Is Judah the future of boxing?

By Paul Upham: When IBF junior welterweight champion Zab Judah faces WBC/WBA champion Kostya Tszyu on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, he will not only be attempting to become the undisputed world champion, but also to confirm what so many people have believed for so long; that he is the future of boxing.
The 23-year-old has the power, the speed and the beaming smile, and is appealing to the younger fans which boxing so desperately needs to survive. His persona and image is fan friendly, suiting him perfectly to become boxing’s front man for the remainder of the decade.

“I was out with Zab watching him train last Monday and no hype, no games or anything, he is the best I have ever seen him,” said manager Shelly Finkel.

“He is faster and he is punching harder than ever. He is a better fighter today than he was a year ago without a doubt.”

When it comes to who is the best fighter in the world today pound-for-pound, the confident Judah has the confidence to nominate himself without it seeming as though he is bragging. “If you are a fighter with confidence, how can you belittle yourself and say you are No. 5?” asked Judah. “I am No.1 in my book. The only way for me to prove it is to keep fighting these guys and doing what I am doing to them. The reason why I respect those guys that are at No.1 is because they are able to get the fights.

“Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr are able to get the fights. Other champions, such as myself, are not able to get them. Look at it how hard it was just to make this fight. Look at how hard it is for me to get any other Top 10 fighter in my division.

“It is not me,” added Judah.

“Maybe after this fight, I may have a case of the Bernard Hopkins. He was 36 years old before he even got a big fight again.”

Manager Shelly Finkel recognises the importance of Judah winning this fight with Tszyu in order to catapult the New Yorker to bigger and better things, but it is still up to the boxing writers and commentators to make their own decision on who is the No.1 fighter in the world.

“There is a thing in the music business that is called the overnight success that took 10 years and Bernard Hopkins is the latest one of that, of course,” said Finkel. “This fight is a major, major step on the recognition of how good Zab Judah is. Then it is not up to him or me or Gary (Shaw) to tell who is No.1. That’s your opinion and whoever else writes who is number-one. Some people thought it was Tito (Trinidad) up until recently, some people thought it was Mosley, some people think it is Roy Jones. But Zab will be the best at his weight with anyone for a long time and, if he moves up to 147, it will be the same thing.

“You want to fight and get the recognition you deserve as being the best pound-for-pound fighter out there,” said Judah. “Without the media, we (fighters) cannot get it. If no one knows about a fight, than we are just fighting for our sake. Having the media play a big part in this fight is a big issue.”

After a win over Tszyu, the next natural super-fight for “Super” Judah would be with WBC welterweight champion Sugar Shane Mosley. However, with Mosley challenging IBF junior middleweight champion Winky Wright in January, Judah may have to wait a little longer for a dose of Sugar.

“Of course, I am interested in fighting Mosley. He is the No.1 guy we are looking for in the welterweight division,” said Judah. “I am a ‘player hater’ and am coming to do some ‘player hatin' on him.

“Sugar Shane Mosley went to 154 pounds, so the welterweight division looks a little unstable right now. There are a lot of nobody champions. I guess I will just stay in the junior welterweight division some more, unify the title, and wait for the welterweight division to get a solid king.

“He’ll be the unified 140 champion, if there is an opportunity at 147 we’ll take it,” said Finkel. “If not, he’ll take whoever is available at 140 and there is a lot of opponents out there still.

“A big fight for New York would be him and Hector Camacho Jr, there is Leija, there is some names at 140 that still mean a lot. He’s growing, he’s young, so in another year or so he won’t be able to maintain that, so whoever’s at 147.

“Maybe Shane (Mosley) will go back and forth and we will fight him at 147. Maybe Vernon (Forrest), whoever’s around. Zab will duck no one. He’s never ducked anyone, he’s always going forward and he’s improving all the time.”

Gary Shaw, the COO of Judah’s promotional company Main Events, has his own measure for determining the pound-for-pound king. “In his weight class we know he is the best fighter out there. If you ask me my opinion, pound-for-pound is when nobody wants to fight you. There is not anybody running to fight Zab Judah. Look how long it took us to get Kostya Tszyu in the ring,” said Shaw.

