Round by Round: Clottey vs Judah

[LacosteDon]

Prefight
Zab Judah brings a record of 36-5 with 25 knockouts and a wealth of big-fight experience into this showdown for the vacant IBF welterweight title at the Pearl at the Palms, yet he is approximately a 2-1 betting underdog against Joshua Clottey (34-2, 21 KOs). Both men want a shot at world welterweight champ Antonio Margarito, who is doing an interview with HBO's Bob Papa at ringside. Margarito tells the HBO audience that he wants to fight Oscar De La Hoya next.


ROUND 1
Judah opens by flipping several jabs. Judah lands a jab to the body. Clottey’s jab is short. Double jab by Judah connects. Jab to the body by Judah. Hard right by Clottey. They clinch in the center. Referee Robert Byrd warns them about clashing heads. Combination to the body by Clottey. They butt heads. Left hand by Clottey. Judah’s right eye is swelling from the butt. Combination to the body by Clottey. Clottey lands a shot to the body.
10-9, Judah


ROUND 2
Left-right to the head by Clottey. Good lead left from Clottey. Judah flicking his jab but has nothing on it. Right-left from Judah. Jab by Clottey lands. Right to the body by Clottey. Right to the body by Judah, as the crowd begins to chant his name. Short left hook by Clottey. Right lands by Clottey and Judah dances away. Hook to the body by Clottey. Double uppercut lands for Clottey. Hard right by Clottey. Left-right combination by Clottey. Judah fires a jab.
10-9, Clottey


ROUND 3
Right to the body by Judah. They wrestle into the ropes. Combination to the body by Judah. Left to the body by Clottey. Hook to the body and then the head by Clottey. Two jabs by Judah connect. Judah’s corner is urging him to go to the body. Jab to the body and then the head by Judah. Left hook by Clottey connects. Short left by Judah. Right and then a hard left by Clottey. Combination to the midsection by Judah.
10-9, Clottey


ROUND 4
Left hook by Clottey to open the round. Hard shot to the body by Judah. Hook by Judah to the head. Good combination to the body by Judah. Hard right by Clottey stuns Judah. Lead right by Clottey. Clottey indicating he was hit by a low blow. Referee Robert Byrd warns Judah to keep them up. Crowd chanting for Judah, who is bleeding from the nose. Left-right inside by Clottey. Lead right by Clottey. Another lead right by Clottey. Two left uppercuts by Clottey. Judah seems weary.
10-9, Clottey


ROUND 5
Jab to the body by Judah. They’re wrestling in the middle. Judah lands a low blow and is warned. Lead right by Clottey connects again. Right-left to the body by Judah. Combination to the body by Clottey. Left to the body by Clottey. Judah lands a double jab. Two hard shots to the body by Judah. Left to the body by Clottey. Straight right from Clottey connects but without much force. Clottey warned by Byrd for hitting on the back of the head. Combination to the body by Judah.
10-9, Judah


ROUND 6
Judah goes to the body again as the round starts. Clottey is continually stalking and moving forward. Pace has slowed a bit. Judah lands a right to the body and a combination to the head. Clottey connects inside. Judah lands a low blow and Byrd calls time. Clottey seems in pain. No point deduction. The punch landed on the thigh. Right by Clottey. Right by Clottey snaps Judah’s head. Left by Judah and a combination to the head by Judah.
10-9, Judah


ROUND 7
Right by Clottey lands. Hook inside and then a right by Clottey. Right by Judah. Combination to the body by Judah. Right to the body by Judah. They clinch and Byrd breaks them. Right to the body by Clottey connects and Judah backs up. Uppercut by Clottey and a right hurts Judah, sending him to the corner. Judah is unsteady. Right by Clottey. Right hand by Clottey lands but Judah takes it well. Judah’s mouth is bleeding. Hard right by Clottey.
10-9, Clottey


ROUND 8
Right by Clottey and Judah backs to the corner. He dances away and fires a jab. Clottey counters with a jab and misses badly with a home run right. Judah’s jab is repeatedly short in the round. Right by Clottey and then another backs Judah up. Fighters are warned to not use the heads. Left uppercut by Judah. Left and two rights from Clottey connect hard. Lead right by Clottey. Judah lands a jab and then a left. Judah lands a combination that backs Clottey to the corner. Right by Clottey.
10-9, Clottey


ROUND 9
Right by Clottey. Hook to the body by Clottey. Straight right from Clottey lands and Judah is hanging on. Judah’s right eye is swelling badly. There is a cut over the eye and the referee is having the doctor look at it. The doctor stops the fight. Judah apparently can’t see well enough to continue. Because the cut happened due to an accidental clash of heads, the match goes to the scorecards for a decision.
10-9, Clottey


Postfight
Clottey wins a technical decision by scores of 86-85 twice and 87-84 on the judges' cards for Clottey.
In the ring right after the decision is announced, Clottey says he believes the cut was caused by a right hand rather than a head butt, and the replay in the arena appears to support his view. Nonetheless, Clottey tells Judah he will grant him a rematch and he would like Antonio Margarito.


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