On Saturday, April 7, 2018, IBF 154 champion “Swift” Jarrett Hurd takes on the reigning IBO and WBA 154 champion Erislandy Lara.
The unification bout will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, live from The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds and can be watched on Showtime Championship Boxing starting at 10:o0 pm, EST.
Read on for Round By Round Boxing‘s staff predictions for Jarrett Hurd vs. Erislandy Lara and let us know who you think takes this one.
Round By Round Boxing Staff Predictions - 2020
| Name | Win | Loss | Total Fights | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Burgos | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Hans Themistode | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0.66666666666667 |
| R.L. Woodson | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Robert Contreras | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Stephanie Trapp/Showtime
Ty Paul, Staff Writer
I think Jarrett Hurd edges out Erislandy Lara in a close decision. Early rounds will be tough to score and I’m glad I will not be judging the fight.
Hurd’s work rate could be the difference down the stretch. But in the end, I think he has enough in the tank to edge it. Close, but really good fight.
Prediction: Hurd
Joshua Diaz, Staff Writer
Jarrett Hurd’s size and power are going to be a problem for the crafty Erislandy Lara.
Lara won’t be able to stop Hurd from his come-forward style unless he hurts him early. Even then Hurd is relentless. Hurd wins by 11th round KO.
Prediction: Hurd
Mike Burnell, Staff Writer
This is a very interesting fight with the perceptive undertones of “Old Lion” Erislandy Lara at 34 years of age versus the “Young Tiger” who is seven years his junior.
It may be a bit anticlimactic as Jarrett Hurd presents an orthodox stance and stands 6’1″, Lara is 5’9″ and a southpaw, therefore, I anticipate a messy and potentially boring event. Expect Hurd, anxious to make a statement, to chase the elusive Cuban star seeking the knockout.
It will be his downfall and Lara outboxes him easily after a few uncomfortable moments in the first four rounds.
Prediction: Lara
Peter Nieves, Senior Writer
Breaking down this fight comes down to a couple of things for me. The first being Erislandy Lara’s age. We know the Cuban knows how to box and has slick movements and impeccable footwork. Does Jarrett Hurd have the skill set to close the gap arguably the most skilled boxer in the 154 division?
Now, Hurd has proven me wrong on more than one occasion and can very well do so again. I believe he’ll finally win me over in this matchup should he come out victorious.
That being said, I’m going to bet against him one last time and see what happens. I feel that if Lara still has his legs under him, and can get past the early onslaught Hurd is likely to bring, he’ll outbox Hurd to decision victory.
Prediction: Lara
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Huge unification bout on Saturday night featuring 154-pound champions, Erislandy Lara and Jarrett Hurd. It may be a little more fun for me being from Maryland and having the opportunity to cover Hurd for years.
I remember back in late 2014 when Hurd blasted a guy named Terry Cade at Constitution Hall on the undercard of a Dusty Hernandez-Harrison card. The crowd went nuts and Gary Shaw’s son immediately ran up to me at ringside and said, “who the hell is this guy?”
Since “Swift’s” breakout performance on Showtime against Frank Galarza in late 2015, that question has been repeated a million times.
We know that to beat Lara, Hurd will have to be on his A game and use his awkward style intelligently. When I stopped by Hillcrest Heights a few weeks ago, Hurd mentioned Alfredo Angulo often so it’s pretty clear that the Angulo fight is the blueprint.
It will almost certainly take the Accokeek, MD native a few rounds to get cooking against the master boxer Lara, but if he’s able to cut off the ring effectively and show a bit more defense than he did against Austin Trout (especially early on), the suffocating style that he hopes to use may work wonders for him.
We’ve seen Lara dominate guys and snooze us to death, but we’ve also seen him in some really good fights. Lets hope Lara and Hurd bring out the best in each other. I’ll take Hurd by 10th-round stoppage.
Prediction: Hurd
Header photo by WBA
