Jarrett Hurd was met with disapproval from restless spectators during the final four rounds of his bout against Francisco Santana at Barclays Center on Saturday night.

More significantly for Hurd and his team, he effectively executed much of what his new trainer emphasized during their initial training camp together. Hurd displayed improved defensive skills, utilized his jab more frequently, and decisively defeated Francisco Santana in their 10-round middleweight encounter.

The taller and more powerful Hurd (24-1, 16 KOs) secured a comfortable victory as each judge's scorecard reflected. Julie Lederman (99-90) and Kevin Morgan (99-90) both scored nine rounds in favor of Hurd, while Larry Hazzard Jr. (97-92) awarded him seven rounds.

In the closing moments of the 10th round, Hurd finally sent the resilient Santana to the canvas with a powerful right hand. Although Santana managed to rise to his gloves and knees before the final bell, the victory was clearly Hurd's.

While Hurd fell short of finishing Santana within the allotted time, he rebounded from his previous loss to Julian Williams, which cost him the IBF, IBO, and WBA 154-pound championships eight months earlier.

Speaking to Showtime's Jim Gray in the ring post-fight, Hurd stated, "We came out here and executed our game plan. The crowd may not have been thrilled, but securing the unanimous decision and executing what we set out to do is what matters... There was no frustration. We aimed to avoid toe-to-toe exchanges and to minimize risks."

Santana, the smaller and slower opponent, appeared to be an ideal matchup for Hurd following his defeat to Williams. Santana's size disadvantage and limited movement allowed Hurd to focus on improving his defensive tactics and offensive maneuvers.

These advantages enabled Hurd to land 138 more punches overall than Santana (233-of-684 to 95-of-737), with a significant lead in jabs (80-of-356 to 5-of-219), according to CompuBox statistics.

Santana, acknowledging the challenge he faced, commented, "I aimed to maintain pressure and give it my all. I know I frustrated him at times, but it was a tough task, and I don't make excuses."

Hurd, aged 29 and hailing from Accokeek, Maryland, worked with trainer Kay Koroma for the first time in this bout, replacing his longtime trainer Ernesto Rodriguez.

Before this fight, Santana had not competed at or near the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds in over six years. The contracted catch weight for their bout was 156 pounds, slightly above the junior middleweight limit.

Throughout the match, Hurd showcased his intention to utilize his jab more frequently than in previous fights. He consistently targeted Santana's head with it, accompanied by hard right hands as Santana pressed forward.


#boxing #boxingvideos #boxingnews #boxingday #boxingworkout #boxinglife #sportsnews #actionsports #combat #combatsports #highlights #sporthighlights #action #punch #punching #fight #fighting #knockoutpower #middleweight #mexican #americansports #usa #supermiddleweight #boxingmatch #boxingfight #lightweight #americansports #american #middleweight #bantamweight #2024 #latestfight #america

свернуть