Time, luck running out for Judah

Rafael

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: August 1, 2008

Chris Farina/Top Rank

No room for error: Zab Judah, left, has his back against the wall … again.

Judah 'lucky' for another shot

LAS VEGAS -- Zab Judah seems to have almost as many ring lives as a cat, and he knows it.

His career has featured spectacular highs, such as twice winning junior welterweight titles and later claiming the undisputed welterweight championship by knocking out Cory Spinks in the ninth round of their 2005 rematch in St. Louis, Spinks' hometown.

But Judah's up-and-down career also has featured even more stunning lows.

There was his infamous second-round knockout loss to Kostya Tszyu in a 2001 undisputed junior welterweight championship fight and the ensuing fine and suspension he received from Nevada officials for his stool-throwing, referee-threatening postfight meltdown.

There was a shocking decision loss to Carlos Baldomir in January 2006, the year's biggest upset.

Most memorable, of course, was his loss to Floyd Mayweather in April 2006 and the 10th-round melee he instigated by fouling Mayweather, which resulted in yet another fine and lengthy suspension.

Yet Judah somehow continues to find himself in important fights.

Despite losing to Baldomir, he still landed the Mayweather fight. After losing to Mayweather and serving the yearlong suspension, he was given a shot at Miguel Cotto last summer as the second-choice opponent and fought bravely in an 11th-round knockout loss.

Part of Judah's ability to keep himself relevant is his obvious talent. Part has to be his exciting style and the drama he brings to any fight. And there is also his engaging personality, one part lovable and one part thug.

One thing is for sure: When Judah fights, it's usually interesting.

Judah knows he's been more fortunate than most fighters in the number of chances he's gotten.

It's why the speedy southpaw has dubbed himself "Lucky Lefty."

Baldomir, Judah

AP Photo/John Marshall Mantel

Despite losing to Carlos Baldomir, left, in January 2006, Judah still got the call against Floyd Mayweather.

"I call myself 'Lucky Lefty.' I'm thankful for another opportunity," a relaxed Judah said recently. "There's not a lot of fighters like me that get a lot of opportunities. I see a lot of great fighters get one opportunity, they lose and you don't see them again in a big fight. Zab Judah has been given multiple opportunities. I turned 30 last year. I know there are not too many opportunities left for me."

Judah's lucky ways have resulted in another unexpected opportunity for a meaningful fight, Saturday night (HBO, 9:30 ET/PT) when he faces rugged Joshua Clottey for the belt Antonio Margarito vacated in the spring to facilitate last Saturday's epic battle with Cotto.

New York rivals Judah (36-5, 25 KOs) -- from Brooklyn -- and Clottey (34-2, 20 KOs) -- from the Bronx by way of Ghana -- meet at The Palms resort on a telecast that will include a replay of the unforgettable Margarito-Cotto battle.

Just a few months ago, Judah seemed to have run out of luck (again), but that quickly changed.

He was scheduled to meet Shane Mosley on May 31 on HBO PPV, but it was called off abruptly a few weeks before the fight when Judah, in a fit of anger, smashed his arm through a glass shower door at the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas.

The result: approximately 50 stitches in his right arm, a lot of bad press and a canceled fight.

"When the fight with Shane fell apart, I didn't slow down or stop training because I knew another opportunity would pop up," Judah said.

In typically lucky Judah fashion, one did. Margarito relinquished his belt when he elected to face Cotto rather than take a far less lucrative mandatory defense against Clottey, 31, whom he had defeated in a tough 2005 fight. That left Judah as the next available contender to face Clottey for the vacant belt.

"Things happen for a reason," Judah said. "This is a bigger fight to me. Shane and I would have beaten each other up for what? A couple of dollars? This is for a title, so it's a bigger fight to me."

Judah, however, seems keenly aware that his luck won't hold out forever.

"When I look back on my career, I feel like I cheated myself," he admitted. "I kind of cheated myself a bit. If I lose this fight, it wasn't meant to be. I know one thing going into this fight: If [my talent] doesn't come out now, it's not gonna come out."

