Zab looked spectacular in return at 140, but what would happen against the new big names in the division?
Super Judah made his return to the 140 pound division on July 16, 2010 against Mexican fighter Jose Armando Santa Cruz at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Judah took the division by storm with a devastating left-uppercut to Cruz’s chin in the third round. Cruz got up from the hard shot, but was later stopped in the third round by the continued assault to his head and body while against the ropes, giving Judah an eye-opening third round technical knockout victory.
With that said, Santa Cruz was an opponent designed to help make Zab look good. The question remains about how he would hold up against the best fighters in the sport’s deepest division. So here is my take on how Super Judah will fare against the top Junior Welterweights in the division today.
Credit: Main Events
Judah vs. “El Chino” Marcos Rene Maidana
This would be one of those fights that will test Judah’s toughness. Maidana is a pressuring, hard punching, body destroying warrior who keeps coming even after going down to the canvas. Judah will be on his bicycle throughout this fight, and will have to continuously use his jab and mix in combinations to keep Maidana off of him, though I feel that Judah can fight Maidana on the inside. Maidana will be tailor-made for Judah’s great counter-punching skills, which will allow Judah to fight on the outside. The question in a fight between these two will be whether or not Judah will succumb to Maidana’s effective pressure. Both of these guys have power, but with Judah moving back down to 140, he would be the faster and stronger fighter.
Judah vs. Devon “Alexander the Great” Alexander
In a fight between Judah and Alexander, the tag-line should read, “Return of the Lou,” in which Devon Alexander will attempt to avenge his fellow St. Louis native Corey Spinks’s loss to Judah in their second fight back in 2005. This would be an interesting contest because like Judah, Alexander is a southpaw, has fast hands, and has excellent counter-punching skills. Judah will need to be the aggressor because Alexander will look to counter-punch and slip punches the whole night, using his superior technical skills to halt Judah’s attack. Judah will need to take the fight to the inside with Alexander and test Alexander’s inside skills and toughness. I believe Judah will also have the power advantage in this fight, but I do not know if Judah can box with Devon if the fight boils down to a boxing duel rather than a slugfest.
Judah vs. Amir “King Khan” Khan
Here is another fight where Judah will need to stay inside for most of the fight because Khan throws multiple jabs and quick combinations that will probably get to Judah if this fight goes into deep waters. If Judah can smother a lot of Khan’s onslaught, I give him a good chance in the fight. Khan is coming off an impressive eleventh round stoppage of Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi,” and Malignaggi is a slick and elusive fighter that Khan tore down without issue. Therefore, even though Zab is a great counter-puncher, he will need to jump on Khan early and often to try to lure him into a slugfest. Also, since Khan has been trained by Freddie Roach, his defense and discipline have both dramatically improved. Both Zab and Khan have great speed, but once again, will he succumb to the overwhelming pressure of “King Khan.”
Judah vs. Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley
This will be a great fight if Judah runs into the “Desert Storm” Timothy Bradley, because that is exactly what he will be facing, a storm. Bradley has surprising power in both hands and he can box, but I will give Judah a good chance in this fight because Judah will be able to box with him by keeping the fight on the outside, and throwing counter-punches. Judah would just have to elude the big power shots that will come from either hand of Bradley, and must not give into Bradley’s pressuring, come-forward game plan. Bradley would likely be the bigger and stronger fighter in this fight, and will go straight forward throwing slugging punches toward Judah’s head and body. This fight is simple, if the fight is an inside fight, advantage Bradley, if the fight is on the outside, advantage Judah.
Conclusion
I give Zab a good chance against all of the top Junior Welterweights of today. Judah has excellent counter-punching skills, speed and power. If Zab never would have left the 140 pound division, it’s possible that many experts would consider him as one of the best fighters of this era.
One problem that I feel Zab would need to work on if he faces any of the top contenders at 140 is his mental toughness. Zab tends to lose focus and energy in the late rounds of fights, so if Zab wants to be the best, he will definitely need to improve his focus and stamina issues. Zab’s recent knockout was impressive, but he will have to take it up a couple of notches against the top guys at 140. Will Zab continue to be Super at 140? Only time will tell.
