Jarrett Hurd learned against Julian Williams in his last fight that he has room to grow as a boxer. His gym work since then confirmed it.
Hurd, who lost a wide decision and his 154-pound titles to Williams in May, is scheduled to face Francisco Santana in his first fight back on the Danny Garcia-Ivan Redkach card Jan. 25 at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn on Showtime.
Hurd had been scheduled to fight Williams in an immediate rematch but pulled out.
“This is my first time doing interviews since I fought Julian Williams,” Hurd said. “Last time I was up here I was an undefeated fighter and then I suffered my first loss. We had the rematch set up for this December, but with me going through a switch in trainers and still in the process of searching, I wasn’t in condition for it.
“It was the hardest thing possible to not take the rematch, much harder than taking it.”
Hurd (23-1, 16 KOs) decided to train for Santa (25-7-1, 12 KOs) in a secluded location, eliminating all distractions.
“I’ve been training in Colorado with Kay Koroma and getting away from everything,” he said. “We’re focused strictly on boxing. I cut the hair off, too, because I was just ready for a change. The work so far is showing me how much work I have left to do and how much room I have to grow.
“I will stay at 154-pounds and fight for my titles again. I’m not looking past Francisco Santana because he’s a great fighter. I’m working hard to get back to the old me.”
He continued: “This is the fighter who was put in front of me. He has the style that we were looking for with my having my first fight with my new trainer. I had some time out of a gym after the Williams fight but now we’re going strong toward January 25.”
Hurd had built the reputation of a physically imposing, particularly strong fighter who overwhelmed opponents with his might.
The loss to Williams, an excellent, resilient boxer, laid bare Hurd’s vulnerabilities. For once, he wasn’t able bully his opponent and didn’t have a Plan B. That allowed Williams to win convincingly.
“I would never say I overlooked Julian Williams,” Hurd said. “There’s no excuses. Julian was the better man that night. When I look back there were probably some things that could have affected me, but Julian deserved to win the fight.
“I don’t know if I’m a better fighter now, but the loss opened my eyes to some things. My new coach has really opened my eyes to some things that I need to work on. Using my jab more and my footwork specifically.”
Perhaps we’ll see the beginning of a new Hurd next month.