The fight with Clottey was made quickly, and now Judah once again is in an excellent position to make noise in a star-studded division.

"There are big stakes involved," HBO's Kery Davis said. "The winner steps forward to a lucrative fight. The guy who doesn't win will have to fight hard just to get back to this stage."

Indeed, the winner could find himself in a big-time fight against Margarito, the new division king.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who promotes Margarito and Clottey and has worked with Judah, told ESPN.com that he plans for Margarito to return to the ring Nov. 1 on pay-per-view. Arum hopes to put on the fight at Dodger Stadium.

"That's what we're going to do. We've reserved the date with the [pay-per-view] industry," Arum said. "We're looking primarily at having Margarito fight the winner of Judah-Clottey, particularly if the fight Saturday night is as good as we hope it will be."

Judah, who will be fighting in his new hometown -- he moved to Las Vegas from New York in November -- said he has every intention of being the guy to emerge with a win and a belt.

"I know what it takes to become a world champion," he said. "I enjoyed my time as champion, but I miss it. I want it back. Clottey is a very determined and strong fighter, but when he gets through the hype, he'll be amazed at what it will do to him when he steps through the ropes. I am mentally stronger than him. I've been here before. By the time he realizes it, it'll be over.

"I really prepared myself well for this fight and opportunity. Clottey is a steady fighter, but all the great fighters have different gears. I can start fast and end fast. I'll change up in the fight. I can move, be defensive, set a fast pace, a slow pace. Whatever. I know his style. He's like a piece of metal. You keep chopping it and eventually, it chips away. Not to downplay Clottey, but I've been in with better fighters. He's a slower, methodical fighter."

Clottey, who was dominating Margarito early in their fight until injuring both hands and losing a decision, has wanted to fight Judah for years. It goes back to an old beef in a New York gym.

Now he has his chance, with a title on the line to boot.

"This is the time for me to be a champion. I'm coming to make a fight," Clottey said. "I'm not losing this fight. No way. I have really wanted to fight him. If Zab beats me, I will retire for one year."

Said Judah, referring to their New York roots, "We are from two of the toughest boroughs in New York. There's a saying in New York: The Bronx makes it, but Brooklyn takes it. I've never seen the Bronx take anything but a beating."

Movin' on up

Former undisputed cruiserweight champ O'Neil Bell (26-3-1, 24 KOs), coming off back-to-back defeats, announced that he will make a move to heavyweight.

O'Neil Bell

AP Photo/John Marshall Mantel

O'Neil Bell is ready to try his hand at the heavyweight ranks.

"The heavyweight division needs a savior, and I'm applying for the job," said Bell, who lost the title in a rematch to Jean-Marc Mormeck in March 2007, then quit in the eighth round of an elimination fight against Tomasz Adamek in Poland this past April. "I hate to say it, but the division is a mess, and it needs cleaning up by a dynamic and exciting fighter like myself."

The move means Bell won't participate in the fourth season of "The Contender," which will feature cruiserweights. Bell, 33, had been one of the targets of series producers, but he has decided not to go on the show.

"Making the cruiserweight limit has sapped me of my strength over my last couple of fights and took away what got me to the world championship in the first place," Bell said. "Now at heavyweight, I feel better than ever and I can't wait to smash everyone in my path on the way to the championship. This is the most excited I've ever been in my career, and that's bad news for whoever gets in my way."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
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QUICK HITS

Williams

• Since a Paul Williams-Antonio Margarito rematch isn't in the cards this year, HBO and Williams promoter Dan Goossen are working on a fall "Boxing After Dark" doubleheader. Williams (34-1, 25 KOs) would defend his welterweight belt in the main event, possibly against mandatory challenger Michael Jennings (33-1, 16 KOs) of England. It would also include rising heavyweight contender Cristobal Arreola (24-0, 21 KOs), but don't count on seeing him against David Tua, a fight often discussed. The sides are far apart on money and it does not fit the budget of an opening bout on "BAD."

