Jarrett Hurd looking to be undisputed champion, targets Harrison-Charlo II winner next

Badlefthook.com

Jarrett Hurd returns to action in a PBC on FOX main event on May 11, facing Julian Williams in Fairfax, Virginia, but the 28-year-old Hurd said at this week’s media workout that he’s looking to unify further after his next fight is done.

“I want to be undisputed champion at 154 pounds,” he said. “The plan is to go after the WBC belt next. I’m inspired to do it and I see it right in front of me.”

Hurd (23-0, 16 KO) won the vacant IBF title with a TKO-9 victory over Tony Harrison in Feb. 2017, and added the WBA belt when he clawed out a split decision win over Erislandy Lara in April 2018, which was named by many the 2018 Fight of the Year.

Targeting the WBC title next means he wants the winner of the June 23 rematch between Tony Harrison and Jermell Charlo. Harrison (28-2, 21 KO) won a controversial decision over Charlo (31-1, 15 KO) last December, which shut down any plans of a Hurd-Charlo unification bout.

If Charlo wins, then surely that fight will be revisited. If Harrison wins, it sets up a Hurd-Harrison rematch. That might not seem great since Hurd stopped him the first time, but if you saw the first fight, you’ll recall that Harrison was doing pretty well, boxing nicely in the early rounds before Hurd’s size and power wore him down. Scores at the time of the stoppage were 76-76, 77-75, and 77-75 in Hurd’s favor.

Would a rematch go any differently? Probably not, but it’d be a three-belt unification and that’s hard to crap on.