Zab Judah

Hey this is Justin David Tate, your source for all things relating to the biggest fight of the year so far: Amir Khan vs Zab Judah.

I shall conduct round-by-round analysis live from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas where the fight will take place.

This bout is the ultimate make-or-break fight of the year.

Khan (25-1, 17 KOs) is a 24-year-old world champion at junior welterweight (140 lbs.) with starry-eyed dreams of moving up to welterweight (147 lbs.) to face Mayweather.

Judah (41-6, 28 KOs) is a 33-year-old veteran who's won titles at welterweight and junior welterweight and now wants to give boxing his best while he still has his abilities in tact.

Tonight's match will be for Judah's IBF junior welterweight title and Khan's WBA junior welterweight title.

Judah was mentioned earlier in the year as a potential opponent for pound-for-pound superstar Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) in 2012.

A victory over Khan makes that a closer possibility.

Undefeated boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) has made statements that a fight between him and Khan is possible for late 2012.

A victory over Judah (who Mayweather has also beaten) will help pave the way for the fight to happen.

A loss for either man dashes their hopes of a super fight with either of the two biggest attractions in boxing.

The fight should begin around 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. I'll keep you posted on the Vegas atmosphere, the undercard and of course, our incredible main event.

Since Amir Khan first began boxing competitively at the age of 11, one of his biggest goals has been to headline a major fight card in the fighting mecca that is Las Vegas.

On Saturday, July 23, he is set to do precisely that. He takes on Zab Judah in a light welterweight world title unification bout with Khan’s WBA and Judah’s IBF straps both on the line.

At 24 years of age, the world is seemingly at Khan’s feet. He is the United Kingdom’s brightest boxing star at a time when the country boasts a rich stable of them. He is gradually elevating his profile in the United States. Victory on Saturday will propel Khan to bigger and better things.

Mega fights await along with the cash and status which accompanies them. However it has not always been smooth sailing for Khan to reach this point……..

Rewind back to September 2008 when Khan was blasted from the ring in 54 seconds by Columbian unknown Breidis Prescott. The look of shock on Khan’s face that night was echoed by many around the UK that night.

It was billed as another night at the office for the precociously talented Khan, the same fighter who had won silver at the 2004 Olympics at the age of 17. Khan faced much criticism in the aftermath of that debacle. He was overhyped. He had no chin. He had no heart.

Since that night, Khan has rebounded in very impressive fashion. A number of factors have contributed to this. The hiring of Freddie Roach as his trainer has been central to his success.  Khan has reeled off seven consecutive victories.

Notable foes to whom he has handed a loss include Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera, Andreas Kotelnik, Paulie Malignaggi and most recently, Marcos Maidana.

Roach moved Khan up a weight to 140 pounds, stating he was too lean and drawn out at lightweight and that this contributed to his capitulation against Prescott.

His defence has improved immeasurably inside the ring. He previously had a tendency to stand and trade when caught and this contributed to multiple knockdowns. Roach has taught him how to use his natural speed and athleticism to get out of trouble.

He demonstrated this impressively against the hard-punching Maidana in a fight that was voted the 2010 fight of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Training at the legendary Wild Card Gym has enabled Khan to spar with the likes of Manny Pacquiao. This has done wonders for his confidence. Roach has also done an excellent job of picking the right fights at the right times for Khan.

Zab Judah (41-6) represents a tough challenge for Khan. The slick southpaw is a five-time world champion at both light welterweight and welterweight. His career has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride. He has had some memorable highs and some less than captivating lows.

He has, however, been in excellent form lately. He has rededicated himself to his fate and hired a new trainer in Pernell Whitaker. He has also dropped back down to light welterweight. All of this has culminated in him winning his fifth world title last time out against South African Kaizer Mabuza.

Judah, at 33 years of age, brings tremendous experience to bear in this fight having previously shared the ring with fighters such as Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey. He has also unfortunately however, lost to all of these fighters.

A brash, outspoken character. Judah has done a good job of building the hype for this fight. He has significant name recognition in the US and has been billed by pundits as a very credible and dangerous opponent. Yet the fact remains that he has fallen short in his biggest tests to date.

