Hurd And Rosario Fight To A Draw

In a battle of former unified Jr. Middleweight world champions Jareet Hurd and Jeison Rosario fought to a highly competitive ten round split decision draw on Wednesday night at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, FL. Now competing as Middleweights, both fighters had their say throughout, but it was Hurd who seemed to carry the action early by using his reach to keep Rosario at the end of his jab. 

This was the pattern of the fight for the first several rounds with Hurd occasionally mixing in combinations behind his jab and making it difficult for Rosario to get close or land punches with consistency. As it seemed as though Hurd might be able to contently box his way to a convincing decision victory, Rosario's pressure gradually began to close the gap and by the middle rounds the combat was being fought in close where both fighters connected with solid hooks to the head. While this may have made the action more competitive, it did not seem to be to Hurd’s benefit to engage in the inside because when he used his jab and lateral movement to keep Rosario at distance, one might argue that it was a different fight.

Hurd was unable to get things back into the rhythm he had established in the early rounds, and by the late rounds, it seemed as though Rosario was in control. With the fight seemingly up for grabs going into the tenth and final round, Rosario would put forth one of his better rounds of the bout by being aggressive and keeping Hurd on the defensive. Rosario's rally over the second half of the fight did succeed in both making it competitive as well as narrowing the scorecards, but he was unable to pull out the victory as the three official judges were split in their scoring resulting in a draw being declared.

Official scores were 96-94(Hurd),96-94 (Rosario), and 95-95 resulting in a split decision draw. Jarrett Hurd advances to 25-3-1, with 17 Knockouts. Jeison Rosario advances to 24-4-2, with 18 Knockouts.

Also on this card:

Bantamweight Michael Angeletti scored a tactical and workmanlike ten round unanimous decision over Geraldo Valdez. Angeletti simply went through the motions throughout the fight, tactically out Boxing Valdez in what was a competitive bout throughout. The highlight came in the eighth round when Angeletti seemed to have Valdez on the verge of being stopped after badly hurting him with a left hook to the body. Valdez showed his mettle, survived the round, and made it to the final bell. Official scores were 97-93,and 98-92 (On two scorecards) in favor of Angeletti.  Michael Angeletti advances to 12-0, with 7 Knockouts. Geraldo Valdez falls to 16-2, with 11 Knockouts.

Undefeated Jr. Lightweight Dominic Valle scored a hard- fought eight round unanimous decision over a very “Game" 

Kevin Piedrahita. Valle’s combination punches and lateral movement carried the action in the first five rounds, but the constant pressure of Piedrahita opened up opportunities for him in the latter rounds including staggering Valle with a left hook to the head in the seventh round, but Valle was able to maintain and secure a convincing decision victory.. Official scores were 78-74, 79-73 (On two scorecards) in favor of Valle. Dominic Valle advances to 10-0, with 7 Knockouts. Kevin Piedrahita falls to 9-3, with 8 Knockouts. 

Unbeaten Heavyweight and former two-time Olympic Bronze medalist Ivan Dychko scored a second round stoppage of Craig Lewis. Dychko floored Lewis in the second round with a flush overhand right and badly staggered him later in the round with another right hand, which forced the stoppage.  Official time of the stoppage was 2:05 of round two. Ivan Dychko 14-0, with 13 Knockouts. Craig Lewis falls to 15-8-1, with 8 Knockouts.

Jr. Welterweights  Tristan Gallichan and Renny Mastrapa fought to a six round split decision draw to begin the evening. Mastrapa kept Gallichan moving backward during the first half of the fight and was generally the more aggressive fighter, but Gallichan seemed to get the better of the action in spots in the later rounds.   Official scores were 58-56 (Mastrapa), 58-56 (Gallichan),  and 57-57 resulting in a split decision draw. Tristan Gallichan advances to 5-0-2, with 3 Knockouts. Renny Mastrapa advances to 3-1-1, with 2 Knockouts. 

Some may have labeled the encounter between Jarrett Hurd and Jeison Rosario as a “Crossroads Fight" or perhaps even win or retire for either fighter. In reality, both former world champions performed well against each other and each still has the benefit of name recognition, which should keep opportunities open for them if each can continue to be competitive. This fight was the first for both competing under the ProBox Promotions and the ProBox TV banner and though the obvious thing to do might be to set up a rematch, it may come down to how quickly either Hurd and Rosario want to get back in the ring and whether other opportunities might be available to either under the ProBox banner that will determine if there will be a second encounter. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Hurd-Rosario Preview

 The theme of August 2024 in the world of Boxing outside of Olympic competition has been the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division. Following two highly competitive fights in the division to start the month, the focus now shifts slightly to the 160lb. Middleweight division where two former Jr. Middleweight world champions are preparing to meet as both look to take the next step towards challenging for another world title. This observer is referring to the encounter between former unified IBF/IBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jarrett Hurd and former unified IBF/IBO/WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Jeison Rosario. A scheduled ten round bout that will take place on Wednesday, August 21st at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, FL, which can be seen on digital Boxing streaming network ProBox TV.

Both Hurd and Rosario are likely known to many Boxing fans for having previously competed under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) promotional banner in their careers and one might argue that both are now at a similar stage in their careers in looking for another opportunity to fight for a world championship, now as Middleweights. The similarities between the two do not end there. 

