Boxing.com

When Zab “Super” Judah (41-6 28 KO) and Amir “King” Khan (25-1 17 KO) step inside the ring at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to unify the Light Welterweight division this Saturday, they will be clothed in more than just boxing gloves and flashy trunks. They will be clothed in their respective faiths that they each cite as the source of their resiliency in an unforgiving sport. Having both suffered devastating early-career knockouts that had critics characterizing them as fraudulent, both fighters know what it’s like to bounce back from serious adversity. While both warriors undoubtedly possess a superior grasp of the sweet science of pugilism, both fighters also are inspired by a genuine affinity for their religious convictions.

Judah—the once volatile and seemingly uncontrollable Brooklynite who seemed to lack the requisite discipline to claim the elite throne in boxing—has now resurged his career behind the power of his renewed commitment towards faith and family. After a string of disappointing losses in big fights—virtually everyone had counted Judah out. However, Judah has bounced back and reclaimed a world title once again, proving critics wrong while showcasing a resilient spirit previously unseen in his career. Khan—the flashy boxing prodigy and pride of Bolton, England— has also deferred to his faith and commitment to family when looking for inspiration. After having his storybook career momentarily derailed in demonstrative fashion after being brutally knocked out by Breidis Prescott in the first round of what was perhaps the most shocking upset in boxing in 2008—Khan has bounced back brilliantly and credits his faith for giving his the strength to continually achieve en route to boxing supremacy.

—The Faith—

Judah, once inspired by the Black Hebrew Israelite tradition of his father Yoel Judah, has now embraced the Christian tradition of his grandmother. “I’ve been a Christian all my life, from day one.” Judah said. “But when you’re a kid and someone forces you to do something, you do something. But when I got older I went back to serving Jesus Christ.” Judah, who in his younger days rushed the ring with angst and violence in his eyes, now has a relaxed, beaming demeanor when he enters the ring to the backdrop of gospel music. While it is certainly a stark contrast to the Zab Judah most of us have been accustomed to, Judah’s philosophical shift has perhaps been the engine behind his recent resurgence in the Light Welterweight division—where he has once again become world champion after defeating the hard-nosed Lucas Matthysse and knocking out Kaizer Mabuza in glimmering fashion in consecutive fights.

Conversely, Khan, a practicing Muslim who has already endeavored on a pilgrimage to Mecca twice, credits his Islamic faith for keeping him properly focused and prepared to do combat with world-class opponents. “In boxing, sometimes it’s a lonely place—but my religion keeps me strong, my faith keeps me going.” Khan explained. “It has given me so much discipline and strength going into a fight. It teaches me to respect my elders and respect my parents.” Wise words coming from the 24 year-old WBA Light-Welterweight champion of the world who displayed remarkable bravery in withstanding a life-and-death struggle in the 10th round of his epic war with Marcos Maidana last year in a fight properly heralded as the “Fight of the Year” by boxing experts and analysts world-wide. When you consider what Khan has accomplished since his shocking loss to Prescott, perhaps there is something to his methodology and religious conviction.

—The Science—

SUPER JUDAH

“What a brilliant uppercut. What a perfect shot!” These were the words Jim Lampley exclaimed after marveling at the blinding hand-speed of Zab Judah as he destroyed Cosme Rivera in 2005. There was a time when Zab “Super” Judah 41-6 (28 KO) was considered by many to be a top prospect as a pound-for-pound king of boxing. For many Super Judah fans, Zab is revered as he is cut from a nostalgic cloth of a distinctive era. That era saw Brooklyn as an epicenter for talent, eccentricity, and swagger. Judah emerged onto the boxing scene at a time when it seemed every live hip hop artist in the game was hailing from Brooklyn. Be it the legendary Gangstarr (pbuh), Boot Camp Clique, or Jeru the Damaja, Zab was the boxing embodiment and pulse of this legendary brand of Hip-Hop where Brooklyn shone the brightest. Watching Zab catch a jab and counter with his patented “Super” left-hand uppercut followed by a 1-2 jab-straight left-hand combination with blistering speed and power seemed as if was the perfect motion-picture backdrop to DJ Premier scratching on the 1 & 2’s.

