Jarrett Hurd Is Back: Will His Comeback Be A Swift Return To The Top?

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By Anthony “Zute” George

Jarrett Hurd reached the top of the junior middleweight division in a Swift way. I promise that will be the end of the puns. Hurd’s winning ways were met with substantial popularity and significant television exposure. During that time, Hurd faced stiff competition, defeating Frank Galarza, Oscar Molina, Ionut Dan Ion, Tony Harrison, Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, and Jason Welborn. Up until the Welborn fight, Hurd was defeating a steady diet of good fighters in a natural progression of tiers. A mixture of good punchers, well-rounded fighters, and slick southpaws. Solid matchmaking. The Welborn fight was a freebie. But what fighter does not get some of those?

Up until the Welborn fight, Hurd was effective, and he was interesting. So much so that he was invited to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, June of 2018. Such an invitation is reserved for current fighters who have a cache more than just ability. Other active fighters that have been invited to Canastota include Deontay Wilder, Daniel Jacobs, and Shawn Porter. Indeed, Hurd’s cache was indeed on par with these popular fighters.

For everything that Hurd was, he was also limited. Sheer strength and determination got him through tough fights against accomplished boxers like Trout and Lara. A significant size advantage did not hurt Hurd either in those fights.

Hurd’s ability to draw was taken advantage of in May of 2019 when he was pitted against Julian Williams; it was essentially a hometown fight. Williams was an accomplished professional. But he was knocked out against Jermall Charlo and was giving up a lot in attributes. None of that mattered in the fight. Time and time again, Williams got underneath Hurd’s long reach and punished him on the pocket. Hurd’s flaws were on full display, and so were the weaknesses of his corner, by the way. They provided Hurd with no sound council and could not execute the necessary tangible work needed during that crucial minute.

With that said, what we liked about Hurd did come out well in defeat. He kept fighting and did better at the end of the fight than in the beginning. While there was a lot of questions about Hurd’s skills, this loss solidified his fighting heart. When a fighter has a fighting heart attached to an impressive body, the potential is limitless.

Before Hurd lost, he was highly praised, and his flaws were at best whispered. When he lost, the Old Man Police were quick to let everybody know how little you knew about boxing if you were a Hurd fan. A correct appraisal of Hurd up until now lies more in the middle of the extremes we have seen attached to him. But to not recognize what he has done so far, or his untapped potential, borders on criminal.

Hurd tries to get back on track against Francisco Santana in a ten-round fight Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Like all of his opponents, Santana will be giving up a lot in height and reach, but he is battle-tested and went the distance against plenty of good fighters, fought Julian Williams to a draw, holds wins against decent competition, and has only been stopped once against Karim Mayfield. Santana is the perfect opponent to come back against. It is unlikely Hurd will get him out of there with the first combination he lands, and at the same time, he does not do one thing spectacular to worry Hurd.

Besides securing a victory, the big thing to look for is to see if there is any improvement in Hurd’s corner and with Hurd’s technique. With the right tutelage and fine-tuning, he can be a champion again.

Stay tuned…

Check out “Zutes Boxing Talk”, which airs every Wednesday live from 7PM to 9PM ET. The show is dedicated to discussing the sweet science straight up with no twists. “Zute” has interviewed boxing legends such as Carlos Palomino, Mike McCallum, Pernell Whitaker, Jeff Fenech, Buddy McGirt, Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, Marvin Camel and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. As well as today’s stars like Danny Garcia, Sergey Kovalev, Regis Prograis, Teofimo Lopez and Gary Russell, JR.

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