Jesse Hart: ‘This doesn’t look good, fellas’

Light heavyweight Jesse Hart’s frustration was unmistakable Friday night at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The No. 3 WBO-ranked light heavyweight, who twice challenged Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez for the super middleweight title, found himself sidelined without warning. Hart’s scheduled fight against Ricardo Adrian Luna, a hometown showcase, was abruptly canceled.

Details of the cancellation remain unclear. Teflon Promotions, the Philadelphia-based outfit behind the event, is yet to release a statement. BoxRec lists results for only three of the six scheduled bouts on the card, adding to the confusion, as Hart had already weighed in.

“I don’t know what happened, to be honest with you,” Hart told sports reporter David Malandra Jnr. “I came back, saw the commission leaving, and then saw my daughter’s sad face.”

Hart, 35, said he was given no clarity about whether the fight might be rescheduled.

“All I know is the commission said there’s no more boxing tonight and left,” Hart said. “That is all I know.”

For the Philadelphia native, the cancellation was especially painful. Fighting in front of a hometown crowd always comes with high pressure, and Hart had prepared to deliver a strong performance. With a record of 31-3 (25 KOs), he is riding a five-fight win streak since a January 2020 split-decision loss to Joe Smith Jnr. 

The fight against Luna, a 34-year-old Mexican journeyman with a 27-12-2 (17 KOs) record, was likely meant as a stay-busy bout ahead of a potential big fight.

“This is my hometown,” Hart said. “No one wants to lose or look bad in their hometown. This is just bad — it is just a bad thing.”

Hart, inching closer to a major opportunity, is now uncertain about his next steps.

“This doesn’t look good, fellas,” Hart said. “What am I supposed to tell the WBO when they reach out? They could possibly drop me out of the rankings for this. I’m rated No. 3 in the world—I’ve worked too hard to get here.”