Hustle and Muscle Carry Jarrett Hurd Past Erislandy Lara

The judging of boxing matches is not unlike an art aficionado’s impressions of the masterworks hanging in the Louvre. Some official observers go ga-ga over Monet

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Published

7 years ago

April 8, 2018

Bernard Fernandez

The judging of boxing matches is not unlike an art aficionado’s impressions of the masterworks hanging in the Louvre. Some official observers go ga-ga over Monet, others prefer Picasso. That, perhaps as much as anything, accounts for the sometimes wildly divergent scoring of fights in which the participants’ styles are radically different. Whenever such a contrast occurs, the winner, if the bout goes to the scorecards, more often than not is the guy who gets the other fighter to bend to his will.

Framed in that manner, Jarrett “Swift” Hurd’s 12-round split decision in his 154-pound unification showdown with fellow titlist Erislandy Lara at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, makes perfect sense, and offers at least a hint of controversy for those holding the minority viewpoint. It also becomes an early entrant for consideration as Fight of the Year, a surprisingly (or perhaps not) entertaining affair in which both determined champions reached deep inside themselves to find that little bit extra that often determines who has his hand raised after the final bell.

“Lara is the type of guy that always had trouble with pressure fighters,” said Hurd, the IBF junior middleweight champion who annexed Lara’s WBA super welterweight title by virtue of the 114-113 cards submitted by Glenn Feldman and Dave Moretti, offsetting the 114-113 tabulation for the expatriate Cuban southpaw as assessed by Burt Clements. “I knew that my size and power, if I was able to pressure him the way I did, would be successful.”

The outcome literally hung in the balance until the last 36 seconds, when Hurd, a 27-year-old perpetual motion machine from Accokeek, Md., who bears more than a passing resemblance (the bleached blond hairdo helps) to New York Giants superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., floored Lara with a short left hook that landed flush. Although Lara beat the count, his trip to the canvas turned what otherwise would have been a 10-9 round for Hurd into a 10-8, giving the younger man (Lara turns 35 on April 11) a razor-thin victory instead of having to settle for a majority draw.

The Houston-based Lara and his trainer, Ronnie Shields, vociferously objected to what they perceived as perhaps biased scoring. Their position is that Lara, despite either opting to or being forced into more two-way trading than he normally prefers, had played to his own strengths often enough to get the nod.

“I thought I was winning the fight easily,” said Lara, whose badly swollen right eye certainly gave him the look of someone who had gotten the worst of the mid-to late-round exchanges. “(The knockdown) shouldn’t decide the fight. One punch in a fight doesn’t determine the fight. One hundred percent, I want a rematch.”

Said Shields, floating a conspiracy theory that frequently emanates from the loser’s side: “Every time (Lara) fights in Vegas they screw him. It ain’t right. The man cannot catch a break.”

Punch statistics, a useful but hardly conclusive tool for determining what actually takes place in the ring, offered no real insight as to whose version of the story is more accurate. The busier, harder-hitting Hurd connected on 217 of 824 (26 percent) to 176 of 572 (31 percent) for Lara, but Hurd’s advantage in volume on power shots (186 of 641, 29 percent) negated Lara’s more precise placement (123 of 267, an impressive 46 percent). The gap over the last four rounds – Hurd outlanded Lara, 106-71, with a 96-58 edge in power punches – was even more pronounced.

Despite Lara’s insistence that he is deserving of an immediate rematch, Hurd – who has stamped himself as a fun-to-watch action fighter, if not necessarily a candidate for pound-for-pound consideration – most likely will move on to another unification clash, which is in keeping with Showtime’s master plan to fully unify the division. WBC super welterweight champ Jermell Charlo (30-0, 15 KOs), who defends his strap against the ever-popular opponent to be named on June 9 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, was at ringside for Hurd-Lara and he said he’s ready, willing and able to hurt Hurd should he get past his upcoming mystery guest.

“I’m down. Let’s go,” Charlo said of his interest in a go at Hurd, whose style is a much closer approximation of his own than was Lara’s. But, he added, “Hurd has to get his defense together because he cannot get hit by me like that. Lara doesn’t move like he used to. If he moves like he used to, he wins the fight.”

A slight favorite going into Saturday night’s (or very early Sunday morning, for those viewers on the East Coast) scrap with the larger but less-experienced Hurd, Lara – a now-naturalized U.S. citizen who successfully defected from Cuba in 2007, after an earlier attempt failed – has been a darling of certain critics and box-office poison with the public at large throughout his long championship reign. Those who appreciate his work have likened him to such patient craftsmen as Swiss watchmakers and doctorate-level mathematicians. His gift is not necessarily looking good himself, but making his opponents look clumsy and inept. Now, having failed to retain his title in his seventh defense of it, his leverage for continuing to be put into high-visibility bouts has been at least somewhat compromised.

