Clearwater prodigy steps up to world-class competition
By JOHN C. COTEY
Published August 17, 2004
On the other side of the world, Athens is hosting the very best fighters in the world in the most illustrious amateur tournament around.
But don't tell that to Clearwater's Keith Thurman, a 15-year-old boxing prodigy who heads out today for an even larger tournament in Kansas City - the 2004 Ringside World Championships.
"This tournament means the whole world to me if I can win it," said Thurman, a sophomore at Clearwater High School. "It is my Olympics."
The 2008 Olympic Games are Thurman's ultimate goal, and he begins preparing for them in earnest Wednesday with his first bout in Kansas City. More than 1,500 boxers are expected, and for the first time Thurman, fighting at 141 pounds, will face international competition.
Thurman has won a host of national titles, and trainer Ben Gettysays he is the best amateur prospect to come out of the Tampa Bay area since 2000 Olympian Jeff Lacyand the best state prospect after Winter Haven's Andre Berto, who fought for Haiti in this year's Olympics.
"After Berto comes Keith Thurman, that's what everyone is saying," said Getty, who has trained Thurman since he was 7. "Keith is already a three-time national champion. Everybody around the country knows that he is the next big thing coming out of Florida."
Like Lacy, Thurman is a skilled boxer with one of the top punches in the country's amateur ranks. He'd rather slug it out with an opponent - "he wins that battle every time," Getty said - and has knocked out many of his opponents.
But the knockouts will be harder to come by as the competition gets stiffer, starting this week. This will be Thurman's second tournament with the controversial computer scoring that the Olympics use. His first experience with the scoring did not go so well, as he lost for the first time in four years (by three points) at a Junior Olympic event this summer.
"I was very disappointed," Thurman said. "I knew if you were to turn that clock back just a couple more seconds ... but you can't do that."
Thurman's lesson that day - never let up.
"Computer scoring is tough. Keith is a puncher, and it favors the boxer," Getty said. "This is going to be a good experience because of the Europeans fighters, and this is a major tournament."
Getty is bringing two other fighters to the tournament, which runs through Saturday. Ken Lacy, Jeff's brother, will fight at heavyweight, and Nigerian Akinyemi Laleye, a St. Petersburg resident, will fight at light heavyweight.
MESI CAREER ON THE LINE: Joe Mesi's attorney has admitted to the Nevada State Athletic Commission that the unbeaten heavyweight contender suffered brain bleeding, according to the Buffalo News.
Attorney Stuart Campbelltold the commission Mesi suffered "a small subdural hematoma." But it has been reported that Mesi was diagnosed with at least three subdural hematomas after his March 13 win over Vassiliy Jirovin Las Vegas.
Campbell argued that his fighter should be allowed to resume his career. But Nevada prohibits boxers who have had brain bleeding from ever fighting again.
BEST DAMN HEAVYWEIGHT?: Heavyweight James Toneywill fight Rydell BookerSept. 23 in the studio of Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period. The winner will be the mandatory challenger for Vitali Klitschko's WBC title.
