By Rick Reeno

Luis DeCubas Jr., manager of Erislandy Lara (25-3-2, 14KOs), is very proud of his boxer's performance on Saturday's night.

Lara lost a close twelve round split decision to Jarrett Hurd (21-0, 15 KOs) in an IBF, IBO, WBA junior middleweight unification, which took place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The fight was practically on the table as the boxers entered the twelfth and final round. Hurd rallied to score a knockdown - and that 10-8 round sealed the victory for him. Two judges saw it 114-113 for Hurd, while the third had it 114-113 for Lara.

Lara fought in a manner that even surprised Hurd himself. He stood his ground for the majority of the contest and traded punches with arguably the biggest fighter in the weight class.

DeCubas Jr. views the contest as the current frontrunner for Fight of The Year.

"It was a great fight. I think there's no question, it's still young in the year, but that's Fight of The Year right now. It was a dog fight. Lara and Hurd‎ deserve so much respect for putting that fight on for the fans. I honestly feel Lara was winning by three points going into the last round but I give credit to Hurd he's a great fighter as well he's a dog. It was a old school war," DeCubas Jr. told BoxingScene.com.

"Those are the fights where their are no losers.. only the fans won. Lara wants the rematch next and that shows what type of fighter he is - he's a warrior. I'm so proud of him. He showed the world what type of world class boxer he is in past fights, but last night he showed what type of dog he is. He stood toe to toe with a 6'1 190-pounds guy. I mean c'mon you gotta respect that.

"So I want to say congrats to Hurd, Lara, Showtime, PBC and the Fans. Lara will be back soon and he will be in big fights for years to come. We look forward to giving the fans more wars like last night. This is what boxing is all about."