“It was a good fight for the fans,” he said of the bout in which he was obliged to stray from the small-arms sniper fire in which he normally excels. “I stood and fought a lot and it was fun. I thought I clearly won the fight. Once again a decision goes against me, but hey, we just got to do a rematch.”

Had Lara been more inclined to engage when he was establishing himself as a world-class boxer, he might not have had to so often showcase his obvious talents in small rooms, such as the Hard Rock’s sold-out but cozy “The Joint,” which sold out Saturday night but for a crowd of just 2,579 spectators. Then again, like another Cuban expatriate southpaw similarly resistant to make adjustments to a style which has long worked for him, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Lara is a leopard that never has found a reason to change its spots, unless forced to do so. Hurd – four inches taller at 6-foot-1 and with a 2½-inch reach advantage – was just the guy to bully Lara out of his comfort zone.

Hurd is a temperamental and stylistic opposite of Lara, and as long as he continues to provide a high thrill quotient while cutting the occasional corner on refined niceties, he will continue to develop a fan base that is cottoning to his let ’er rip mindset. He likely would be the underdog for a meeting with Charlo, but his relentlessness of effort could soon make him must-watch TV. It could also make him susceptible to the wrong side of the quick-strike outcomes that thus far have stamped him as a rising star. But Hurd is the man of the moment, and it feels damn good.

“I’m No. 1 (at 154) now,” he crowed. “I’m in control. I’m going to call the shots.”

Photo credit: Chris Farina / Mayweather Promotions

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Bernard Fernandez

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Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

Published

1 day ago

November 3, 2024

David A. Avila

Floyd-Schofield-Wins-a-Banger-and Gabriella-Fundora-Wins-by-KO

Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

LAS VEGAS-Shades of Henry Armstrong and Baby Arizmendi. If you don’t know those names, look them up.

Floyd Schofield battled his way past Mexico’s super tough Rene Tellez Giron who walked through every blow the Texan could fire but lost by decision on Saturday.

It was a severe test and perfect matchmaking for Schofield who yearns for the big bouts against the lightweight giants roaming the world.

Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) remains undefeated and won the war over thick-necked Mexican Tellez Giron (20-4, 13 KOs) who has never been knocked out and proved to be immune to big punches.

In the opening rounds, the Texas fighter came out firing rapid combinations from the southpaw and orthodox stances. Meanwhile the shorter Tellez Giron studied and fired back an occasional counter for two rounds.

Tellez Giron had seen enough and took his stand in the third stanza. Both unleashed blazing bombs with Schofield turning his back to the Mexican. At that moment referee Tom Taylor could have waved the fight over.

You never turn your back.

The fight resumed and Schofield was damaged. He tried to open up with even more deadly fire but was rebuked by the strong chin of Tellez Giron who fired back in the mad frenzy.

For the remainder of the fight Schofield tried every trick in his arsenal to inflict damage on the thick-necked Mexican. He could not be wobbled. In the 11^th round both opened up with serious swing-from-the-heels combinations and suddenly Schofield was looking up. He beat the count easily and the two remained slugging it out.

“He hit me with a good shot,” Schofield said of the knockdown. “I just had to get up. I’m not going to quit.”

In the final round Schofield moved around looking for the proper moment to engage. The Mexican looked like a cat ready to pounce and the two fired furious blows. Neither was hit with the big bombs in the last seconds.

There was Tellez Giron standing defiantly like Baby Arizmendi must have stood in those five ferocious meetings against the incomparable Henry Armstrong. Three of their wars took place in Los Angeles, two at the Olympic Auditorium in the late 1930s as the U.S. was emerging from the Great Depression.

In this fight, Schofield took the win by unanimous decision by scores 118-109 twice and 116-111. It was well-deserved.

“I tried to bang it out,” said Schofield. “Today I learned you can’t always get the knockout.”

Fundora

IBF flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora needed seven rounds to figure out the darting style of Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz before firing a laser left cross down the middle to end the battle and become the undisputed flyweight world champion.

Fundora now holds all four titles including the WBO, WBA and WBC titles that Alaniz brought in the ring.

Fundora knocked down Alaniz midway through the seventh round. She complained it was due to a tangle of the legs. Several seconds later Fundora blasted the Argentine to the floor again with a single left blast. This time there was no doubt. Her corner wisely waved a white towel to stop the fight at 1:40 of the seventh round.

No one argued the stoppage.

Other Bouts

Bektemir Melikuziev (15-1, 10 KOs) didn’t make weight in a title bout but managed to out-fight David Stevens (14-2, 10 KOs) in a super middleweight fight held at 12 rounds.