Hurd and Rosario are each well-rounded boxer/punchers that can do a little of everything inside the ring and each is not particularly known for one asset. What this fight might come down to is who will be able to maintain a rhythm throughout the fight.

This is a scenario where both fighters have shown an ability to start well early in a fight, but at times have terrible maintaining their pace as it progresses into the middle and late rounds. Jarrett Hurd will come into this fight off of a fourth round stoppage of a fighter named Tyi Edmonds in December of last year and has gone 2-2 in his last four fights. Rosario meanwhile will enter the fight also coming off of a victory in his last outing in November of last year in scoring a second round stoppage of a fighter named Israel Nina.

The commonality of both Edmonds and Nina as opponents were that both were veterans, but not considered world-class opposition. If one were to look for a statistical indicator to infer who might have momentum going into this fight between Hurd and Rosario, it might be that Rosario has won four of his last five bouts and has been the more active of the two fighters as Hurd has only fought twice in the last three years, where in the same period of time, Rosario has fought five times.

While one might be tempted to use the “Crossroads" label for this fight, this observer feels that this is more of a case of the winner being able to possibly work their way into a sanctioning organization’s rankings at 160lbs. first rather than a scenario where the fighter that comes up short, might want to consider retirement. The reason for this is the Middleweight division currently is lacking in terms of name recognition and there always seems to be a path for fighters who have won world titles in their careers to get another opportunity compared to fighters who have not been able to transition from contender to world champion. Obviously, an impressive performance for either fighter will likely go a ways towards determining how quickly the next opportunity might come. Who will be able to take that next step is something we will find out on August 21st.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Hurd vs. Rosario takes place on Wednesday, August 21st at the ProBox TV Events Center in Plant City, FL. The fight can be seen globally on digital subscription Boxing streaming network ProBox TV beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT (U.S. Times Only.).

For more information about ProBox TV including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, additional programming and content, and to subscribe please visit: www.ProBoxTV.com. 

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After Stopping Hogan, Will Tszyu Get A World Championship Bout?

The 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division has been one that has seen many notable battles through the years. In recent times, it has seen Jermell Charlo emerge as the division’s central figure after scoring a knockout of Jeison Rosario last September to unify the WBC, WBA, and IBF world championships. Although Charlo has yet to become undisputed world champion in the division, as the only unified champion currently at 154lbs., the natural question that usually is asked after a fighter emerges victorious from a unification bout is who might be the next challenger.

 

A potential candidate that has made a strong argument for himself is undefeated top contender Tim Tszyu. Tszyu, the son of former longtime Jr. Welterweight world champion and Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, has emerged as a fast-rising contender in the division. Much like his father, Tszyu has also developed a reputation for having an ability to score knockouts. The marquee victory for Tszyu thus far came in August of last year when he stopped former WBO Welterweight world champion Jeff Horn in eight rounds.

 

Tszyu’s victory over Horn moved him into position as a top ten rated contender in the WBO, IBF, and WBO. Although Tszyu is currently the top contender in the WBO Jr. Middleweight ratings, a world championship currently held by Brian Castano, his number three rating in the IBF and number seven rating in the WBA could make him a potential opponent for Charlo. After defeating Horn, Tszyu scored a first round knockout of Bowyn Morgen in December of last year.

 

This led to what some felt would be another potential test in the form of former two-time world title challenger Dennis Hogan on March 31^st in Newcastle, Australia. Hogan, who entered the bout with a record of 28-3-1, with 7 Knockouts compared to Tszyu’s 17-0, with 13 Knockouts, had previously lost in world championship bouts to former Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime Mungia and Jermell Charlo’s brother Jermall at Middleweight. 

 

Even though it is insulting to give any fighter the label of a “Gatekeeper” because anything can happen when two fighters get into the ring, Hogan’s experience as a fighter who came up short in two world title bouts did make him in some ways an ideal opponent for a fighter in Tszyu’s position.  The type of fighter that can be used by a contender’s handlers to gage how close their charge might be to challenging for a world championship.

 

Tszyu’s approach in this fight can be described as one that was systematic as he applied consistent pressure on Hogan from the outset. An offensive output that seemed to have an emphasis on hooks to the body, gradually broke through Hogan’s defense as he was never really able to find his rhythm due to Tszyu’s pressure. This ultimately created an opening for Tszyu to land a flush left uppercut to the head of Hogan that sent him down in round five. Hogan’s corner elected to throw towel in shortly after Hogan got up from the knockdown as Tszyu pressed forward with follow up punches.

 

The ending of this fight was somewhat anti-climatic and can simply be described as a fighter showing patience and taking advantage of an opening once it presented itself. Tszyu’s performance however, was as good as one could expect from a fighter that has built the momentum he has and appears to be on the verge of fighting for a world championship. There was not much that one could point to as a potential reason why Tszyu should be held back in terms of what took place in the ring.

 

In terms of what might be a potential roadblock outside of the ring, in this observer’s view it will likely come down to whether or not promoters on opposite sides of the spectrum can work together to make a fight for a world championship happen for Tszyu. With a record that now stands at 18-0, with 14 Knockouts and having established a career knockout percentage of nearly 78%, it may be hard to say Tszyu hasn’t earned a chance at either Jermell Charlo or Brian Castano. The only questions that might remain are which world champion is available and whether or not a deal can be made that will determine whether or not Tim Tszyu will challenge for a world championship in his next fight.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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