Keith Thurman vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr., Barboza Jr. vs. Frank Martin Planned For October

Keith Thurman vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. is being planned for the WBC Interim Junior Middleweight Title in October, while Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Frank Martin could feature on the card too. 

Thurman has had just two fights since his first loss in 2019 against Manny Pacquiao. Wins over Mario Barrios and Brock Jarvis allowed Thurman to bounce back even with his injury issues. Meanwhile, Ortiz beat Israil Madrimov in his last fight, as the winner can target the full champion Sebastian Fundora, who has just beaten Tim Tszyu in their rematch. In the proposed co-main event, Arnold Barboza Jr. will look to recover from his loss to Teofimo Lopez as he faces Frank Martin, who has not fought since being stopped by Gervonta Davis last year.

If Thurman vs. Ortiz does not materialise, he has also expressed his desire to face Terence Crawford and Errol Spence in 2026. Spence has not entered the ring since 2023 following his loss to Crawford. Spence was dropped three times before he was stopped, missing out on the Undisputed Welterweight Title.

And yet, Thurman arguably avoided a fight with Spence when the latter was one of the leading names in the 147 division. Crawford, set to fight Canelo Alvarez in September for the chance to become undisputed at 168 pounds, could either retire or pursue undisputed status at 154, meaning that a Thurman fight would not be on the top of his radar. Either way, Thurman wanted the big fights. The proposed card has gotten boxing fans talking.

“You [Crawford] became undisputed [at 147]. I think we could make those fights [Bud and Spence] happen. That would be fun. I’m going to hold my position and wait for the contracts. Hopefully, really soon, we’re going to have something exciting that we can be releasing to you guys. “By the end of this year, we’ll be back to only making big and great fights happen,” Thurman said