Careful What You Wish For?
Judah Calls Out Oscar After Knocking Off Spinks!
 © Curtis McCormick |
Zab Judah pulled off a masterful display last weekend in St. Louis, finally delivering on the long unrealized potential that his abundance of skill, speed and raw power have promised for so long. Judah admitted that he grew up after the loss to Spinks in their first fight, and it was indeed maturity that was on display as he lifted |
the undisputed welterweight titles from the latest torchbearer of a much-venerated St. Louis fight family.
The new champion is now calling out Oscar de la Hoya.
Considering Judah’s contention that he’s from Brooklyn and ducks no one, coupled with the Golden Boy’s pledge to return to 147-pounds along with his thirst for world titles, this statement begs to be taken very seriously.
But should “Super” Judah be seriously considering stepping in with Oscar?
Is it even possible in light of the idea that De La Hoya must prove that he can once again make the weight limit? Four long years have passed since he last fought in the welterweight division, and at the time, it was reported he could no longer make 147-pounds. Even if Oscar can indeed still make the weight, will Judah’s promoter Don King allow De La Hoya to fight for the undisputed title without giving up options on his future fights? If King, the razor sharp businessman does demand a piece of Oscar’s future, it’s difficult seeing the savvy future hall-of-famer agreeing to such a deal. If King doesn’t demand options, would he be interested in allowing the welterweight belts to be placed in such a risky proposition given the range of other options that could be pursued?
For the sake of arguments, let’s say that the fight does come off. Although he’s much smaller than De La Hoya, Judah has an abundance of what gives Oscar the most trouble, and that’s speed. Shane Mosley’s quickness made the difference against the East Lost Angeles native and Judah is arguably faster, not to mention a southpaw, something Oscar hasn’t faced since beating Hector Camacho Sr. in 1997, fifteen fights ago. A fast southpaw with explosive power and quick feet could give an older, possibly weight drained De La Hoya legitimate cause for concern.
Both Judah and De La Hoya have proven the ability to stop an accomplished foe with a single shot. On the flipside of that factor is that both fighters have visited the canvas more than a few times, although each were only stopped once. De La Hoya however wasn’t stopped until he a faced full fledged brilliant middleweight in ageless wonder Bernard Hopkins, while Judah was finished off by a junior welterweight, although to be fair Kostya Tszyu has the punch of a much heavier man.
Another aspect that begs consideration is experience. Judah has certainly faced by and large excellent competition and participated in eleven world title matches, but De La Hoya’s resume is likely more impressive than anyone else fighting today. A veteran of twenty-seven major world title fights, Oscar won his first belt in only his twelfth bout at the tender age of twenty and may still be in his prime, having just celebrated his thirty-second birthday days ago. In a potential long battle of calculated strategy, the Southern Californian would likely have the steadier head than the sometimes emotional Judah.
At the end of the day, many things have to go right in order for this very intriguing possibility to actually happen, but the public interest and therefore the money to make it a reality certainly exists. If the fight does come off, the results would almost certainly be explosive with both the victor andthe defeated earning a boost in legacy from a hard fought contest. Keep your fingers crossed.
Richard Eberline can be reached at richardeberline@fastmail.fm