Jesse Hart (18-0, 14 KOs) definitely came out swinging tonight on Top Ranks truTv televised card, live from The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. His target, the son of a legend, Aaron Pryor Jr. (19-9-1, 12 KOs) was dominated throughout the fight.
Early on it was obvious that the apple may have fallen a ways from the tree. While he has a solid amount of experience against some stiff competition, he also carries a good amount of losses to go with it. Hart on the other hand is considered by many, to be one of the top prospects in the Super Middleweight division.
As the sound of the opening bell echoed through The Chelsea Arena, Hart wasted no time bull rushing Pryor in an attempt to become the ring general from the get go. It was pretty clear from the opening round that Hart did not come to beat Pryor in a well boxed bout.
Instead, the Philly fighter seemed to want to rip Pryor’s head clean off. Pryor started off slow, not really knowing how to adjust himself to Harts aggressive tactics. Hart would let his hands go in just about every round and sometimes it wasn’t pretty. Pryor’s corner could be heard screaming at ringside about elbows, laces to the face and pushing off of Pryor.
In Pryor’s defense, the guy can definitely take a punch. Going into the middle rounds it was hard to see Hart getting the knockout because he had pretty much thrown everything but the kitchen sink at Pryor, but low and behold, Hart would prove me wrong. As Round 9 came to a close, Hart dug in deep and started landing at will, stunning Pryor into the blue corner. After a barrage of unanswered blows, referee Tony Weeks had seen enough and called it off at 2:59 of the ninth round.
With another win notched under his belt, the future continues to look bright for Jesse Hart as he continues to climb the ranks. Pryor will continue looking for tougher and tougher opposition, while Pryor will most likely go back to being, for lack of a better word, a stepping stone for other prospect fighters.
All photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank
