In this year of the Up and the Down, there was one Beltway Boxer who went up and he stayed there. In winning his world title and making his first title defense, he showed that he stands among the best in his division. Throughout his career, he has made the right moves and looks to make even bigger moves in 2018. He wins this award for the second consecutive year, becoming the third local to win this title twice and the second to win the award in back-to-back years. This year, he has this award all to himself.
The 2017 Beltway Boxer Of The Year is:
“Swift” Jarrett Hurd, (21-0, 15 KO’s), junior middleweight, Accokeek, MD
Hurd joined the elite of the junior middleweight division on February 25th in Birmingham, AL when he knocked out Tony Harrison in the ninth round to win the IBF championship. Hurd survived an early Harrison onslaught and worked his way inside to break Harrison down. This has been Hurd’s game plan throughout the big bouts in his career.
Hurd would use a similar game plan in his first title defense against former world champion Austin Trout on October 14th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Trout, who was fighting for the first time in 17 months, was able to establish his jab in the first two rounds. Hurd started to take some control of the contest in the third as he and his challenger started to trade clean shots. Hurd showed a great chin as he was able to seemingly walk through Trout's punches.
In the sixth round, Hurd took complete control of the contest as he hurt Trout with a right hand that staggered him into the corner. Trout, to his credit, came back in the waning moments of that round. In the seventh, Hurd suffered a cut over the left eye because of an accidental head butt but that didn't seem to faze the champion as he caught the former WBA titleholder with a solid right hand.
Hurd was able to damage Trout's right eye in the eighth round but Trout showed a lot of guts and was battling Hurd toe to toe. However, by the ninth, Trout's eye was nearly swollen shut. Hurd punished Trout in the 10th round and after the round, referee Eddie Claudio stopped the contest on the advice of the ringside doctor in Trout's corner. This was the first time Trout had been stopped in his career. Hurd is among the best at 154 pounds. The next goal should be to become among the elite in the sport.
One other note: Hurd is among the most decorated boxers in the BATB era. Not only has he won the Boxer Of The Year award twice, he scored the Knockout Of The Year in 2013 and he was the Prospect Of The Year in 2015.
Honorable Mention:
(Photo courtesy of HoganPhotos)
D’Mitrius “Big Meech” Ballard (18-0, 12 KO’s), super middleweight, Temple Hills, MD
Ballard has quietly increased his level of competition and captured his first regional title along the way. On March 11, Ballard scored a fourth-round TKO over Zoltan Sera in Verona, NY. Then, Ballard won his first title -- the WBC USNBC Super Featherweight championship -- with a 10-round unanimous decision over Adrian Luna on May 18th in Tucson, AZ in front of a nationally-televised (ESPN) audience. Ballard completed his year by returning to Verona to win another 10-round unanimous decision over Jaime Solario on October 21st. This coming year, Ballard should look to break out towards the higher rankings of the 168-pound division.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis (19-0, 18 KO’s), lightweight, Baltimore, MD
Despite the weight issues Davis had during his last bout, the 2016 co-Beltway Boxer Of The Year still had a solid 2017. After winning the IBF Super Featherweight championship with his seventh-round decimation of Jose Pedraza on January 14 in Brooklyn, NY, Davis wasted no time in defending his title, traveling to London, England on May 20th to take on hometown hero Liam Walsh. Davis would brutalize Walsh en route to a third-round knockout in front of Walsh’s own fans. Davis would not compete nearly as well in his third bout in Las Vegas, NV on August 26th, losing the IBF belt on the scales and struggling to an eight-round TKO over Francisco Fonseca. Davis, now scheduled to compete as a lightweight, is still among the most talked about boxers in the sport.
Tyrieshia “Lady Tiga” Douglas (13-1, six KO’s), super flyweight, Baltimore, MD
Douglas’s championship loss to Leonela Yudica in July of 2015 seems to be a distant memory. Her four wins since that defeat have been very quality contests. The two wins in 2017 both ended in knockouts and showed that Douglas remains in championship form. Douglas scored a crushing fourth-round TKO over previously undefeated Ebony Rivera on June 17th in Baltimore, MD for the UBF Super Flyweight title, then looked equally solid in an eight-round stoppage against Crystal Hoy on November 4th in Ashburn, VA. Douglas is someone who deserves another title shot against another quality opponent very soon.
Mykal “The Professor” Fox (15-0, four KO’s) super lightweight/welterweight, Forestville, MD
The year started off with Fox facing his toughest challenge of his career but he survived an eight-round majority decision victory over Tre’Sean Wiggins on February 11th in Fort Washington, MD. Fox returned to Rosecroft Raceway on June 13 and put on a solid performance, defeating Daniel Sostre by eight-round unanimous decision. On November 21st, Fox took a step up in opposition, opportunity and weight and made the steps count as he put on a nice performance in a 10-round unanimous decision over Manuel Alejandro Reyes in Bethlehem, PA. The win earned Fox the UBF All-Americas Welterweight title and placed Fox in a prime position to move into the next level of his career.
Previous Beltway Boxers of the Year:
2006: Eric Aiken
2007: Darnell Wilson
2008: Lamont Peterson/Joshua Snyder
2009: Fernando Guerrero
2010: Tim Coleman
2011: Lamont Peterson
2012: Tony Jeter
2013: Phil Jackson Benson/Tori Nelson
2014: Tori Nelson
2015: Antoine Douglas/Gary Russell, Jr.
2016: Gervonta Davis/Jarrett Hurd
That completes our look at Beltway Boxing 2017! Thank you to everyone who has supported BATB throughout the years. We look forward to continued coverage of "The Best Boxing In The World!"
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