Vinny’s Views: Erislandy Lara Vs Jarrett Hurd – The Stats, The Facts & The Fight Prediction Is In!

By Vinny “Glory Days” Lucci

While Erislandy Lara the WBA Junior  Middleweight champion does his current road work he should peak over his shoulder now and again because he has his first real fight in four years hot on his heels in the guise of his IBF counterpart Jarrett Hurd.

Since calling out Canelo Alvarez in 2014 and then running a track meet in second half of the bout Lara has feasted on an array of substandard contenders who were mostly ready for their pension checks rather than title shots. Consider Jan Zaveck at 40, Ishe Smith 39, Delvin Rodriguez 37, and Yuri Foreman at 37 years of age. Terrell Gausha already turned 30 but not a recognizable name on his resume. (Vanes Martirosyan notwithstanding.)

Erislandy has been annoyingly vocal for years that he in fact is the best boxer on the scene and that boxers avoid him for fear of his agility to avoid punches while dispatching a boxing lesson. Truth be known his style bores the hell out of most casual fans as his Cuban roots were better suited for the amateurs. What we have here in Jarrett Hurd is literally a magnetic storm riding on Lara’s Nikes. Excited yet? Hurd is taller, younger and stronger foe, with a longer reach and damn near matching his adversary for speed. They are a world apart in boxing ability but every flaw of Hurd’s is a virtue in a bout where the star performer has been pampered for years and quite possibly no longer possesses the youth needed to starve off a cocky assassin who will be looking to bend the will of Lara as well as break his body. This one’s on the grill already, tickets went on sale March 16.

The Event:

Premier Boxing Champions is promoting the unification match at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on April 7 and presented on SHOWTIME Boxing. The co-main event pits James DeGale rematching Caleb Truax for IBF Super middleweight title that changed hands by majority decision this past December in London England. DeGale was often forced to the ropes and took a beating throughout the bout. It is quite possible James’s previous unification bout against Badou Jack which was rightfully ruled a draw ruined him. After a great start he took too much punishment over second half of contest and paid dearly for it with punctured ear drum, lost tooth, knockdown and shoulder injury. This is a must win match for James or he moves to back of the pack

The Stats:

Erislandy Lara is Cuban defector who goes by the moniker of the “American Dream.” His arsenal of boxing skills has so impressed that he is known simply by “Lara.” The southpaw is 34 years of age and perhaps passed his prime already with a record of 25-2-2, 14 KO’s. Always in outstanding condition Lara stands 5’9” with a 74” reach. He will be defending his WBA 154 pound title.

Jarrett Hurd is a Maryland based boxer who fights under the nick name “Swift.” Much like former welterweight champion Danny Garcia the name doesn’t fit. Hurd is a seasoned brawler who throws caution to the wind and punches from all angles like an “apex predator.” Therein lies a better moniker but gives fans a true sense of what to expect fight night. Standing taller than Lara at 6’1” and possessing longer reach of 76” the orthodox fighter will present more problems for Erislandy than he has been accustomed to in quite some time. With a stellar record of 21-0, 15 KO’s he has positioned himself to be at the right place at the right time having stopped 9 of his last 10 opponents. Hurd’s IBF belt will be on the line.

Last Fight:

Lara bested Terrell Gausha by UD last October at Barclays Center, Brooklyn New York. Throughout the bout fans feigned boredom and choruses of boos echoed throughout the Emporium for lack of action. The media section’s keyboards went silent by mid fight with many writers going to stretch their legs and head to snack station.

Jarrett Hurd fought on the undercard this night stopping seasoned veteran and former champion Austin Trout by RTD after 10 rounds. His corner called a halt to the action having seen enough bombs landed. In a spirited affair Trout took an early lead by boxing and using foot work to secure the advantage on the score cards. After the third round Hurd started to cut the ring off and put dents within the challenger’s defense. The relentless pressure and constant barrage of punches turned the tide and possibly gave a glimpse of how a fight with Lara might look with Trout fighting at same height from southpaw stance. If ever there was a perfect tune up fight to prepare for Lara, this was it.

Styles:

Erislandy as aforementioned is a talented southpaw with impressive skills. He fights behind an educated jab and is fleet footed using every square inch of real estate. He has sneaky power but like many defensive boxers often doesn’t commit to his power shots because his defense is excellent with movement out of position before full extent of damage is delivered with leverage. Lara been accused of ducking real competition while he has called out some of the biggest names of his generation. After his contemporaries witnessed his track meet with Canelo Alvarez there simply isn’t a demand to see his name up in lights against the likes of an Alvarez rematch, a Charlo brother or God forbid Gennady Golovkin.

Hurd is a tall junior middleweight who has the one serious flaw of fighting with his chin exposed. Sometimes he has lead shoulder out-front protecting it but you can sense his joy and commitment of letting his hands go doing his talking for him. He often neglects raising his guard as he constantly repositions himself inside the pocket. Hurd has long legs providing the adequate balance to leverage his power punches. He is relentless in the pursuit of a knock out and wears his adversaries down regardless of the quality of their whiskers.

What to look for fight night: Erislandy has been here once before back in 2011 when he faced feared puncher Paul Williams who happens to be same height as Hurd. Now seven years removed from most likely his finest performance to date Erislandy was clearly robbed of a well-deserved decision. The boxing equation now is can he resurrect that talent after being particularly pampered for years while he settled for decisions and boring outings instead of stepping up the tempo and clearing out division.

Lara will be expected to start off on his “A” game and box laterally to his right. Hurd will look to cut off ring by moving to his left and positioning Lara into nearest corner. By using lead right heads he can disrupt Lara’s tempo and force him to engage the pocket. Both champions will be seeking to get their lead foot inside the other champion’s stance to gain best leverage when committing to combinations and keeping the striking distance inches shorter in their favor. The process of winning these exchanges will be a mindset as well as the physicality involved. Hurd must be willing to possibly give away the early rounds in pursuit of wearing down Lara and finding his elusive chin.

Lara must stay focused and box the puncher before him all twelve rounds. Any change in momentum could be permanent as Hurd is relentless especially when he smells blood in the water.

The Vinny Factor:

In this fight there are two three elements beyond what the casual eyes see. Come fight night Lara is expected to weigh in at middleweight, 160 lbs. while Hurd’s frame will carry another ten or twelve pounds. The additional weight behind his punches is nothing that Lara is accustomed too and provides a truly imposing adversary before him.

Hurd also has terrific snap from releasing his punches at the elbow. Sneaky and fast they are delivered as a shorter distance between two points making telegraphing near impossible. He also employs uppercuts inside the gate as well as pulling up hooks and right hands from his waist.

Finally, trainer Randy Shields has failed to Americanize his protégé’s style. The Cuban school of thought is placated upon amateurs and three round bouts. Lara usually finds himself in trouble when his opponents adapt and he simply has no plan “B,” and neither does Shields who was once a terrific fighter himself.

Odds:

As of this righting Vegas has yet to set the odds on this bout. It is perceived Erislandy will be a slight favorite based on experience and exceptional skill. Ringside Report is of the notion that while Lara is the better technician inside the ropes he is giving away too much in stats to be made a clear favorite. This is a compelling must watch pick-em’ bout.

Prediction:

Jarrett Hurd by S.O.S. (stoppage or scorecards) Lara must turn back the clock and look sensational or bore the masses and pray for a decision. If Hurd fails to produce the knockout he’ll make his presence known every round giving the judges more to think about.

Stay tuned…

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