The respective styles of both fighters should make this an interesting fight for the fans. Both are extremely quick with very good punching power in both hands.

Expect Khan to stick and move early on, while Judah stalks him patiently and looks to catch him with shots as he comes in. Both have excellent jabs and whoever can dictate this aspect of the fight, will have a major advantage. I expect this to be Khan.

A younger fighter who is entering his prime, he should hold advantages in the speed and strength stakes over Judah, who is about five years removed from his. The first six rounds of the fight should be close.

Judah, a southpaw, will be a difficult puzzle for Khan to solve. However, a combination of his youth, superior class and Freddie Roach’s tutelage should see him establish his dominance as the fight wears on.

A win for Khan will see him jump up to the loaded welterweight division. Among the fighters who currently ply their trade at that weight are Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez, Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto and Shane Mosley.

A match-up with any of these fighters will see Khan have his name up in lights on the Las Vegas strip once again.

First, however, he must overcome Zab Judah. Judah represents a significant hurdle, but if Khan is as good as advertised, one which he should be able to overcome.

Prediction: Khan TKO – 11th Round.

Pernell Whitaker bit his lips slightly and watched his prized pupil intently. It was a sudden rush, as flashes of not so distant memory re-appeared.

It has been 12 years, since he last fought competitively. He vividly remembered how he went 12 full rounds against an offensive juggernaut that was young and hungry. It was Tito Trinidad’s shining moment but the 35 year-old Whitaker shared the limelight.

“Boom, boom, boom…” as he silently uttered on his mind. Imagining how he should have done to get the judges nods.

One great offense against the best defense, Pernell could have counter-punched more and toyed against Trinidad. But when his reflexes slowly betrayed him, his invincibility cloak has started to wear off.

On some instance, he thinks about that fight, and every time he went into a boxing ring. All the adrenaline and excitement slowly come back. He always pictured himself like he was the one fighting.

However, there won’t be any other “Sweat Pea." No one comes close to his slickness, his defensive capabilities, his footwork, counterpunching and his power.

For years, he tried his luck as a trainer. However, he always left frustrated and discouraged. Good players naturally become bad coaches. They have bigger expectations and bigger hopes.

When Zab Judah represented himself and asked for Pernell’s help. he had to sit down and talk about it. He kindly reminds himself of Judah—slick and fast.

However, Zab has still a lot of untapped potential left on him. Pernell got excited about Judah’s match with Amir Khan. This was the perfect match he had been waiting for, the perfect pawn, the perfect protege.

Khan seems to remind him more of Trinidad—young, hungry and with a good offense. Pernell wanted Judah to have 100 percent dedication and hard work. Basically, he wanted Judah to be him.

The blueprint is already laid out, and all Judah got to do is execute. Pernell doesn’t want to change Judah’s old habits in the ring since “old habits die hard."

He just wanted to polish his defense, his footwork and work more on his power for counter punching. Khan can’t be compared to Trinidad, but he is equally dangerous in the ring.

This is going to be a tactical execution between a 33 year-old boxer who had been good for years but mid-level best, against a 24 year old, groomed to be the next pound per pound king.

That is why Pernell wanted this fight more than ever because they shared the same conviction with Judah. This could be it… this could be the redemption they all have been waiting for.

As Pernell Whitaker watched Judah moved from side to side in perfect synchronization. He bit  his lips again slightly. He knows this would be a good fight like he had been through 12 years ago.

But one thing he knows for sure… the fight won’t last the distance. Never would he leave any decision again to the judges… and Zab Judah is determined not to.

“Boom, boom, boom” night is off…curtains close… show is done. The winner takes it all…

I originally wrote most of this article in a comment response to Briggs Seekins' article, "Where's the Union Jack, Yo? Do British Fans Even Like Amir Khan?"

In the article, he asked why Amir Khan seems to be less popular than other UK fighters despite his immense talent.

Why, when UK fans were so excited about the likes of Haye v. Klitschko, is there so little fuss about Khan v Judah?

Personally, I love Amir Khan! I have only seen him fight in the flesh once and that was the Salita fight, so I only got to see 76 seconds of sublime skill! I think he is a superbly talented boxer and really could become a pound-for-pound great over the next four or five years.