Angulo

• HBO and promoter Gary Shaw are finalizing an Oct. 4 "Boxing After Dark" card, which is headed for the Pechanga resort in Temecula, Calif. Featherweight sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa (11-0, 9 KOs), a 2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist, will be on, likely against Marcos Ramirez (25-0, 16 KOs). Also, junior middleweight brawler Alfredo Angulo (13-0, 10 KOs) will face Andrey Tsurkan (26-3, 17 KOs), according to Shaw and Tsurkan promoter Joe DeGuardia. Gamboa and Angulo both put on exciting performances in their May HBO debuts, Gamboa outpointing Darling Jimenez and Angulo stopping Richard Gutierrez in five action-packed rounds. Shaw likes the Angulo-Tsurkan fight. "I gotta keep stepping Angulo up," he said. "I want to know if I have the next Margarito." The third fight for the show under discussion is junior middleweight Joel "Love Child" Julio (who has to win on Aug. 13 on ESPN2) against Sergio Martinez, the overdue mandatory challenger for titlist Vernon Forrest. Martinez promoter Lou DiBella said the chances of it happening were 50-50.

Dawson

• Shaw's other big fight of the fall, the long-awaited Oct. 11 (Showtime) bout between light heavyweight titlist Antonio Tarver and ex-beltholder Chad Dawson, who vacated his alphabet title to facilitate the match, won't take place in the hometowns of either fighter. Instead, Shaw said it is headed for Las Vegas. On the same telecast, Showtime will air the heavyweight title match between Samuel Peter and unretiring former titleholder Vitali Klitschko. That bout likely will take place at the O2 Arena in Berlin, Klitschko adviser Shelly Finkel said.

Abraham

• Handlers for middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham (27-0, 22 KOs) and mandatory challenger Raul Marquez (41-3-1, 29 KOs) avoided a purse bid by making a deal this week. Abraham will make his eighth defense against the ex-junior middleweight titleholder Oct. 4 in Germany. Marquez promoter Leon Margules of Seminole Warriors Boxing said the card would be televised live in the United States on Integrated Sports pay-per-view for $24.95. Marquez earned the shot by outpointing Giovanni Lorenzo June 21 on the undercard of Abraham's nontitle knockout victory against Edison Miranda in their rematch.

Vazquez

• Junior featherweight champ Israel Vazquez (43-4, 31 KOs) is taking the rest of the year off, manager Frank Espinoza told ESPN.com. Vazquez, of course, has faced rival Rafael Marquez in his past three fights, all brutal slugfests. Vazquez is 2-1 against Marquez, including a split-decision victory March 1 in the likely fight of the year. The physical toll was exacting on both men. Espinoza said he wants to give Vazquez ample time to recover. "He'll take the rest of the year off and come back at the beginning of next year," Espinoza said. "We're looking for good things. The options are many. Everyone wants to fight Israel. I've heard call outs from Jorge Arce, Gerry Penalosa, Jhonny Gonzalez and Oscar Larios, and certainly Rafael Marquez and his people want to do the fight again."

Pavlik

• The Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins fight on Oct. 18 (HBO PPV) in Atlantic City, N.J., will officially be announced Tuesday at a news conference in New York followed by another news conference later in the day in Philadelphia, Hopkins' hometown. Pavlik, the middleweight champion, is moving up to face Hopkins at a catch weight of 170 pounds.

Chavez

• Junior middleweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (37-0-1, 29 KOs), pushed to the brink in a tough split-decision win against Matt Vanda (38-7, 21 KOs) July 12 in Mexico, will face him in a rematch. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said he's planning it for Oct. 25 in Mexico and that the fight would be on U.S. pay-per-view. Arum added that junior lightweight contender Humberto Soto would fight on the undercard unless he winds up facing Manny Pacquiao in the fall.

D. Hopkins

• In his first fight since signing with Top Rank, junior welterweight contender Demetrius Hopkins (28-0-1, 11 KOs) will fight a 10-rounder against an opponent to be named Aug. 30, manager Cameron Dunkin told ESPN.com. The fight is on the undercard of the Ivan Calderon-Hugo Cazares junior flyweight championship rematch in Puerto Rico, but won't be part of pay-per-view. Bernard Hopkins' nephew will be fighting for the first time since November and an ensuing fallout with his uncle and Golden Boy Promotions. "We just need to get Demetrius going and get him busy," Dunkin said.

