Unbeaten Jarrett Hurd will face one-loss Anthony Harrison for a 154-pound title shot
The highly anticipated return of WBC champion Deontay Wilder is necessary to sort out supremacy at heavyweight once and for all. And, while his opponent for his February 25th return bout is now an uncertain matter, the addition of two great finishers to the card from one of boxing’s hottest divisions is reason for fight fans to trust the process.
Detroit, Michigan’s Anthony Harrison (24-1, 20 KOs) will face one of the hottest fighters from the super welterweight division’s new guard in Accokeek, Maryland’s hard-hitting Jarrett Hurd (19-0, 13 KOs). The showdown will serve as the co-main for heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder’s February 25th title defense.
Rewind to early-2015 and Harrison’s name carried the same promise as Jarrett “Swift” Hurd’s does now. The Motor City native’s rise to stardom came to a screeching halt in July following an upset 9th-round technical-knockout loss to Willie Nelson. The defeat seemingly squandered all the momentum created by an impressive streak of 10-consecutive wins by stoppage.
Boxing did what it always does – it moves on to next guy making noise.
The very next month, Hurd stopped Jeff Lentz for his second straight technical-knockout victory. Hurd stepped back in the ring in November and stopped undefeated Frank Galarza, he next handed Oscar Molina his first loss via 10th-round technical-knockout, and then closed out 2015 by battering rugged veteran Jo Jo Dan until the bout was stopped in the 6th-round. It looked like the division’s top guys would be within reach at some point in 2017.
During Hurd’s rise in the rankings, Harrison wasted little time overcoming his setback. After earning a unanimous decision over Cecil McCalla, he returned to his usual outcomes with technical-knockout wins versus Fernando Guerrero and Siarhei Rabchanka in the 6th and 9th rounds, respectively. A single explosive short right hand to Rabchanka’s chin from the 26-year old signaled that he still deserved a shot at a world title too.
Upon announcing the match-up promoter Lou DiBella said:
Tony Harrison and Jarrett Hurd are two of the hardest hitting, most exciting young contenders in the division. Fans can expect fireworks.
The expected fireworks will be televised live on Fox and Fox Deportes beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
In addition to Wilder’s title defense, fans will also see promising Polish heavyweight Izuagbe Ugonoh (17-0, 14 KOs) get tested by Dominic Breazeale (17-1, 15 KOs). The bout marks Breazeale’s first action since his punishing 7th-round technical-knockout loss to IBF World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in June at London’s O2 Arena.
Just a final note, two other super welterweights a bit farther down the rankings will also be in action the night before. Christopher Pearson (14-1, 10 KOs) and Justin DeLoach (16-1, 8 KOs) are scheduled to face one another as part of a Mayweather Promotions card at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.
The two fighters were originally scheduled as the co-feature of the Ishe Smith-Frank Galarza showdown – televised on Bounce TV – back in September. However, Pearson was forced to pull out of the fight after sustaining a cut above his eye, an injury that resulted from sparring, required stitches to heal. The Pearson-DeLoach winner could likely advance into the top 20 fighters at super welterweight.
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