“Mind-rusher, spine-crusher….Brooklyn been bangin / making noise from the U.S. to Russia.”—Jeru the Damaja, “Brooklyn Took It”

Then—Russia made noise in Brooklyn—and Kostya Tszyu happened. After slyly showcasing his signature Super Judah ability in the early rounds, Tszyu caught Judah with a perfectly timed, thumping straight right-hand just as Zab was pulling back. So much thump that Zab wobbled into the infamous “chicken-dance” and became fodder for late-night comics and snark commentary. Once heralded as the next best thing, with one big-punch Zab became the “Don’t Play With Matches”* joke-of-the-day as critics were quick to label Judah as a fraud. It was a devastating moment for a rising star —and one that Judah still hasn’t fully recovered from as a pro. This is not to say that Judah isn’t without significant accomplishment. On Saturday, Judah looks to become a 6-time world champion in 3 different weight classes—which would be a remarkable achievement accomplished only by the elite few.

We’ve been here before with Judah. He’s been involved in a myriad of big, legacy defining fights— and has come up short in virtually every one of them. However, even in defeat, Judah has been ultra competitive and has shown that he has world-class talent. Against Floyd Mayweather Jr., Judah gave Floyd considerable trouble in the early rounds—whipping Floyd with heavy left-hands and even effectuated a legitimate knock-down on a counter check right-hook (which was erroneously not recognized). After getting off to a formidable start, Judah seemed to lose focus in the middle-to-late rounds against Mayweather. Judah’s wilted focus cost him the fight as Floyd seemed to outclass Judah from a strategic standpoint late in the fight. Alike, against Miguel Cotto, Judah was impressive early showcasing his signature counter-left uppercut which stunned Cotto and made significant indents in the first-half of the fight. But once again Judah was outclassed in the later rounds and didn’t seem to have the extra-gear to compete with the passionate Cotto—who closed Judah out in the 11th round with a strategic assault that led to a TKO stoppage. Those losses matched with a pair of close but clear decision losses to Carlos Baldomir and Joshua Clottey saw Judah come up short in the biggest moments of his career.

Enter Amir Khan—and yet another legacy-defining fight for Zab Judah—which very well could be his last opportunity to define himself at the elite level of the sport. Should Judah (the clear underdog) defeat Khan on Saturday night, many of his past boxing sins will be forgiven, if not all of them. This in itself makes the fight intriguing, as there’s a sense from Team Judah that Zab is fully cognizant of the urgency surrounding the opportunity before him. Unlike many times in the past, Judah’s mental fortitude and focus seem to have caught up with his unquestionable physical talents. Zab has always had the power to match his opponents—particularly at 140 where he has only lost once (to Tszyu). He also has the nuanced boxing ability to be able to score on Khan if it comes down to a technical chess match laden with jabs and footwork. Whether Judah will be able to sustain and execute for 12 rounds is a question yet to be answered, but one that many fans in boxing are still curious to see in conclusory fashion.

That said, there is reason to be optimistic if you’re in Judah’s corner. Many critics have been pleading for Judah to replace his father/trainer —Yoel Judah—with somebody who can elevate Zab’s boxing dimensions and bolster his mental focus. With the revered Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker now mentoring Judah as head-trainer, matched with Judah’s newfound commitment to the sport where he has cut out the distractions of night-life and the live-fast-die-young pop culture of today’s youth, it appears Judah’s mental state is in exactly the place it needs to be. If his physical gifts are still as vibrant as we have been accustomed to seeing—this could be the rise of Zab Judah, the sequel.

KING KHAN

“…and down goes Maidana, on a tremendous body shot by Khan!” These were the words Jim Lampley used to describe Amir Khan knocking down Marcos Maidana in round 1 of their epic duel with a picture-perfect head/body combination that had Maidana more hurt than he’s ever been in his career. In Khan’s biggest challenge to date, he outlasted the menacing Maidana and showcased what we already knew: that Khan is an immensely proficient puncher with razor-sharp technical application. What we didn’t know was whether Khan could exorcise the Prescott demons by surviving getting hit flush by a huge puncher. He passed that test in dramatic fashion by surviving the Maidana onslaught where Khan was in serious trouble. Not only did he withstand being severely wobbled for nearly 2 rounds—but he came back to win the championship rounds by showing tremendous courage in continuing to thoroughly outbox Maidana just as he had done prior to being hurt in the 10th round. Earning a comfortable unanimous decision in the bout, Khan ascended to his highest point yet as a professional: closing in on 140-pound supremacy and entry into the pound-for-pound discussion.

