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is there any doubt that mayweather will win?
www.eastsideboxing.com
05.04.06 - By Tim Neilson: After reading Slava's latest article, I felt that I had to shoot from the hip and give the some predictions about Judah's chances against Floyd Mayweather Jr.(35-0, 24 KOs) on Saturday night. First of all, they're not good and I'm not just saying this because of his last fight, a dismal twelve round loss to Carlos Baldomir on Janaury 7, 2006. No, in fact, I don't think Judah has looked good since 2001, when he was brutally stopped by Kostya Tszyu, in the 2nd round. That fight, more than anything, seemed to change Judah (34-3, 25 KOs), and making him seem mortal whereas before, he seemed like he was destined for greatness. Since then, Judah has lost twice, while winning 7 of his bouts.
Not bad, yet not in the class of someone as talented and formidable as Mayweather. Judah's fall from the top isn't so much from stamina, since he still fights with sustained energy throughout his fights. However, as in his fight against Baldomir, Judah seemed bothered by his hard punches, which had him hurt several times in the fight. On one level, he still has incredible hand speed, possibly as fast as Mayweather's. However, he seems to lack the courage that he once had before his fight with Tszyu. Whether he is mentally shot as a fighter or if it's a physical problem, Judah has some really big question marks going into this fight with Mayweather.
Well, one thing is for sure, if Judah loses this fight, he won't have to blame it on the energy expended trying to promote the fight, something that came up in his recent loss to Baldomir. This time around, Judah is steering clear of wearing himself out with endless promotional activities, according the latest news. In that respect, I can understand Judah's feelings, as the last thing a fighter should have to worry about going into the most important fight of his career is having to run all over town trying to hype the fight. With Judah's IBF welterweight title on the line and perhaps his career, I don't blame him for wanting to concentrate completely on the fight. Boxing is really mental, as well as physical, and some fighters need that time for focus rather than having to be onstage, trying to get people up for it.
At this point, Judah probably sees the entire world against him, something that possibly is leaking into his mind causing his self belief to waver. For the first time in his career, people are actually picking against him and not even giving him much of a chance at all. That’s got to hurt, I imagine. No doubt, Judah will be desperate and fighting for his life out there against Mayweather. As you know, when someone's back is totally against the wall, oftentimes they give their best performance… or their worst. It depends on where Judah's at mentally, since he could fold like a deck of cards at the fist point of adversity. Then again, Mayweather, who has had an easy time in recent years against slower fighters such as Gatti and Sharmba Mitchell, may get caught by one of Judah's blinding fast punches. However, I think not. Mayweather is like a bull fighter, in that he tends to weaken his opponents by jabbing and taking pot shots from the outside. Finally, when they're beaten and exhausted, Mayweather goes in for the kill and puts them out of their misery.
Sadly, that's how I see this fight happening. Judah, as great as he was prior to 2001, he no longer appears to be the same fighter in my opinion. The chin and the courage both seem to be gone in my estimation. To be frank, I don't think Judah, even before 2001, could handle Mayweather, because he seems to be in a level above Judah and the rest of his competitors. However, if I were to give Judah some advice, I would tell him to try and take the fight to Mayweather, no matter how fearful he may be of being stopped. As Castillo showed in his fight with Mayweather, he has problems when he is pressured heavily and pushed up against the ropes, where he doesn't have room to move. If Judah can do this, I give him a slight chance at winning the fight. However, I doubt he will have the courage to do this. Let's hope because otherwise, this will be a short and brutal fight, with Mayweather stopping Judah, probably by the 6th round
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Originally Posted by miles
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