I think the problem for Khan is that he went to the US so early in his career!

When you look at the most popular recent British fighters like Ricky Hatton, 36 of his first 40 fights were in the UK, and a relatively large number were televised on Sky Sports (free to view). Khan had about 23 in the UK before he went to the states, and his fights also ended up on Pay Per View very early in his career, narrowing his UK audience.

A lot of fans who aren't as obsessed with boxing still remember the Breidis Prescott defeat and haven't really seen much of Amir since. For the real UK boxing fans who do love him, I think we all felt let down when he announced his homecoming with Paul McColskey. Fighting such a low quality opponent now that he is such an immense world talent stunk of a money making exercise - especially as they tried to sell it on PPV.

Unfortunately SkySports has in many ways become the be all and end all of boxing coverage in the UK. They offer superb coverage and build up programmes to all the big fights they cover.

Khan v. Judah is on Primetime PPV (if you mentioned this to most people in the UK they would never have heard of it), so is receiving relatively sparse TV and press coverage in the UK. SkySports didn't even have the fight listed in the boxing fixtures for this weekend when I checked earlier today (they do list Fury v. Chisora, which also isn't on Sky)!

US boxing trips for the likes of Ricky Hatton in the past have drawn huge numbers of UK fans, but the noisy and very visible presence is often made up largely from groups of young men who aren't necessarily huge boxing fans but who are taking the opportunity to have a trip away with their friends and take in a huge fight. Unfortunately for Khan, what constitutes a "huge fight" is largely dictated by the opinion of SkySports!

Also it was a relative novelty for Hatton to fight in the US. With Khan, it feels like that is where all his fights will be. That makes watching all or any of his fights in person an expensive business for UK fans, especially in these grim economic times.

Hatton did also have the advantage of his association with Manchester City Football Club, bringing many of their supporters into his fanbase and boosting numbers. In comparison, Amir Khan's association with Bolton Wanderers isn't as strong, and the relative size of the town reduces the influence.

Khan needs to bring a huge opponent, maybe Tim Bradley or Floyd Mayweather, to the UK. Fill out the O2 or the MEN Arena and have the fight on SkySports PPV. He needs to do a deal to show his US based fights (which are at 2 or 3am in the UK) on SkySports or a major terrestrial broadcaster for free if he wants to really build up his UK fanbase. These steps may hit him financially in the short term, but an increased fanbase in the long term will pay dividends!

In many ways, Carl Froch has suffered in the same way: he simply hasn't fought on SkySports enough. You ask most people in the UK who Carl Froch is and they wouldn't have a clue!

When the negotiations between the Amir Khan and Tim Bradley camps fell apart, Khan's team was left with a tricky job in filling the hole in his schedule.  Khan fought a virtual tomato can in Paul McCloskey in April so they needed a fight that looked reasonable on paper.  On the other hand, with hugely lucrative future bouts available, they didn't need or want to take a lot of risk.

They needed an opponent who would look good on the resume and one who would sell tickets but also one who would not endanger Khan's future.  They found the perfect man for their criteria in Zab Judah.

A few years ago, Judah looked like a fighter who was done.  Losses to Baldomir, Mayweather, Cotto and Clottey left the former 140-pound titleholder clinging to the edges of the top level of the sport.

Judah earned the Khan fight by rejuvenating his career, going 5-0 since his loss to Clottey in 2008.  Articles began appearing saying "Zab is back" and his decision to drop back down to 140 after a dismal showing at 147 further fueled the fire.

You have to look deeper than the 5-0 record, though, to understand that the rise of Zab Judah is more smoke and mirrors than return to form.

He beat Ernest Johnson who doesn't have a single quality win on his record.

He beat Ubaldo Hernandez who was coming off a two-year layoff and brought a 22-19-2 record into the ring with Judah.

He beat Jose Santa Cruz who had an impressive 28-4 record but who has lost every time he tried to step up to the top level of the sport.

He got a split decision against Lucas Matthyse.  This is a quality win but it was by the skin of his teeth.  One judge scores one round differently and Judah loses the fight.

Finally, he beat Kaizer Mabuza, a South African with an unimpressive resume.

Not all 5-0 streaks are equal and Judah's really isn't very impressive.

