IBF junior middleweight Jarrett Hurd has announced who will be challenging for his title, as well as the date and venue of that fight.
Hurd announced on Twitter that he will be defending his title for the first time against former world champion Austin Trout at the Barclays Center on October 14. That fight will be broadcast on Showtime, according to Hurd.
Hurd reportedly signed a deal to fight Trout weeks ago and it was rumored that Showtime was interested in broadcasting the fight. Hurd won the vacant IBF title on the Deontay Wilder vs. Gerald Washington undercard back in February when he stopped Tony Harrison in the ninth round of their fight.
Trout hasn't fought since losing to Jermall Charlo in May 2016. That fight was also for the IBF junior middleweight title, but since Charlo moved up to middleweight, the title was vacated and Hurd would win the title. Since defeating Miguel Cotto back in 2012, Trout has won just four of his last seven fights. Trout is a former WBA junior middleweight champion, defending his four times from 2011-2012.
No other fight on that October 14 Barclays Center card has been announced, but former middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs did say he would be fighting on that card, but no official announcement regarding an opponent has been made.
