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Last Saturday in front of a sold out crowd at the Theater in Madison Square Garden, former undisputed welterweight champion Zab “Super” Judah suffered a devastating collapse. Judah, of Brooklyn, New York, 34-3-1NC (25), dropped his WBC title by losing a unanimous decision to the rugged veteran of Argentina, Carlos Baldomir, 42-9-6 (12). Although the WBC title may have been the only strap on the line, Judah was still required to relinquish his WBA and IBF titles as a result of the loss. Where does Zab go from here?
It was just last year that Zab reemerged on the scene and vindicated himself with a performance of the ages, stopping undisputed welterweight champion Cory Spinks in nine rounds. The Zab Judah we saw perform the night of February 5th in St. Louis, Missouri, was the Zab Judah we all knew existed. From the bad outings against Rafael Pineda and DeMarcus “Chop-Chop” Corley to the bitter losses to Kostya Tszyu and Cory Spinks the first time around, it truly was a long hard fought battle back to the top. But everything that he had worked so hard for was lost instantaneously in one gigantic step.
Last week’s fight was supposed to be the tune-up for Judah in preparation for facing Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather. But forget about the Mayweather fight for just a second. Now that the mega bout is out of the window, it’s irrelevant to continue talking about it. Floyd wasn’t the only guy out there for Judah to fight. There were quite a couple of other lucrative paydays that were lurking behind the scene for Zab. But as a result of misfortune, or in this case a lack of focus, he will miss out on the much needed payday that has eluded him his entire career.
Do the names Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito ring a bell? It’s no secret that the “Golden Boy” is looking to wrap up a hall of fame career. Oscar said that he was looking to fight two more times before hanging his gloves up. With the first fight happening this May, De La Hoya will face Ricardo Mayorga of Nicaragua. His second fight was still up in the air but rumor had it that it would have been against Judah, because Oscar was never undisputed at 147 pounds. Oscar was the biggest cash cow on the market for Judah to face. Make no mistake about it, Judah needs De La Hoya a lot more than De La Hoya needs him. But with no real incentive to fight as well as the general public’s lost interest, why would De La Hoya fight Zab now?
Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito will both see action next month in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Sugar” Shane will be facing Fernando Vargas and “Tony” Margarito will fight Manuel Gomez. Zab has called out Mosley and Margarito on several occasions. Mosley is another cash cow and judging by his recent performances it seemed like it would have been a winnable fight for Zab. Margarito on the other hand is considered by most as the most dangerous opponent at welterweight. From a risk reward ratio analysis: high-risk low reward for anyone who faces him. Although this prognostication is still up for debate, it’s no secret that Margarito is avoided like the plague. Just think about it, a Judah-Mosley or a Judah-Margarito pay-per-view. Maybe it wouldn’t generate the type of revenue that a Judah-Mayweather pay-per-view would but it would be enough for Zab to fatten his bank account. But after his horrific outing against a journeyman like Baldomir, there is no way he beats a guy the caliber of Mosley or Margarito.
Many People feel that if Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales can do it again, fully knowing that Morales lost to Zahir Raheem, then why not Floyd and Zab. I would agree, however, the only difference is that Pacquiao and Morales fought already and their epic battle has been cemented in boxing history. Floyd and Zab have never fought. The fact that Morales lost to Raheem becomes a dead issue, for the reason being that the public would love to see Erik and Manny go at it one more time.
Nowdon’t take my words out of context, by no mean am I saying that Zab’s career is over. He is 28 years old and has less wear and tear on his body than say, a Diego Corrales. Keep in mind that this is boxing and with two or three tune up wins, Zab will back in the title picture. Although you never know what might happen, considering that he bashed his promoter, Don King, in the post fight interview.
Still the question that will have to be answered is will the real cash-cow kind of guys still be around? If they are then fine, but if they are not then it’s just talent going to waste. Fighters, in addition to being sportsmen, want to perform for the public and should be in the game to make money. Saying that you were a former champion and that you beat such and such a guy on such and such a date is great. However, does it pay the bills? Does it help your family become situated financially? Does it help you buy your kids clothes for school?
This isn’t a brand new concept for Zab to comprehend. In fact, I am willing to bet that he fully understands it, it’s just that he took it for granted. Now that he realizes what he lost it could very well be too late. So where does Zab go from here? Only time will tell.
