Hurd's Plan: Make Mandatory Defense, Fight Lara, Then Charlo

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jarrett Hurd heard Jermell Charlo call him out loud and clear.

If Hurd could map out his foreseeable future, though, he is three fights away from challenging Charlo in a 154-pound championship unification fight. Following his technical knockout victory over Austin Trout on Saturday night, Hurd said his plan is to make a mandatory defense of his IBF junior middleweight title against Cedric Vitu, beat Erislandy Lara in title unification fight and then face Charlo.

“We know we’ve got Charlo calling me out,” Hurd said. “We heard him when we was in the back, but that fight, that seems like a mega-fight that’s gonna eventually happen. But I have to defend against my mandatory, Cedric Vitu, which is a southpaw, also. And Lara’s a southpaw. So if I took on Lara first that would be three training camps against southpaws in a row. So I feel like I should take a fight with Lara before I go with Jermell Charlo.”

If Hurd defeats France’s Vitu and cannot lure Lara into a unification match, Hurd (21-0, 15 KOs) said he would welcome a fight against Houston’s Charlo (30-0, 15 KOs).

“He done called me out a couple times now, so I knew it was coming,” Hurd said. “Like I said, man, that’s a mega-fight. It’s gonna happen and when it do, I wanna make sure it’s the right time.”If Hurd defeats France’s Vitu and cannot lure Lara into a unification match, Hurd (21-0, 15 KOs) said he would welcome a fight against Houston’s Charlo (30-0, 15 KOs).

“They’re saying he’s the best in the division, he’s the toughest one out there,” Hurd said of Lara, the WBA/IBO champion. “Hopefully he’ll fight me. I want the best. I wanna prove that I’m the best and I wanna show the world exactly who ‘Swift’ Jarrett Hurd is.”

Hurd, of Accokeek, Maryland, probably won’t fight Vitu until sometime late in the winter or early in the spring. The New York State Athletic Commission placed him on a 60-day suspension to allow his cut an ample amount of time to heal.

The IBF granted Hurd an exception so that he could push back his mandatory defense against Vitu (46-2, 19 KOs) to fight the 11th-ranked Trout (30-4, 17 KOs), a former WBA 154-pound champion.

[marvelous marv]

I feel like Charlo would beat Hurd at this point but I think Hurd is improving slowly. Hurd vs Lara would be a very good fight. Hurd might be able to land something big on Lara and push him to a higher workrate than he wants. In most contests technique beats raw strength, in this case it may be closer to a coinflip.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Next year we need a 154 WBSS

[KiwiRider]

It will take someone like Hurd or Charlo to make anyone take interest in a Lara fight after the numbers came in from the triple header last weekend.
Unsurprisingly viewers and a lot in the audience walked out half way through the Lara fight.
Television viewers reacted the same way to the Erislandy Lara-Terrell Gausha fight Saturday night as fans in attendance.
Showtime’s viewership went down during Lara’s mundane, 12-round win against Gausha, a rarity for a main event of a premium-cable broadcast. According to ratings released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research, Lara’s unanimous-decision victory over Gausha peaked at 476,000 viewers and averaged 399,000.
Immediately before Lara-Gausha, the second fight of Showtime’s 154-pound championships tripleheader from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center – Jermell Charlo’s spectacular one-punch, first-round knockout of Erickson Lubin – peaked at 537,000 viewers. The Charlo-Lubin bout, which lasted just two minutes and 41 seconds, averaged 495,000 viewers.

[Cent0089]

Good plan for Hurd. Cheering for him to clean 154

[lazboy]

I don’t know...Lara will ruin Hurds momentum..Hurd should avoid him, F Lara unless the $ is great. I can picture it now, Lara on his bike for 12 rounds doing laps around the ring ala Canelo, punching two maybe we’d get lucky and see three or four punches, rinse and repeat, Hurd following him, Hurd missing. Lara can keep it up for 12 rounds it won’t be like Trout, Trout came to fight, Lara comes to win at any cost.

[candyslim]

Does your heart good to see quality fighters who seem genuinely to want to face the best out there. If only that was the prevailing attitude everywhere.

[Nightmare Roy]

Next year we need a 154 WBSS

That's would be pretty damn good!

[boxing_rocks]

I wish Lara, Charlo and most importantly Haymon agree with this plan.

[Impractical Poster]

I could live on if none of the top guys fought Lara. He really stinks up the division. If that is really Hurd's plan, I see Lara stinking out the joint enroute to a ud against Hurd foiling a Charlo/ Hurd bout. I just say, let Hurd fight his mandatory, then make the Charlo fight.

As far as who wins a Hurd/Charlo bout? I couldn't tell you. I'd love to see it though. Hurd has become one of my new favorites. Huge heart and determination.

[Tanzio]

I could live on if none of the top guys fought Lara. He really stinks up the division. If that is really Hurd's plan, I see Lara stinking out the joint enroute to a ud against Hurd foiling a Charlo/ Hurd bout. I just say, let Hurd fight his mandatory, then make the Charlo fight.

As far as who wins a Hurd/Charlo bout? I couldn't tell you. I'd love to see it though. Hurd has become one of my new favorites. Huge heart and determination.

If PWill could get that decision, and Angulo could put him down twice, The Creeper can stop him or squeeze off a close decision.

[ElJefe]

Surely the poll should be who wins between Hurd and Lara? Hurd getting past Lara to face Charlo is no sure thing. That's a 50/50 fight. Hurd vs Lara is probably the best fight that Lara can be in stylistically.

[Impractical Poster]

I could live on if none of the top guys fought Lara. He really stinks up the division. If that is really Hurd's plan, I see Lara stinking out the joint enroute to a ud against Hurd foiling a Charlo/ Hurd bout. I just say, let Hurd fight his mandatory, then make the Charlo fight.

As far as who wins a Hurd/Charlo bout? I couldn't tell you. I'd love to see it though. Hurd has become one of my new favorites. Huge heart and determination.

If PWill could get that decision, and Angulo could put him down twice, The Creeper can stop him or squeeze off a close decision.

I hope so.

P Will was another one of my favs. But, he definitely deserved the L in that one.

[jamamb]

lara got jobbed hard (hurd?) against paul. like, williams deserved maybe 3 rounds and still got the win hard.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hurd's plan looking good..

Beat Trout.. beat Lara

Is Charlo next?

Maybe he'll take another fight.. Unless he has a WBA mando due.