154 is an interesting weight class in that there is not one stand out star, but instead a group of very talented fighters who are for the most part, evenly matched.
The Titles are held by Patrick Teixeira (WBO), Jermell Charlo (WBC) and Jeison Rosario (IBF and WBA). But these title holders seem to be ever changing.
Patrick Teixera held the interim WBO belt but was elevated after Jaime Munguia vacated the title moved up in weight.
Jermell Charlo held the WBC title from 2016-2018 but then lost it to Tony Harrison. Jermell won that title back in an entertaining rematch in December.
Jeison Rosario upset Julian J Rock Williams last week to take the IBF and WBA belts from him. This was J Rocks first, and last, defense of his titles. Titles that he had won 8 months prior in an upset over Jarrett Hurd.
So, where does that leave the division? And where does it leave Jarrett Hurd?
Jarrett Hurd no longer holds a title at 154 but has a solid resume with impressive wins over the aforementioned Tony Harrison, Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara. He has made some major changes, right down to his trainer, since his loss to Julian Rocks.
He gets back into the ring this weekend versus Francisco Santana, hoping to re-establish momentum in the division. Santana, although not a top tier fighter at 154, has been in the ring with quite a few notable opponents. Santana had a draw versus Julian Williams way back in 2011. Santana has losses to Jermell Charlo, Jose Benavidez Jr. and Sadam Ali, but he went the distance with all 3 fighters.
They say its not whether you win or lose, but rather what you do after a loss that defines you. This makes this matchup versus Francisco Santana a potential career defining one for Jarrett Hurd.
The match up can be watched on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time/ 6:00 p.m. Pacific. on Showtime.