The real reason that Golden Boy chose Judah for Khan has to do with styles.  There are two ways to beat Khan—have one punch KO power and land that punch or turn the fight into a brawl.  When and if Khan faces Tim Bradley, Bradley will give Khan all he can handle because, let's face it, Bradley turns every fight into an ugly brawl.

Zab Judah, though, doesn't bring power to the ring nor is he the type to create an ugly fight like Bradley.  When Judah does get a KO, it is through an accumulation of punches, not because of innate power.

Judah's calling card has always been his hand speed.  Even at 33, he's quicker than most of the men he faces and he uses that speed to his advantage.  Unfortunately for Judah, like the gunmen of the Wild West, he's about to learn that there is always someone faster.  You have to neutralize Khan's speed and Judah, as quick as he is, isn't going to be able to do it by fighting speed with speed.

Even if Judah changes tactics, he won't win.  Khan survived a brawl with Maidana last December and there is simply no comparison between Maidana and Judah when it comes to slugging it out.

Judah doesn't have the power to take Khan out with one punch, he won't turn the fight into an ugly brawl and he's not faster than Khan.  It's a nice paycheck for Zab and a decent showing will give him chances for more paychecks in the future but he is going to walk out of Mandalay Bay with another loss to go along with the money.  And that's exactly why Golden Boy and Khan picked him.

Mexican sensation Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the WBC 154 lb. champion, is one of those very rare mysterious phenomenons that just seems to be just getting more famous and endeared by the minute.

In a previous article on Canelo's last fight against Ryan Rhodes, I broke down how he ironically does not fight like a traditional Mexican fighter, meaning standing toe to toe and brawling, but he is, in fact, a rather smart technical fighter who will probably have a much longer career due to his safer fighting style.

For the more objective fight fans who still have many question marks about this red haired fast rising star, we of course can point out that at the age of 20, he is already holding the WBC title, but then of course, how he got it fighting a unjustified Matthew Hatton is definitely quite questionable.

Canelo then went on to fight Rhodes, who was supposed to be a big test and legit name to throw on his resume. We all know that fight was a complete waste of time since Rhodes decided not to fight and do much at all for almost all 12 rounds. As quickly as Canelo got his belt, people were already criticizing him for fighting someone like Rhodes in his first title defense after Rhodes' performance.

This, of course, is not Saul's fault. He is a fighter, and he is not the one matchmaking his fights, and of course, he is not responsible for his opponent not even trying that night.

However, what his promoters should have done was have him fight Kermit Cintron instead prior to last Saturday's fight against Carlos Molina.

Cintron is a big enough legit name who is a former world title welterweight champion and has been in the ring with all of the elite of 147/154 such as Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams and top pound for pound fighter of the year Sergio Martinez.

Had Golden Boy Promotions placed Canelo in the ring with Cintron before his Saturday fight with Molina, many of the critics would have been silenced by him taking on such a legit name for once.

Canelo would have utterly schooled Cintron so bad that we would have been really impressed with his performance, and we would have not viewed it as Cintron being washed up already.

Unfortunately, Molina exposed the fact that Cintron's heart and mind are no longer in the sport anymore, as he easily unanimously decisioned the former dangerous knock out artist.

Why didn't Golden Boy make a Canelo/Cintron fight instead of a Canelo/Rhodes fight? It is clear that they are still protecting him and riding his potentially long successful career as big, hard and long as they possibly can.

Cintron would have been a legit enough name to make us stop seeing that the "kid gloves" are still on Saul's undefeated WBC championship 20-year-old hands.

But it's too late, because after diving out of the ring at the Home Depot Center and then Saturday's horrible performance again at the Home Depot Center back to back tells us that it is too late to use Cintron as a legit name for he is clearly shot at this point.

The legit decent names at 154 seem to keep getting either shorter or longer depending on who you ask, but the true man of 154 and 160 is still the sexiest man in all of boxing Sergio Martinez, a fighter who no promoter will dare send their lambs to be slaughter in the slaughter house.

Canelo is great for the sport, and I am personally a fan, but we need him to fight at least a Cintron level fighter, a name who we recognize without having to look up on Boxing Rec at least.

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