Predicting Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah and the 6 Biggest Fights Left in 2011
Predicting Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah and the 6 Biggest Fights Left in 2011
As the year 2011 winds down, it is a good time to look ahead and preview and predict the outcomes of the six biggest fights remaining this year.
Major fights with all kinds of future matches and future champions are at stake, and there is a lot to look forward to if your a boxing fan for the rest of the year.
Here my predictions to Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah and the rest of the six biggest fights remaining in '11.
1. Zab Judah vs. Amir Khan
The Zab Judah vs. Amir Khan junior welterweight unification fight will take place on July 23 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV.
Judah has seen his stock rise as of late after it plummeted to near career ending lows after losing four-out-of-seven fights in a two-year span from 2006-08.
With a current five-fight win streak, and being trained by Pernell Whitaker, Judah has set himself up to again be on top of the Jr. welterweight division.
Khan enters the fight on a seven-fight in streak after suffering his first loss as an professional back in 2008.
Khan and Judah both have incredible punching speed, and enough power to end any fight they take up early.
In the end the I feel the major difference in the fight will be Judah's southpaw stance. This is only the third time Khan has taken on a lefty in the ring and he will have problems with Judah, as the two fighters Khan faced had nowhere near the skill-set Judah has.
Look for the fight to be entertaining and highly competitive, but I see Judah end this one in the 10th round by TKO, making Judah relevant in boxing once again.
2. Victor Ortiz vs. Floyd Mayweather
The Victor Ortiz vs. Floyd Mayweather WBC welterweight title match will be held on September 19th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas,NV.
Making a comeback from being away for over a year for the second time in his career, fans and analyst alike are wondering if the layoff will hurt Mayweather's chance to win the fight.
I feel it won't play a role in the fight at all seeing how prolonged stints away from the ring have never caused much problem for Mayweather, and he is known for training as hard, if not harder, than any other fighter in the game.
Ortiz comes into this fight beating the previously unbeaten Andre Berto for his WBC welterweight belt, and looking to beat Mayweather in his first title defense.
Though Ortiz is a highly skilled fighter with great knockout power himself, I don't see Ortiz on Mayweather's level as far as talent and skill go.
In the end I think that Mayweather's superior boxing skill and knowledge will shine through yet again and Mayweather will fight his usual methodical fight and take home a unanimous decision by at least a nine-round advantage.
3. Sergio Martinez vs. Darren Barker
Sergio Martinez and Darren Barker face off for Martinez's Ring magazine middleweight title on October 1st at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.
Martinez is regarded by most as the No. 2 best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and I feel Britain's undefeated hopeful Barker has no real shot at beating Martinez in this fight.
The opponent's that Barker has faced before Martinez are nowhere near the caliber of Maritnez. Look for Martinez to prove to be too fast and too strong for Barker making for a lop sided affair.
Look for Martinez to attack early and KO Baker somewhere in the fourth to sixth round range, and retain his Ring magazine title.
Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson
Bernard Hopkins is tentatively scheduled to put his undisputed light heavyweight title on the line against Chad Dawson on October 15th, with the location yet to be determined.
The 46-year-old Hopkins shocked the boxing world when he beat then-champion Jean Pascal and was crowned the undisputed light heavyweight champion—making him the oldest person in boxing history to hold a major title.
Dawson is coming off win over Adrian Diaconu—which was his first fight back after losing to Jean Pascal back in August of 2010—and hopes to show the world his loss to Pascal was just a minor bump in his career as it was his first loss as a professional.
The fight will be a long grueling fight, with areas that will be frustrating to watch at times. In the end I feel that Dawson will end Hopkin's reign as the oldest champion in boxing history in just one fight, setting up a rematch with former champ, Jean Pascal.
5. Manny Pacquiao vs. Jaun Manuel Marquez
Reigning pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao puts his WBO welterweight title on the line against Juan Manuel Marquez in their rubber match on November 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas,NV.
Pacquiao and Marquez have fought all out wars against each other the two previous times they fought, going to the scorecards both times. Their first fight in 2004 ended in a draw, and their second fight in 2008 ended in a split-decision victory in favor of Pacquiao.
Pacquiao enters the fight on a string of impressive victories over the past two years which include victories over Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton to name a few.
Marquez is coming off a controversial first round KO of Likar Ramos two weeks ago—some speculate that the fight and the subsequent knockout were staged.
I believe the third installment of their trilogy will live up to the hype of the previous two fights and go a full 12 rounds ending in a majority decision this time for Manny Pacquiao and completing the second piece to the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao puzzle.
Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito
The highly anticipated rematch between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto will take place on December 3rd at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The last time the fighters met in 2008, Margarito and Cotto fought 11 tough rounds with Cotto losing the fight after being stopped during the 11th round after taking a brutal beating—his first loss as a professional.
Cotto later said it felt like he was getting hit with bricks during the fight. After Margarito's next fight with Shane Mosley it was found that Margarito had used illegal, cast-like hand wraps for his fight with Mosely and was suspended for one year.
It's widely speculated that Margarito had used the same cast-like hand wraps against Cotto, which aided him in winning the fight.
Look for Cotto to come out not only looking for revenge, but to inflict pain upon Margarito for the cheating tactics he feels was used against him in their previous fight and take control of the fight early.
I think the fight will got seven rounds before Cotto ends the fight with a TKO victory, and giving him the revenge he has wanted the past three years.