ONTARIO, California – Now that he has upset Jarrett Hurd, Armando Resendiz is confident he is ready to challenge the best middleweights in the division.

Resendiz replied affirmatively when a reporter asked after his 10th-round, cut-induced stoppage of Hurd if the Mexican contender would be willing to fight unbeaten WBC champion Jermall Charlo or undefeated contender Jaime Munguia next.

“I’m up to go against anybody,” Resendiz said, according to a translator. “I’m ready and able to fight against anybody that comes up against me. I trust my team and the decisions that they make, so I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Hurd represented a huge step up in opposition for Resendiz (14-1, 10 KOs), who was upset by Marcos Hernandez in September 2021 at The Armory in Minneapolis. Resendiz atoned for his unanimous-decision defeat to Hernandez (15-6-2, 3 KOs) by handling Hurd in the co-feature of a “Showtime Championship Boxing” tripleheader at Toyota Arena.

Hurd hadn’t fought in almost 21 months, but the former IBF/IBO/WBA 154-pound champion was a 5-1 favorite to defeat Resendiz in their 10-round, 162-pound bout. Resendiz walked through Hurd’s hardest shots, however, and wore down his more experienced, accomplished opponent before a grotesque gash opened on the left side of Hurd’s upper lip during the ninth round.

A courageous Hurd (24-3, 16 KOs) wanted to continue, but a ringside physician wouldn’t allow it. Resendiz was declared the winner by knockout five seconds into the 10th round.

The 24-year-old Resendiz was ahead on all three scorecards – 89-82, 87-84 and 87-84 – through nine rounds. Hurd lost inside the distance for the first time in his 10-year professional career.

Manny Robles, Resendiz’s respected trainer, admitted afterward that he was wrong about Resendiz’s readiness for Hurd. Robles advised Luis DeCubas Sr., Resendiz’s promoter, against taking the Hurd fight.

As happy as Robles was that Resendiz proved him wrong, he wasn’t quite ready to declare his fighter ready for dangerous opponents like Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) and Munguia (41-0, 33 KOs).

“Look, he still has a lot to learn,” Robles said during a post-fight press conference. “He knows how hard I am with him in the gym. I’m extremely hard on him, very hard, especially, particularly, for this fight. You can’t make a whole lotta mistakes with a guy like [Hurd]. But again, like I said, experience. He doesn’t have that experience. He’s never fought a guy like this before in the past. And it was the fight of his life. It feels a lot like winning a world title, but we’re far from it. He has a lot to work on, a lot to work on. And by the way, I really feel like he can make 154 pounds.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.