Luis Arias upsets Jarrett Hurd in spirited 10-rounder

Luis Arias (19-2-1,9 KOs) upset former unified 154-pound champion Jarrett Hurd (24-2, 16 KOs) in an action-packed 10-round affair.

The fight went down at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

One judge scoring the fight 95-94 for Hurd, overruled by scores of 97-93 and 96-93 for Arias.

The key was the right hand. Arias rarely missed.

Arias controlled the early rounds of the duel, attacking Hurd with numerous combinations that landed flush. His clean power punching was an advantage throughout, as he out landed Hurd in power punches by a total of 153 to 120 while landing over 40% of those shots.

“The game plan was to jump on him, get the early lead and keep it,” said Arias. “I felt like in the middle rounds I was winning the fight but you never know because I wasn’t the A-side in this fight. I buzzed him a lot, especially on the inside.”

Hurd began to attempt to mount a comeback in rounds five and six, closing the distance effectively and finding a home for short right hooks and right uppercuts, with Arias even acknowledging that he was made unsteady after the action.

“I’m not sure what went wrong tonight,” said Hurd. “I believe I won the fight. I had a knockdown. I could make a hundred excuses but it wasn’t a great performance.”

Arias was thrilled with the most important victory of his career.

“I came in here and challenged the number one guy at 154 pounds and we fought somewhere halfway and I was able to edge a decision,” said Arias. “Props to Jarrett Hurd. You fought a great fight. Honestly, you could have had me out of there. I was definitely buzzed. If you would have found a way, I definitely would have gone down.”

Hurd scored a knockdown in round nine with a glancing right hand after Arias appeared to slip on the ring. Arias bounced back effectively from the knockdown in the final round, with his onslaught eventually forcing Hurd to look to hold on in the final minutes to reach the final bell. one judge scoring the fight 95-94 for Hurd, overruled by scores of 97-93 and 96-93 for Arias.

"I’ll take the rematch at whatever weight,” said Hurd. “I know I’m the better man."

Hurd took way too many headshots. He needs to work on his defense as he looks like a fighter stuck between two styles.