Former unified welterweight champion Keith "One Time" Thurman ends his nearly three-year hiatus from the boxing ring when he faces Mario Barrios at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Fox PPV.
The last time Thurman was in the ring, he fell short in a split decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019. It was the first loss of Thurman's career and in between injuries and a global pandemic, it's taken quite some time for "One Time" to find his way back inside of a boxing ring.
Barrios will be making his debut at welterweight after spending much of his career in the super-lightweight division and holding the WBA (Regular) championship. He hasn't had quite the layoff but is also coming off of a loss in devastating fashion to Gervonta "Tank" Davis last June. Barrios held his own early but couldn't stop "Tank" from rolling him over and stopping him in the 11th round.
MORE: Keith Thurman vs. Mario Barrios fight date, time, PPV price, odds & location for 2022 boxing match
With both fighters looking to rebound from a loss, a lot is on the line as Thurman looks to prove that he's still among the elite at 147 pounds, while Barrios aims to enter the fray in a crowded division.
Sporting News is here to give some insight on how to bet on this welterweight showdown.
All odds courtesy of FanDuel
Odds for Keith Thurman vs. Mario Barrios
- Keith Thurman: -215
- Mario Barrios: +162
The former champion is the favorite at -215, which means that it would take a bet of $215 to turn a $100 profit if Thurman comes out victorious. Meanwhile, Barrios comes in as the underdog at +162, meaning that a $100 bet would earn a return of $162, should Barrios pull off the upset.
Thurman vs. Barrios prediction
This fight is all about which version of Keith Thurman shows up. If you are looking for the fighter known as "One Time," he hasn't made an appearance in nearly eight years. While you can point to the competition being stiffer in Manny Pacquiao, Danny Garcia, and Shawn Porter, there are the likes of Josesito Lopez, Robert Guerrero, and Leonard Bundo that Thurman hasn't been able to put away.
Still, Thurman possesses an underrated ring IQ that pairs well with his boxing ability. It's the reason why he was able to neutralize Garcia's counterpunching and keep up with Porter's aggression. If it weren't for the ring rust that needed to be knocked off, Thurman may have been able to edge out Pacquiao when he fell short by split decision.
The problem is that this is the longest layoff of his career at nearly three years, and he has struggled with ring rust in the past. Fortunately, Barrios is coming off a devastating knockout loss and is debuting in a new weight class. He hasn't faced close to the competition that Thurman has and will need to start fast if he has any chance of getting a victory over the former unified champion.
Thurman hasn't scored a knockout in nearly seven years, but has acclimated his skillset to win by being an intelligent fighter that can outsmart and outskill his opponent. Barrios will put up a good fight early and, if he's smart, take it to Thurman early to snare away a few rounds. But Thurman will almost certainly make the proper adjustments to take over down the stretch and win a unanimous decision that will put him right back into the mix as a championship contender.
While Thurman is a -215 to win, the most profitable way to bet on Thurman is by decision which currently sits at +170. It's a roll of the dice considering how badly Barrios was stopped against Davis, but Thurman's lack of stoppages over the past seven years suggests that this has a very good chance of going the distance.
Sporting News Prediction: Keith Thurman via decision (+170)