Wednesday 1 July 2015 17:48, UK
WBA world welterweight champion Keith Thurman is staying patient in his pursuit of super-fights with the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The 26-year-old from Florida (25-0-0-KO21) defends his belt against Luis Collazo in his hometown of Tampa on July 11 and, providing he comes through that bout as expected, will further enhance his chances of a unification fight.
But Thurman said: "A lot of people, they're just impatient in this sport. They want to talk a little bit now but they want to talk about more later.
"It takes time for big fights to blow up. It happens. Me and my team, we take one fight at a time. We're looking forward to July 11, we've trained for July 11. We're not training for anything else.
"I'm happy to be performing in my hometown, defending my title in my hometown and putting on a show. It's going to be an exciting event.
"It's an industry, it's a business. It takes time. I've learned that. I've been on the scene for three years now. Just earlier this year, I got my first fighter in the top 10 [Robert Guerrero].
"To a degree, it's a struggle. It's a grind, but I look forward to the grind. I enjoy the grind. My whole life, all I wanted was to become a professional boxer. And here we are, WBA world champion. So to me, I'm just a young boy who made his dreams come true."
Thurman had previously poured cold water on Amir Khan's chances of facing Floyd Mayweather Jr and championed the claims of Kell Brook, the undefeated IBF champion.
