Undefeated knockout specialist Keith "One Time" Thurman ripped into Floyd Mayweather for considering Karim Mayfield — a fighter who has lost two out of his past three bouts — as one of his potential opponents for his last fight in September before he retires.
Thurman, who's been campaigning to fight Mayweather for more than two years, told Tha Boxing Voice that Mayweather planning to fight an opponent as inexperienced as Mayfield shows he cares more about his money than his legacy:
"As soon as that man nicknamed himself 'Money' it's apparent what his interest is. It's money. Not legacy, not anything else man. He's all about the money. He wants to throw out a name like Karim Mayfield man? Like you know what I'm saying? Look at his record, look what he's done. And you want to say Keith 'One Time' Thurman isn't ready?"
Thurman's criticism is not without merit. During a press conference before his fight against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in 2013, Mayweather admitted his team "handpicks" his opponents, but said he doesn't care just as long as he continues to make millions of dollars while doing so.
"Sometimes they say, 'Well, Floyd Mayweather's opponents was handpicked.' That's a good thing," Mayweather told The Telegraph, among other news outlets. "If they say these guys were handpicked, they were handpicked to make $40 and $50 and $60 million, then you know what? Keep handpicking them. If they're going to keep paying, keep handpicking them."
ESPN boxing writer and analyst Brian Campbell praised Thurman for once again shedding light onto Mayweather's tactics.
While Thurman isn't one of the six most-likely candidates to fight Mayweather in September, he certainly has built the resume to do so.
Since turning pro in 2007, Thurman has quickly risen through the welterweight ranks, recently defeating the likes of Robert Guerrero, Leondard Bundu, and Julio Diaz in the process. Many consider Thurman, who's currently listed fourth on ESPN's welterweight rankings to be the heir apparent to Mayweather, and boxing's next star, once the future hall of famer retires.
Thurman, however, doesn't want to wait, telling reporters he wants to fight Mayweather now, and he's willing to "fight the world" to do it:
"I've told y'all I'll go fight Marcus Maidana. I'll go following in the footsteps of Floyd — I'll go fight Manny Pacquiao! I'll fight the world man! I told y'all second time I was on HBO, they said, 'Who do you want to fight?' Keith 'One Time' Thurman wants to fight the world. We are here, in the world of boxing, and I'm trying to dominate. It's plain and simple man."
