LAS VEGAS - Jarrett Hurd unified the 154-pound division with a 12-round split-decision victory over Erislandy Lara in an all-action fight Saturday on SHOWTIME before a sold out crowd of 2,579 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. (photos by Stephanie Trapp)
Hurd (22-0, 15 KOs), who entered as IBF Champion, dethroned WBA Champion in just the seventh unification in division history. The difference in the Fight of the Year candidate was a short left hook that floored Lara in the final minute of the fight. Had the 27-year-old Hurd not scored the knockdown, the fight would have been ruled a majority draw.


James DeGale earned back the IBF Super Middleweight World Championship with a unanimous decision in a rematch with Caleb Truax, taking back the title he lost last December in the near-universal upset of the year.


In the opening bout of the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader, Julian Williams scored a career-best win, defeating Nathaniel Gallimore via majority decision in an IBF Junior Middleweight World Title eliminator. Williams, who edge Gallimore 116-112, 117-110, 114-114, is now in position to challenge Jarrett Hurd.


Williams had his best round in the 11th, connecting on a massive left hand that set up a barrage of combos that nearly had Gallimore out on his feet. Gallimore (20-2-1, 17 KOs) survived the round, and Williams wasn't able the finish him in the 12th, but it was clear Williams deserved the decision.





























