Boxing titles at stake on MGM Grand, Cosmopolitan undercards

Keith Thurman normally would be fighting in the main event.

But an injury to his left shoulder kept the undefeated welterweight from Clearwater, Fla., sidelined for eight months, and he will have to settle for co-main status Saturday when he returns to the ring against undefeated Leonard Bundu for the World Boxing Association’s interim welterweight title at the MGM Grand Garden.

Thurman will fight on the undercard of the welterweight nontitle fight on Showtime between former champs Amir Khan and Devon Alexander.

On the same night, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Andy Lee also will be trying to win a title. He will meet Matt Korobov for the vacant World Boxing Organization middleweight belt on the undercard of the Timothy Bradley-Diego Chaves welterweight nontitle fight on HBO.

Also on the The Cosmopolitan undercard, Jose Benavidez Jr. will fight Mauricio Herrera for Herrera’s WBA interim lightweight belt.

“Normally, that would bother me,” Thurman said Wednesday of being relegated to the co-feature. “But there’s two reasons it doesn’t: One, the eight months off; two, these guys were world champions. Their credentials put them in the spotlight.”

Thurman (23-0, 21 knockouts) also knows an impressive win over Bundu, a 40-year-old Italian who is 31-0-2 with 11 KOs, will almost guarantee that his name will be at the top of the marquee in 2015.

“It’s always your job to make a statement,” Thurman said. “I’m always looking to do my best. But I want to look especially sharp in this fight to show everyone I’m fine and that I’m ready to pick up where I left off.”

Thurman’s left shoulder was bothering him when he stopped Julio Diaz in the third round on April 26. Instead of surgery, Thurman’s doctors recommended rest and therapy.

“It’s feeling great,” he said. “You know how much I love to throw that left hook of mine. I can do everything I need to do.

“My only regret? Not getting that extra paycheck.”

Lee (33-2, 23 KOs) will be getting his second chance to win a world title, after losing to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a 2012 fight for Chavez’s World Boxing Council middleweight belt.

Lee, a 30-year-old from London who represented Ireland in the 2004 Olympics, was ahead on all three scorecards after six rounds. But Chavez caught Lee with a right to the chin in the seventh, then finished him with a flurry before the referee stopped the fight.

Lee, who has won five consecutive fights, said it was a valuable learning experience.

“I’m the more experienced fighter,” he said. “I’ve been there once already. I’ve faced adversity in the ring.”

Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs) competed for Russia in the 2008 Olympics, then signed with Top Rank. The 27-year-old said waiting for this opportunity wasn’t always easy.

“It was hard to stay patient,” Korobov said. “But I knew there was a plan for me, and I found the right team and I found the right direction, and when I look back on how everything went, I’m glad I didn’t rush for this opportunity. When I win this title, I intend to keep it for a while.”

Benavidez, another Top Rank protege who is 21-0 with 15 KOs, will look to take the belt from Herrera, who is promoted by Golden Boy.

Herrera (21-4, 7 KOs) lost to WBA junior welterweight champ Danny Garcia on March 15, then won the WBA interim title July 12 with a majority decision over Johan Perez. Included on his resume are wins over Ruslan Providnikov and Miguel Huerta and losses to Mike Alvarado and Karim Mayfield.

“My experience will be a big advantage for this fight,” Herrera said. “(Benavidez) is young, and he has not fought at this level.

“There is going to come a point in the fight where he will either step up or fold, and that’s when we will test his will.”

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.