Melikuziev used his movement and southpaw stance to keep Pennsylvania’s Stevens from being able to connect with combinations. But Stevens did show he could handle “The Bully’s” punching power over the 12-round fight.

After 12 rounds one judge favored Stevens 116-112, while two others saw Melikuziev the winner by split decision 118-110 and 117-111.

Super middleweight WBA titlist Darius Fulghum (13-0, 11 KOs) pummeled his way to a technical knockout win over southpaw veteran Chris Pearson (17-5-1, 12 KOs) who attempted the rope-a-dope strategy to no avail.

Fulghum floored Pearson in the first round with a four-punch combination and after that just belted Pearson who covered up and fired an occasional blow. Referee Mike Perez stopped the fight at 1:02 of the third round when Pearson did not fire back after a blazing combination.

Young welterweight prospect Joel Iriarte (5-0, 5 KOs) blasted away at the three-inch shorter Xavier Madrid (5-6, 2 KOs) who hung tough for as long as possible. At 2:50 of the first round a one-two delivered Madrid to the floor and referee Thomas Taylor called off the beating.

Iriarte, from Bakersfield, Calif., could not miss with left uppercuts and short rights as New Mexico’s Madrid absorbed every blow but would not quit. It was just too much firepower from Iriarte that forced the stoppage.

Photos credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Results and Recaps from Turning Stone where O’Shaquie Foster Nipped Robson Conceicao

Published

2 days ago

November 2, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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Top Rank was at the Turning Stone casino-resort in Verona, New York, tonight with an 8-bout card topped by a rematch between Robson Conceicao and O’Shaquie Foster with the victor retaining or recapturing his IBF world junior lightweight title. When the smoke cleared, the operative word was “recapturing” as Foster became a two-time title-holder, avenging his controversial setback to the Brazilian in Newark on July 6.

This was a somewhat better fight than their initial encounter and once again the verdict was split. Foster prevailed by 115-113 on two of the cards with the dissenting judge favoring Conceicao by the same margin. Conceicao seemingly had the edge after nine frames, but Foster, a 4/1 favorite, landed the harder shots in the championship rounds.

It was the thirteenth victory in the last 14 starts for Foster who fights out of Houston. A two-time Olympian and 2016 gold medalist, the 36-year-old Conceicao is 19-3-1 overall and 1-3-1 in world title fights.

Semi-wind-up

SoCal lightweight Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) made a big jump in public esteem and moved one step closer to a world title fight with a second-round blast-out of Jose Antonio Perez who was on the canvas twice but on his feet when the fight was stopped at the 1:24 mark of round two. Muratalla, a product of Robert Garcia’s boxing academy, is ranked #2 by the WBC and WBO. A Tijuana native, Perez (25-6) earned this assignment with an upset of former Olympian and former 130-pound world titlist Jojo Diaz,

Other Bouts

Syracuse junior welterweight Bryce Mills, a high-pressure fighter with a strong local following, stopped scrawny Mike O’Han Jr whose trainer Mark DeLuca pulled him out after five one-sided rounds. Mills improved to 17-1 (6 KOs). It was another rough day at the office for Massachusetts house painting contractor O’’Han (19-4) who had the misfortune of meeting Abdullah Mason in his previous bout.

In a junior lightweight fight that didn’t heat up until late in the final round, Albany’s Abraham Nova (23-3-1) and Tijuana native Humberto Galindo (14-3-3) fought to a 10-round draw. It was another close-but-no- cigar for the likeable Nova who at least stemmed a two-fight losing streak. The judges had it 97-93 (Galindo), 96-94 (Nova) and 95-95.

Twenty-one-year-old Long Island middleweight Jahi Tucker advanced to 13-1-1 (6 KOs) with an eighth-round stoppage of Stockton’s teak-tough but outclassed Quilisto Madera (14-6). Madera was on a short leash after five rounds, but almost took it to the final bell with the referee intervening with barely a minute remaining in the contest. Madera was on his feet when the match was halted. Earlier in the round, Tucker had a point deducted for hitting on the break.

Danbury, Connecticut heavyweight Ali Feliz, one of two fighting sons of journeyman heavyweight Fernely Feliz, improved to 4-0 (3) with a second-round stoppage of beefy Rashad Coulter (5-5). Feliz had Coulter pinned against the ropes and was flailing away when the bout was halted at the 1:34 mark. The 42-year-old Coulter, a competitor in all manner of combat sports, hadn’t previously been stopped when competing as a boxer.

Featherweight Yan Santana dominated and stopped Mexico’s Eduardo Baez who was rescued by referee Charlie Fitch at the 1:57 mark of round four. It was the 12^th knockout in 13 starts for Santana, a 24-year-old Dominican father of three A former world title challenger, Mexicali’s Baez declines to 23-7-2 but has lost six of his last eight.

