Jarrett Hurd Wins Easy Unanimous Decision Over Francisco Santana!
In a performance that can be described as experimental, former WBA/IBF Super Welterweight Jarrett Hurd (24-1, 16 KOs) did more than enough to earn a unanimous decision win (97-92, 99-90 twice) over Francisco Santana (25-8-1, 12 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Hurd is known for stalking his opponents and using his size and strength to chop down and wear fighters out.
However, he decided to take a different approach in this fight. Instead, he would fight on the back foot and box behind the jab through the first four rounds. This is an experiment he and his new trainer Kay Koroma have been working on.
The former world champ showed some nice head movement and even employed a Floyd Mayweather-like shoulder roll as he landed sharp, counter straight-rights on the dome of Santana.
Fans who are used to watching the 29-year-old from Accokeek, Maryland engage in brawls must have been a bit surprised to see Hurd fighting so much on the back foot.
The pace and style Hurd initiated from at the start continued into the middle rounds. It wasn’t like Santana wasn’t trying, he was just not that effective.
Fighting most of his career at welterweight, he landed punches here and there but didn’t trouble Hurd at all. Plus there was no real creativity in his attack as he kept doing the same thing.
Hurd fought at a slower pace than most fans area accustomed to. This is because he was working on some things under his new trainer. As a result, the action became monotonous and you heard some sporadic boos from the crowd during the later rounds.
With:04 seconds to go in the 10th and final round, Hurd put Santana down with a right uppercut, putting a stamp on what turned out to be an overall pretty easy victory.
After the fight, Hurd was satisfied with the win. While unsure what’s exactly next, he did state his mission is to once again become a world champion.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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