is not in the designs for boxing’s top promoters, as his name isn’t getting mentioned for the potential marquee fights at 147. He just has to keep winning impressively in hopes for another title opportunity.

Former four-division champion Mikey Garcia wants to continue campaigning at 147 despite losing decisively and perhaps all 12 rounds to Errol Spence in March. He desires to fight at welterweight since that is where he can get the lucrative bouts. Mikey can still challenge other top welterweights, since Spence just might be much better than the rest of the pack at 147.

Spence has won all of his professional fights convincingly, and it appears the only fighter that can pose a significant challenge to him is Crawford. There were discussions of a showdown between Danny Garcia and Mikey Garcia, but news reports haven’t resumed. If Mikey beats Danny Garcia, he immediately becomes a serious contender. He would boast a victory over a former quality champion at 147 with a respectable resume.

That match-up would make for a true crossroads fight to decide who will be considered a legitimate contender at welterweight, and who won’t.

Even though we just witnessed a massive match-up in the welterweight division, the elites still have so much to prove. No fighter sits as the definitive number-one. With only one welterweight (Terence Crawford) being restricted with a political divide, many high-level fights are soon to take place. Spence is a huge welterweight, and has moderate difficulty making 147. He will eventually have to move up in weight. This means that the path to an undisputed championship won’t be lengthy.

An undisputed welterweight bout between Spence and Crawford is only three fights away. If Spence beats Porter and can later take away Pacquiao’s belt, there won’t be any other marquee fights left except for Spence vs. Crawford. Expect the big fight to take place either in late 2020 or 2021.