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Photos © Everlast
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Saturday night is what boxing is all about. Two individuals who are virtual mirror images of each other, both gifted with athletic ability, God-given boxing talent, and the perfect weapons to defeat each other. In that rarest of occurrences, two welterweight assassins in their prime clash tonight at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Master Pupil vs. The Kid in the Back of the Classroom. Class president vs. Class Clown. Pound-for-Pound #1 and His Own Worst Enemy #1. In terms of personality, we have ourselves a little bit of Ali /Frazier. Articulate vs. Artillery. With two foes so diametrically opposed, anything can happen when these two meet in what many believe will be a mere showcase for P4P King ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s pugilistic virtuosity.
There are a few theories as to how Zab Judah can pull it out. Bert Sugar and Teddy Atlas are among the rare few in the boxing media to surmise how Judah might pull off one of the bigger upsets since Buster Douglas Godzilla’d Mike Tyson in Tokyo . According to this couple of experts, Judah needs to use his fleet feet to take up all the ring in the early going or for the majority of the fight, keep Mayweather at distance, and outpoint him. Among the theories on several prominent message boards, a by-any-means-necessary method is the only approach. There are others still who believe a ‘lucky punch’ strategy would be the best route for Zab ‘Super’ Judah .
I agree with none of these and all of these, provided one key ingredient is added: zero respect. Zab Judah, in order to be successful on any level Saturday night has to show the same amount of disrespect that Antonio Tarver showed Roy Jones Jr. when he asked “ You got any excuses tonight , Roy?“ He has to employ the same strategy that Tarver did against the game’s (at that time) speediest and most intelligent puncher/athlete: he has to punch with him. He cannot, under any circumstances, stand and marvel at this fistic Jordan’s speed and ring prowess. It is the only way he is to swing himself into boxing’s elite echelon. Look, we all know Judah has the tools. We all know he has the worst weakness in boxing in that thing at the end of his jaw line. What we don’t know is what will happen when he lands his Sunday punch.
In Judah‘s left hand lies his biggest and possibly only hope. Everything for Judah rises and falls with that hand landing and meaning something when it does. If Judah lands his best shot and nothing happens, this fight is over . The possibility of Judah having Plan B is about as likely as me getting any taller or better looking anytime soon. Judah must land early and often enough to at least keep Mayweather’s respect .
The straight right hand of Mayweather should be a decidedly deadly factor in this fight being that 1) The straight right (and moving to your left) are the surest ways to mount an offense against the awkward southpaw style and 2) Floyd Mayweather Jr. just might possess the most deadly accurate straight right these waters have seen since the likes of Tito Trinidad and Tommy Hearns roamed these seas. It might not be as tide turning powerful as his welterweight predecessors but it certainly lands with the authority it should take to send Judah into retreat or worse.
Zab Judah is an X factor unlike any Mayweather has seen before. In many ways, Zab Judah is the epitome of the saying ‘anything can happen in boxing’. I can‘t recall a fighter in a greater predicament in recent history . Win and you are in a stratosphere all your own; The Man who beat Pretty Boy Floyd. Lose and you are a gatekeeper on ESPN2. What impresses me most about Judah is that he does not seem to be intimidated by Floyd. When he speaks about being better than Floyd, I actually believe that he believes it. It has been a long time since I have felt that way about a Mayweather opponent. This is an opponent with everything to lose and everything to gain. A man in near financial ruin. Between the IRS and Don King, Judah may be doing this one for free. A man that backed against the wall is capable of anything. When a man is in that kind of position, will can overcome skill.
In a way, there is even more pressure on Mayweather. He has talked all week, hell, all promotion about how he is quite simply The Truth. We have seen the potato chip sit-ups video. Heard about the sparring session and basketball game where Floyd allegedly ‘schooled’ Judah, ad nauseam. Leaning on that story as he has, is somewhat suspsect in my opinion. That kind of cocksure confidence can have an adverse effect when things go wrong. Mayweather has never been in serious trouble other than against Demarcus Corley for the blink of an eye and he has not tasted canvas. It will interesting to see how he handles any out of the ordinary situations that arise. Not to mention the hand trouble that plagued him early in his career, as well. Sure things have a way of turning into sudden disasters in boxing. Mayweather has carried the promotion whilst Judah has ignored the media to focus. The very malady that afflicted Judah against Carlos ‘Remember me? I am the Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World and Nobody Cares’ Baldomir now may plague Mayweather .
If Judah is as fearless and spirited as he was at Friday’s weigh in, this is gonna be a tough one. ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd is supposed to win. Everyone has picked him to not win but dominate Zab Judah. Will that pressure get to him as he realizes Judah is a bit quicker and a lot smarter than he realized? What if that chin suddenly ain’t so china? Will Judah be able to land much less hurt Mayweather? It’s anyone’s guess. With a fighter as good as Mayweather and one as erratic as Judah, picking the underdog isn’t exactly easy, but I see Judah winning late. Call me crazy. To quote Ray Leonard “I see something“. Mayweather has fought too many soft touches in a row while at the very least, Judah has fought in adversity. I’ll take adversity any day of the week after seeing what walks in the park did to Roy Jones Jr. the first time he faced a hungrier fighter with a chip on his shoulder.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2006
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By Gabriel Montoya (April 8, 2006)