Since the Prescott derailing, Khan has accumulated vital experience in defeating the legendary Marco Antonia Barrera, the competent Andriy Kotelnyk, and the ultra durable/speedy Paulie Malignaggi. The Janjua Rajput Pugilist of British-Pakistani origin has fought his way back to the limelight in workmanlike fashion. At just 24 years of age, Khan is already mentally mature enough and poised to assert himself against the best fighters in the world at 140 and 147. With a rangy straight right-hand, continuous movement, a terrific spear-like jab, and an imposing height advantage at the weight-class, Khan poses considerable physical challenges to any fighter in the welterweight division. He is well-trained under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, who has not been shy about boasting of Khan’s ability and considers Khan to be the “soon-to-be pound-for- pound king.” Khan’s work-ethic in the gym is unparalleled, and there have been several whispers inside The Wild Card (Roach’s gym where Khan trains) that Khan gives Pacquiao all he can handle in sparring sessions—even getting the better of the present pound-for-pound king at times. Khan’s conditioning regimen is as intense as they come, as he trains under now famous strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who employs a conditioning regimen that has been instrumental in transforming Manny Pacquiao into the boxing specimen that he is today.

Khan has been bred to be in this position. At just 17 he captured a silver medal in the Olympics—and with his next generation demeanor and British bravado, Khan has become a considerable draw in the UK and resonates with young boxing fans worldwide. American fans are now warming up to Khan after seeing his tremendous abilities on display on American soil against Malignaggi and Maidana, and with the clout and attention surrounding Freddie Roach, the stage is set for Khan to grasp the opportunity to elevate his career even further by showing he has that extra gear that only a handful of fighters per generation possess. Given the experience, ability, and an anthem of redemption that Zab Judah will be carrying into the ring with him on Saturday—Khan will certainly need to be as sharp as ever if he wants to not just win, but win impressively with a statement victory. As a credit to Khan’s discipline and wisdom, he acknowledges just that in his approach to Judah, he “can’t make any mistakes in this fight.”

PREDICTION

Judah has historically gotten off to good starts in championship fights, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t do that again against Khan. However, it should also be expected that Khan will be anticipating Judah coming out of the gates fast—and will likely utilize his tremendous movement and boxing ability to keep Judah constantly on the move by not giving Judah opportunities to set up his power combinations and counter-uppercuts/hooks. Despite Khan’s ability to outbox opponents for 12 rounds, he has a fighting spirit and always will mix it up by standing and trading with his opponent at some point in the fight. This is where the fight may be defined. If Khan can win those exchanges and blast Judah with straight jabs and right-hands like he continuously did against Maidana, he will be on his way to a comfortable decision victory.

Judah will have to be busier than he normally is to beat Khan. He has a solid jab, but it is underutilized in most of his fights. Against Khan—Judah will need to snap the jab to get in range of Khan constantly raining down on Khan with jab, jab, left, jab, jab, left combinations that he successfully used against Mayweather Jr. in their fight. Judah must also bring a crafty southpaw nuance to this fight and attempt to break Khan’s rhythm by showing odd angles. In Khan’s previous fight against southpaw Paul McCloskey, Khan seemed to have difficulty in finding the awkward McCloskey, and at times looked a tad bit sloppy with his approach.

An intriguing factor in this fight is punching power. At 33, and nearly 10 years older than Khan, Judah seems to have packed on heavier muscle that may slow his hand speed down but also could translate into more impacting punching power if he can catch Khan. Judah is the physically stronger fighter. Khan is the sharper, precision puncher. If Judah can successfully fight going backwards and seduce Khan into lunging in with over-extended right hands like he did against McCloskey—the door will open for the signature Super Judah counter uppercut/hook that could render Khan wobbly. If that happens—Judah has great finishing instincts and at times has been absolutely clinical in putting opponents away. In my estimation, Judah will need to knockout Khan in order to earn a victory, as he’s never shown that he’s a busy enough fighter to keep up with the rapid fire-power of Khan in terms of work-rate and punch output.

Ultimately I see Khan withstanding Judah’s power, weathering a few Judah hurricanes, and sustaining his spirited composure by being the more consistent boxer. Khan’s movement and ability to win the fight based on the jab, straight right hand in heavy flurrying will take Judah into the late rounds where Judah won’t be able to keep up with the Khan’s activity. I have bought into the hype behind Khan—and fully expect him to win decisively and head to 147 to make serious noise. That said, my heart is with Super Judah and I would find it an emanation of poetic justice to see Zab redeem himself in a fight of this magnitude.

Outcome: Khan by UD—8 rounds to 4 or 9 rounds to 3

*“Don’t Play With Matches” refers to the stand-up routine conducted by Cedric The Entertainer describing Tszyu’s KO of Judah. (source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU4yL9tOeRo)