Divisional Positions: Boxing welterweight division (around 147 pounds)
Keith Thurman Jr.
The hard-hitting and exciting Thurman claimed a well-deserved split decision against Danny Garcia on March 4 at Barclays-center at Brooklyn, New York to hand him his initial loss and unify world names in a heavily-anticipated game, Thurman’s 2nd in a row televised on CBS in primetime.
Thurman, though, will soon be out for the remainder of 2017 after surgery on his right elbow. He intends to go back in February or March to get a soft defense but has spoken of eventually wanting to match Errol Spence Jr. to combine names.
Errol Spence Jr.
Spence was the best expert prospect by the 2012 U.S. Olympic club, the 2015 ESPN.com prospect of this year, and has lived up to the hype as an expert. He was magnificent at both 20-16 fights because he destroyed former junior welterweight titlist Chris Algieri by fifth-round knock-out followed closely by a barbarous sixth-round knock-out of Italy’s Leonard Bundu in a name eliminator that set the stage because of his May 27 shot in a world title against Kell Brook. Spence traveled to Brook’s hometown of Sheffield, England, also overcame a slow start to score a decisive 11th-round knockout victory in Boxing welterweight when Brook, who’d been dropped from the 10th round, retired as a result of the broken orbital bone. Spence’s first defense will come against his longtime pal Lamont Peterson (35-3-1) on showtime.
Manny Pacquiao
After a quick retirement following a one-day conclusion win against Timothy Bradley Jr. on April 20-16, and subsequent election to the senate in the Philippines, the all-time amazing Pacquiao returned on Nov. 5 and also ran roughshod over Jessie Vargas. Pacquiao scored a second-round knockdown and won a unanimous decision contrary to a person a decade younger than him to regain a welterweight domain in an excellent performance. In his next fight, that was July inch live on ESPN,” Pacquiao faced massive underdog Jeff Horn in his hometown of Brisbane, Australia. They put in an active struggle and even though Pacquiao appeared to be the obvious winner, Horn was the receiver of a gift hometown decision. Pacquiao, that nonetheless did not look very good, said he’d the rematch and promoter Bob Arum was intending it for November, but Pacquiao has said he will not be available then so that it could take place in 2018.
Danny Garcia
Former junior welterweight champion Garcia headlined a January 20-16 card Fox in prime time and although he fought early against Robert Guerrerohe came on strong at the next half the struggle to get a belt that was empty. Subsequently, in November struggled in Philadelphia at a dreadful mismatch with Samuel Vargas in a nontitle fight. Garcia abused Vargas on the way into a seventh-round knock-out in Boxing welterweight, paving the way to some unification fight with Keith Thurman, that obtained a split decision to unify world names on March 4 in a large scale fight. Garcia, for absolutely no apparent reason, fought just once in 2017.
Shawn Porter
Back on June 20-16, former titlist Porter challenged pal Keith Thurman for his belt and so they put on a few of the greatest fights of the season. It was an all-action struggle that Porter lost by 115-113 on all three scorecards. Porter wanted a direct rematch but had been refused and instead returned April 22, when he knocked out former two-time titlist Andre Berto in the ninth round of the eliminator to deserve the rematch among Thurman’s compulsory challengers. However, with Thurman out because of an accident until at least ancient 2018, Porter didn’t need to sit around so he faced tough Adrian Granados on Nov. 4 and then claimed his own mandatory status having a grisly, but all-purpose decision triumph.
Kell Brook
Brook made three welterweight title defenses but against lesser resistance in Jojo Dan, Frankie Gavin, and Kevin Bizier. When no top welterweights would face him Brook moved up two weight classes and challenged merged middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in September 2016 and was ceased in the fifth round when his corner threw in the towel since he had been getting battered. Brook, who suffered a broken right orbital bone and surgery, elected to come back to welterweight to generate a mandatory defense against Errol Spence Jr. in May but suffered another stoppage decrease, this time after he retired in the 11th round because of a broken left orbital bone. Brook underwent surgery to fix the fracture in June and is currently prepared to come back. He is moving around junior middleweight and will face tough Sergey Rabchenko (29-2) in what is by no way a gimme fight.
Jessie Vargas
Vargas, a former junior welterweight titleholder, lost his welterweight world title in his initial title defense in November 2016 if Manny Pacquiao knocked him down and outclassed him to acquire a lopsided decision. Vargas, whose contract by Best Rank expired in 2017, aligned himself with adviser Al Haymon and came back to headline a Premier Boxing Welterweight Champions card contrary to Aaron Herrera (33-7-1) on Dec. 1-5. Vargas shook the rust off of a 13-month lay-off with a shutout 10-round decision victory.
Jeff Hor
Horn, a former Olympian, and former school teacher got the prospect of a lifetime when Manny Pacquiao consented to come to his hometown of Brisbane, Australia, and give him a shot his entire title. They met on July 1 on ESPN and it was an exciting struggle. Horn showed enormous heart and determination however appeared to fall well short of victory. The judges, however, saw it differently and gave him an extremely controversial decision and the name on Boxing welterweight. Plans for a rematch with Pacquiao were canceled when Pacquiao chose to sit out the remainder of 2017, therefore Horn as an alternative defended against England’s not known Gary Corcoran on Dec. 1-3 and stopped him in the 11th round of a one-sided struggle. Horn is due to face compulsory challenger and former undisputed junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford (32-0) in April.
Lucas Matthysse
Argentine slugger Matthysse referred to as”The Machine,” challenged Viktor Postol to get a vacant junior welterweight domain in October 2015 and was stopped in the 10th round of the upset. Matthysse suffered an eye hurt and broken orbit bone that kept him sidelined until he made a successful return on May 6. Enrolling in weight, Matthysse looked very eloquent in taking apart Emanuel Taylor at a fifth-round knockout triumph over the Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. HBO PPV undercard in September. Matthysse will return in ancient 2018 to handle Thailand’s Tewa Kiram (38-0) for another world title on HBO of Boxing welterweight.