Jarrett Hurd vs Austin Trout

Until the tenth round at Barclays Center, no opponent had stopped Austin Trout. The former champion had gone the distance with Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy Lara and Jermall Charlo. On 14 October 2017, he challenged Jarrett Hurd for the IBF super welterweight title, which Hurd had won from Tony Harrison in February. Trout’s greater experience showed at first, but the younger champion’s strength gradually changed the contest.

Both men worked behind the jab in a close opening round. Trout, boxing southpaw, landed a left and moved clear before Hurd could answer. Hurd found him with straight rights early in the second, but Trout used his jab, footwork and left uppercut to score as the champion advanced. Hurd increased his pressure in the third, landing rights to the chin, while Trout caught him with counters as he came forward.

The fourth was one of Trout’s better rounds. He landed several left hands in succession and made Hurd miss enough to answer the champion’s heavier attacks. Hurd still reached him with a straight right as Trout backed towards the ropes. That pattern continued in the fifth: Trout moved and countered with accuracy, but he could not discourage Hurd from following him. The champion landed hard rights, one driving Trout into the ropes. After four rounds, all three judges had Trout ahead 39–37.

Hurd began to cut off the ring more effectively in the sixth. Trout continued to find openings, yet the exchanges increasingly favoured the champion’s heavier punches. A right hand shook Trout late in the round; he recovered and punched back before the bell. Early in the seventh, an accidental clash of heads opened a cut near Hurd’s left eye. With blood running down his face, Hurd pressed on. He hurt Trout with a left hook near the ropes and later with a right, though Trout remained on his feet and made it through the round.

Trout’s movement slowed in the eighth. He still landed clean punches, but threw fewer of them and had more difficulty getting away after an exchange. Swelling developed around his right eye as Hurd kept advancing and striking his head. The ninth brought less sustained pressure from Hurd, but Trout looked tired, and the swelling grew worse. Before the tenth, the ringside doctor examined him and allowed him to continue.

Trout came out for the tenth and tried to fight back. His right eye was now nearly closed, however, and Hurd repeatedly caught him with rights. An overhand right sent Trout reeling into his corner, and the champion’s attack in the closing seconds left the challenger struggling to answer. Trout survived to the bell. In his corner, with the doctor advising that he should not continue, the contest was stopped. Referee Eddie Claudio recorded Hurd the winner by retirement at the end of the tenth, at 3:00 of the round. No knockdown had been scored. Hurd retained his title in his first defence and became the first man to stop Trout. At the finish, the judges had Hurd ahead 97–93, 96–94 and 96–94.

I’ve always rated Austin Trout’s boxing. He beat Miguel Cotto and went twelve rounds with Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy Lara and Jermall Charlo. Against Jarrett Hurd, he showed why he belonged with those men. For five rounds, he used his southpaw jab, moved after punching and caught Hurd coming in with clean counters. All three judges had him ahead after four. Hurd was taking shots, but Trout could not make him stop advancing.

That was the difference I saw. Hurd began cutting the ring off in the sixth and made Trout work every time he tried to escape. His rights carried more weight, and by the seventh Trout was tiring. Hurd had a cut near his left eye from a clash of heads, yet it was Trout whose face was deteriorating. His right eye swelled badly while Hurd kept walking him down.

The stoppage after ten rounds was right. Trout was brave and skilful, but bravery would not restore his legs or let him see those rights coming. Hurd became the first man to stop him. I wouldn’t call it a boxing lesson from Hurd; I’d call it a hard, intelligent use of pressure against a better mover who could no longer keep him off.