Campbell

• Unified lightweight titlist Nate Campbell, who has a gift for gab in addition to his boxing prowess, fills in as the ringside analyst on ESPN2's "Wednesday Night Fights" on Aug. 6 and Aug. 13 while Teddy Atlas is in Beijing covering Olympic boxing for NBC. "One day when I'm done fighting, broadcasting is definitely something I would really enjoy pursuing," Campbell said. Campbell is training for a Sept. 13 defense against Joan Guzman, but said the assignment would not disrupt his camp. "It's not any kind of distraction," he said. Filling in for Atlas on "Friday Night Fights" on Aug. 8, 15 and 22 will be ex-heavyweight titleholder Shannon Briggs. Atlas will be back for the final two shows of the season, Aug. 29 and Sept. 5.

Maskaev

• Although former heavyweight titlist Oleg Maskaev has been mentioned as a possible opponent for David Haye when the cruiserweight champion moves up to heavyweight on Nov. 15, it's unlikely to be him now that Maskaev has a fight signed for Sept. 6. Manager Fred Kesch said a Haye representative contacted Maskaev promoter Dennis Rappaport a couple of months ago, but it never went any further. "Someone from Haye's camp did call Dennis, but we never heard back from them," Kesch said. "It was one phone call, one time to Dennis and I've never heard from them at all." Also, because of its packed schedule and tight budget, HBO won't carry Haye's heavyweight fight, as had been discussed.

Maccarinelli

• Former cruiserweight titleholder Enzo Maccarinelli of Wales will face Emanuel Steward pupil Johnathon Banks of Detroit for one of the titles Haye, who knocked out Maccarinelli to unify belts in March, vacated to move up. Maccarinelli promoter Frank Warren won a purse bid for $450,000 for the promotional rights, beating K2 Promotions, which bid the minimum allowed under WBO rules, $300,000. Warren said the fight will likely take place Sept. 27 in the United Kingdom. "Banks is supposed to be the next big thing in America, but I'll cut him down to size," Maccarinelli said. According to WBO rules, since the bout will be in Maccarinelli's country, Banks is entitled to 60 percent of the bid ($243,000) with Maccarinelli getting 40 percent ($162,000). If it winds up on neutral turf, they'll split it 50-50. If one fighter withdraws, the other boxer is obligated to face Alexander Alekseev within 180 days.

Huck

• Cruiserweight contender Marco Huck (21-1, 16 KOs) is ready to return to action Sept. 20 after suffering a broken jaw during a ninth-round TKO win against Frantisek Kasanic May 17. Huck, stopped in the 12th round challenging titleholder Steve Cunningham in December, will face European champion Jean Marc Monrose (24-1, 15 KOs). It will take place in Huck's hometown of Bielefeld, Germany. Huck's jaw injury required surgery, during which six screws and a titanium plate were inserted into his jaw. "I don't have any problems any more," Huck said. "I have recovered fully and things have been going very good in practice."

QUOTABLE

Shaw

"In June a real contender proved that he was no pretender. Sergio Mora showed everyone, especially Vernon Forrest, that he was no novelty act. But rematches have a way of smoking out the second-best from the best. Even Smokey the Bear won't be able to protect Mora from this Forrest fire." -- Gary Shaw, Forrest's promoter, on the Sept. 13 rematch between Mora, the first-season winner of "The Contender," and ex-titleholder Forrest.

QUOTABLE

Arum

"I can't talk for businessmen. Businessmen talk for themselves. You see how smart of a businessman Floyd was. I offered him $8 million [in 2006] to fight this beast and he turned it down [to instead face champion Carlos Baldomir]. Floyd showed he was pretty smart." -- Promoter Bob Arum sarcastically addressing the question of whether he could make a fight between new welterweight champ Antonio Margarito and either Floyd Mayweather or Oscar De La Hoya.