Judah vs. Mabuza on March 5th for vacant IBF light welterweight title

By Boxing News - 01/07/2011 - Comments

By Jason Kim: Former two division world champion Zab Judah (40-6, 27 KO’s) is looking to pick up the vacant IBF light welterweight title against number #1 ranked International Boxing Federation light welterweight contender South African Kaizer Mabuza (23-6-3, 14 KO’s) on March 5th at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey. Judah, 33, wants to pick up the IBF trinket and use this as bait to get a good money unification bout when the smoke clears between the Amir Khan, Devon Alexander vs. Timothy Bradley fights. However, if Khan ends up beating the winner of the Alexander-Bradley fight, there’s really no telling if he would then in turn be interested in taking on Judah.

This is a calculated gamble on Judah’s part in going after the IBF title, because all the effort and risk that goes into this fight might not pay off with a big money fight against Khan. Judah was probably in a good position to get a Khan fight without the IBF title had he been free for April when Khan plans on fighting again. But with Judah looking to face Mabuza for a title that no one really cares about, Khan then opted to go after number #6 ranked WBA contender Lamont Peterson while Judah is left risking his hide against the younger pressure fighter Mabuza.

Judah could find himself in a lot of trouble against Mabuza, because this fighter is a much more offensive-minded fighter than the last guy that Judah fought in November when he struggled to beat Lucas Matthysse by a 12 round split decision while fighting at home. Judah was knocked down in the 10th round in that fight and got really beaten up in the last part of the fight. Judah is lucky to have won, but the kinds of shots he was getting hit in that fight will be nothing compared to the punches he’s going to be absorbing from Mabuza on March 5th unless Judah can knock him out quickly. I don’t think he will, and I see this as Judah’s Waterloo.



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