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Thurman begins professional career with win

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published November 10, 2007

TAMPA - The future of Tampa Bay boxing arrived Friday night, dressed in blue trunks with white trim, sporting 8-ounce gloves and, most noticeably, without his protective headgear.

Clearwater's Keith Thurman, the area's most accomplished amateur, made his professional debut at the A La Carte Event Pavilion and delivered a first-round TKO.

After a hug from his longtime trainer, Thurman, 18, went about breaking down Panama City's Kensky Rodney, whose washboard abs weren't protection enough from Thurman's violent shots to his body.

Thurman, the 2006 National Police Athletic League welterweight champ and super welterweight runnerup at the recent U.S. Olympic Trials, never put Rodney down, but after a barrage of left and right hooks to the head and body left his opponent ripe for a knockout, he turned and walked away.

"I thought he was going down," Thurman said. "I was going to jump back in there, but the ref stepped in and stopped it.

"I could feel his reaction to the shots. He was still there, but he didn't have any fight left in him."

Helped to his stool, Rodney grimaced as he sat and bled from his nose into his lap.

Thurman wasn't listed as the main event on a card that also included first-round wins by St. Pete Boxing Club middleweight Inka Laleye (2-0) and Tampa heavyweight Nick Ianuzzi (4-0, 2 KOs).

[Last modified November 10, 2007, 01:16:40]