“If Kostya thought he could beat the hell out of Zab Judah, we probably would have fought a year ago. Nobody wants to fight him. That’s what makes someone. Everybody wants to fight Roy (Jones).”

Bernard Hopkins showed how good a boxer can be with dedication and determination at the age of 36, but it is unlikely that Judah will be boxing at the same age or Tszyu’s current age of 32.

“He will not fight anywhere near there (age 32),” said Judah’s father and trainer Yoel.

“We are planning for this to be a short career. You know, in and out. Thirty-two is a little bit too old.”

One of the ultimate achievements for any undisputed world champion would be to retire undefeated and Yoel Judah believes this is something he can achieve.

“I most definitely see him retiring as an undefeated champion some day. The whole thing is going to be brains. Zab is like a machine. That is the way he is programmed. His mind is programmed. Mentally, he is stronger than a lot of people think. That is what is going to show and win the fight,” said Yoel Judah.

At 23 years of age, Zab Judah is probably in his prime in the areas of speed and power, but can he get even better with more experience? “There is always room for improvement. Zab is always learning. He is a solid fighter right now. He has been a solid fighter from day one when he stepped into the ring,” said Yoel Judah.

Promoter Main Events have been slowly building Zab Judah over the last few years to this exact point where he can explode on the world scene and become one of the most recognisable boxers in the world.

“Zab has been training very diligently for this fight. He had been focused on this fight for approximately one year now. I think that everybody knows the history on all the times this fight for one reason or another has fallen out. I am now confident after seeing Kostya Tszyu in Los Angeles yesterday that he will show up and he will be in the ring,” said Gary Shaw from Main Events.

“There is just no way that power ever beats speed. Yoel, the trainer and father of Zab has done a tremendous job and understands the job that lays ahead for Zab. Zab understands what he has to do in the ring and is totally focused at this point.

“Everybody talks about Kostya’s power, but to our knowledge, he is not a one-punch fighter where he knocks someone out with just one punch. I even question the term, where they are giving him the ‘king of power’ at 140lbs. Zab has certainly knocked down his share of fighters and stopped fights. I think speed translates to power.”

For all of his speed and power, the fans shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that is all Judah is about when he is in the ring. Judah appreciates the finer skills of boxing and laments those fans whose only desire is to see the one-punch knockout.

“What is the sense in making the fight hard when it is easy? This is boxing. A lot of guys like Tito (Trinidad) and Mike (Tyson) made it into a knockout game. They made it seem like you should stand there and bang it out,” said Judah.

“People forget about the science of boxing. Boxing is a sport. It is a mind game. The option of the game is to hit and not be hit. Be smart, in and out. That is the name of the game. The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds. Be prepared for 12 rounds. Do not look for anything shorter. I am looking to go in and fight a good, strong fight. I have like 22 rounds in me right now.

“Those people (Tyson and Trinidad) spoil you with knockouts. Those people have forgotten the science of boxing, the good jab, good movement, good hand speed and the combinations. I am going in there to give 120 percent. I am coming in there hyped.”

Kostya Tszyu is a very one-dimensional fighter, according to Judah, and he will not be able to change the way he fights for this unification match.

“We have seen Tszyu's last two fights. I just do not feel like there is too much he can do to change his style to get ready for this fight. As soon as he gets hit with a good punch, he will go back to the same old Kostya Tszyu again. He has not proven to be that great of a fighter to be able to switch his whole style up in the middle of the fight and do something else,” said Judah.

“He is a very one-dimensional fighter. Without a doubt, Tszyu is hittable. Is he strong and does he have good power? Yes, he does, but I do not think he has a one-punch knockout punch.”

Judah grew up idolizing undisputed champs Pernell Whitaker, Mike Tyson and Marvin Hagler and is determined to join them and become the undisputed champion of the world himself.

“When all is said and done, I will be standing there with all of those belts strapped around me,” said Judah. “That is it.”


Paul Upham
Contributing Editor