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I think "exposure" is a great word here, because Hurd was getting alotta props for KO'ing Trout and beating Lara. I kept saying he beat both them guys with pure size and pressure. This fight showed everybody why that's true. Trout and Lara both like to box and keep their distance, and Hurd wouldn't allow them to do that. They hit him with EVERYTHING and he kept coming. It wasn't that Hurd was great on the inside, he just didn't allow space or breathers. He presented pacing and pressure that they couldn't deal with.
But that didn't work on J-Rock, b/c J-Rock didn't try to keep his distance from Hurd. He's damn near a master on the inside and brought the fight TO Hurd... something that nobody ever does. I did NOT expect to see this dude backing Hurd up, but Hurd had to back up, b/c his inside game actually isn't that good. Actually, there isn't any particular part of Hurd's game that's good. That said, I don't think fighting on the outside in the rematch is gonna help him, because even in this fight J-Rock was jabbing him up from the outside because he's wayyyy quicker than Hurd. Hurd looked like a big slow-motion sasquatch in comparison. I honestly think it's gonna take Hurd more than a few months to be good enough to beat J-Rock.
One last thing, Hurd has been relying on his chin, taking shots for a few fights now, AND he cuts a LOT of weight. His chin could be softening up due to both of these things. The head can only take so many punches... chins deteriorate if they take too much punishment, so if the boy don't tighten up his defense, he might fuck around and get KO'd in a rematch.
>I was at the fight. My cousin felt like the Redskins band was
>a bad omen. J Rock left no doubt about the decision. He won
>just about every aspect of this fight, more effective on the
>inside. He couldn't miss Hurd with his jab. Fight was even
>better after I saw it on TV.
>
>I've argued otherwise but it is quite possible Hurd may have
>already reached his ceiling. I'm not really seeing gradual
>improvement over time. He is still a huge guy at 154 with
>questionable defense and frankly at times can appear to be a
>novice in terms of his foot positioning when punching. He has
>blaring limitations that he has been able to overcome against
>top tier opponents. J Rock is not small for 154 and is a
>solid puncher. If Jarrett has defensive limitations and can
>be hurt by guys at 154 he will have trouble when he moves up
>to 160.
>
>I still think there is a chance he can beat Williams in a
>rematch. He should have kept the fight outside more. He was
>unable to finish like he normally does IMO because he took so
>much punishment early. I liked Hurd's chances in this fight
>because I've seen J Rock fade late and that is where Hurd
>typically finishes strong. There was no question J Rock was
>the better boxer going into the fight. But J Rock showed he
>was about that life on the inside too. Awesome performance.
>Both guys were the first day of school after the fight, ALL
>CLASS. Fan of both guys and can't wait to see the rematch.
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Days like this I miss Sha Mecca
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