NEW YORK — "Mr. Get That Bag" is back in the win column, and he almost got there with a knockout.
Jarrett Hurd dropped Francisco Santana with a right uppercut during the waning seconds of the 10th and final round of their fight Saturday and then put together a combination before Santana was saved by the bell. Still, Hurd cruised to a unanimous decision victory (97-92, 99-90, 99-90) in the co-main event of Danny Garcia vs. Ivan Redkach at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. DAZN News scored the bout 99-90 in favor of Hurd.
Hurd was fighting for the first time since losing his unified junior middleweight titles to Julian Williams last May in his only pro defeat. The bout was also Hurd's first with his new trainer, Kay Koroma, in his corner. "Swift" and his trainer of 12 years, Ernesto Rodriguez, parted ways shortly following the loss to Williams.
On Saturday, Hurd (24-1, 16 KOs) asserted a stinging left jab in the second round, with the punch seemingly landing every time he threw it. By the third, he was winding up and connecting on a punishing right uppercut. Santana had zero answers to stop either punch from landing, and that uppercut almost ended the fight altogether.
Although the Brooklyn crowd drowned out his postfight interview, Hurd didn't let the jeers prevent him from proclaiming, "I'm back!"
He also said: "The crowd didn't love it, but you gotta understand, I got the unanimous decision and I did what I wanted to do.”
Whether the crowd enjoyed it or not, Hurd used his size and skill advantages to author a boxing clinic, which he abandoned for a few rounds to slug it out with Santana while still getting the better of the exchanges.
Let's see if a title shot is next for Hurd.