By: Hans Themistode
Former unified Jr Middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd is the epitome of how life can change in the blink of an eye.
It felt like just the other day that Hurd was dominating the Jr Middleweight division. Wait, that is because it was just the other day.
In 2017, Hurd defeated Tony Harrison to claim the vacant IBF title. He then proceeded to walk through the rest of the division. Stoppage wins over former belt holder Austin Trout to go along with another quick, yet decisive win against Jason Welborn left little doubt as to who was the best in the division.
Hurd (23-1, 16 KOs) continued his run to the top with a win over Erislandy Lara at the midway point of 2018. The win not only netted him his most impressive victory to date, but also the WBA title as well.
Everything was going in his favor. Hurd was in possession of two titles and quietly built up one of the best resumes in the entire division. On May 11th, earlier this year, Hurd had his first homecoming contest as a champion. His opponent? None-other than former title challenger Julian Williams.
Not to disparage the work of Williams up to that point in his career, but he was viewed as having virtually no chance in his contest against Hurd. What occurred on that night was one of the most shocking results that 2019 has seen.
Williams put down the giant Hurd in the second round courtesy of a right, left combination. The rest of the contest was a tight one, but Williams did more than enough and was rewarded with the victory.
Thoughts of an immediate rematch between the two were rumored to take place shortly after. However, Hurd decided to forgo his rematch and pursue other options. Maybe Hurd would change divisions entirely and go on to bigger and better things. Yet, that was not the case.
Hurd stayed mum on his future plans until recently.
During a press conference at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York, Hurd left no doubt as to what his future holds.
“No I will not be moving up to 160, I will be staying at 154,” said Hurd “I will be fighting to get my titles back.”
Dream match ups with Jermall Charlo, Canelo Alvarez or even Demetrius Andrade all must be shelved at this point in time. Going up in weight would be easy for Hurd. At six feet one inches, it is difficult to understand how he manages to shrink himself down to the Jr Middleweight division, a move up in weight at some point is inevitable.
There is only one problem with that scenario. Leaving the only division that he has ever known will undoubtedly leave a bitter taste in the mouth of the former champion. Question his decision all you want, but Hurd certainly has unfinished business.
The former unified champion hinted that a matchup between himself and Williams seemingly will occur once again, as long as they continue to win. But first things first, he needs to dominate Francisco Santana on the 25th of January and in the process of doing so, build up a bit of rapport with his new found trainer.
“That is not to be looking past Francisco Santana. He’s a great fighter but I’m just looking to regain my titles and get back to the old me. Just because I fell back that doesn’t mean that I fell off. I just stepped back and went back to the basics to regain myself.”