In his most impressive showing to date, Damian Knyba, a six-foot-seven Pole, knocked out paunchy Richard Lartey at the 2:10 mark of round three. A right-left combination knocked Lartey into dreamland, but it was the right did the damage and this was of the nature of a one-punch knockout. Referee Ricky Gonzalez waived the fight off without starting a count.

Knyba, 28, improved to 14-0 (8 KOs). A native of Ghana coming off his career-best win, a fourth-round stoppage of Polish veteran Andrzej Wawrzyk, Lartey declined to 16-7 with his sixth loss inside the distance.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: Spotlights on Lightweights and More

Published

3 days ago

November 1, 2024

David A. Avila

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Those lightweights.

Whether junior lights, super lights or lightweights, it’s the 130-140 divisions where most of boxing’s young stars are found now or in the past.

Think Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.

Floyd Schofield (17-0, 12 KOs) a Texas product, hungers to be a star and takes on Mexico’s Rene Tellez Giron (20-3, 13 KOs) in a 12-round lightweight bout on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotion card that includes a female undisputed flyweight championship match pitting Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz and Gabriela Fundora.

Like a young lion looking to flex, Schofield (pictured on the left) is eager to meet all the other young lions and prove they’re not equal.

“I’ve been in the room with Shakur, Tank. I want to give everyone a good fight. I feel like my preparation is getting better, I work hard, I’ve dedicated my whole life to this sport,” said Schofield naming fellow lightweights Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Now he meets Mexico’s Tellez who has never been stopped.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” said Tellez.

Even in Las Vegas.

Verona, New York

Meanwhile, in upstate New York, a WBC junior lightweight title rematch finds Robson Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) looking to prove superior to former titlist O’Shaquie Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank fight card.

Last July, Conceicao and Foster clashed and after 12 rounds the title changed hands from Foster to the Brazilian by split decision.

“I feel that a champion is a fighter who goes out there and doesn’t run around, who looks for the fight, who tries to win, and doesn’t just throw one or two punches and then moves away,” said Conceicao.

Foster disagrees.

“I hope he knows the name of the game is to hit and not get hit. That’s the name of the game,” said Foster.

Also on the same card is lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (21-0, 16 KOs) who fights Mexico’s Jesus Perez Campos (25-5, 18 KOs).

Perez recently defeated former world champion Jojo Diaz last February in California.

“We’re made for challenges. I like challenges,” said Perez.

Muratalla likes challenges too.

“I think these fights are the types of fights I need to show my skills and to prove I deserve those title fights,” said Fontana’s Muratalla.

Female Undisputed Flyweight Championship

WBA, WBC and WBO flyweight titlist Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz (15-1, 6 KOs meets IBF titlist Gabriela Fundora (14-0, 6 KOs) on Saturday Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. DAZN will stream the clash for the undisputed flyweight championship.

Argentina’s Alaniz clashed twice against former WBA, WBC champ Marlen Esparza with their first encounter ending in a dubious win for the Texas fighter. In fact, three of Esparza’s last title fights were scored controversially.

But against Alaniz, though they fought on equal terms, Esparza was given a 99-91 score by one of the judges though the world saw a much closer contest. So, they fought again, but the rematch took place in California. Two judges deemed Alaniz the winner and one Esparza for a split-decision win.

“I’m really happy to be here representing Argentina. We are ready to fight. Nothing about this fight has to do with Marlen. So, I hope she (Fundora) is ready. I am ready to prepare myself for the great fight of my life,” said Alaniz.

In the case of Fundora, the extremely tall American fighter at 5’9” in height defeated decent competition including Maria Santizo. She was awarded a match with IBF flyweight titlist Arely Mucino who opted for the tall youngster over the dangerous Kenia Enriquez of Mexico.

Bad choice for Mucino.

Fundora pummeled the champion incessantly for five rounds at the Inglewood Forum a year ago. Twice she battered her down and the fight was mercifully stopped. Fundora’s arm was raised as the new champion.

Since that win Fundora has defeated Christina Cruz and Chile’s Daniela Asenjo in defense of the IBF title. In an interesting side bit: Asenjo was ranked as a flyweight contender though she had not fought in that weight class for seven years.

Still, Fundora used her reach and power to easily handle the rugged fighter from Chile.

Immediately after the fight she clamored for a chance to become undisputed.

“It doesn’t get better than this, especially being in Las Vegas. This is the greatest opportunity that we can have,” said Fundora.

It should be exciting.

Fights to Watch

Sat. ESPN+ 2:50 p.m. Robson Conceicao (19-2-1) vs O’Shaquie Foster (22-3).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Floyd Schofield (17-0) vs Rene Tellez Giron (20-3); Gabriela Alaniz (15-1) vs Gabriela Fundora (14-0).

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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