By Jim Dower: In the latest boxing news, former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah (36-5, 25 KOs) will be meeting up with Joshua Clottey (34-2, 20 KOs) for the vacant IBF welterweight title on August 2nd. The title is currently held by Antonio Margarito, who recently stopped then champion Kermit Cintron in the 6th round on April 12th, to win his IBF welterweight title. Instead of keeping the title, however, Margarito has decided instead to give it up and challenger WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto on July 2th for his title at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas.
If Margarito had held onto the title, it would have meant that he would have had to fight his number one challenger Joshua Clottey, whom he previously beat in a tough 12-round unanimous decision in December 2006. Clottey, though perhaps not in the class of Cotto, would still be a very tough fight for Margarito given his speed and power, but it would also, naturally, bring in much less money for Margarito than he would fetch by taking on the undefeated Cotto. As for Judah, he recently injured his right arm, cutting it accidently while training for his May 31st bout with Shane Mosley. The cut, quite severe, caused the fight to be cancelled and left both fighters with a bout. Rather than re-schedule, Judah instead opted for taking on Clottey for Margarito’s vacant IBF welterweight title.
As it turns out, this may be Judah’s best chance at winning a title, for he doesn’t appear to match up well with WBO welterweight champion Carlos Quintana. On top of that, Judah has already been defeated by both Cotto and Floyd Mayweather Jr., and wouldn’t likely be in the cards for either of them any time soon. Judah, once the undisputed welterweight champion in 2005, has recently lost three out of his last six fights, with his only wins coming against 3rd tier opposition.
After his loss to Cotto in June 2007, Judah fought twice in stay busy fights, waiting for another possible shot at a title. With his still popular name, and most of his skills still largely intact, Judah remains a much sought out fighter in the welterweight division despite his poor luck against top fighters in recent years. The matchup with Clottey, it would seem, is a fight that Judah might be favored due to his speed and much better stamina. Judah doesn’t come close to Clottey in the power department, most people would agree on, but in terms of stamina, Judah is the much better fighter.
Clottey tends to wear down as the rounds go by, usually starting to fade as early as the 6th round, and if Judah can stay with him until then, he can likely pull away and win by decision when Clottey tires out. Clottey, 31, is currently ranked #1 in the IBF, and Judah is ranked at #3. Both fighters are getting up there in age, however, and have to make the best of this opportunity while they got it. For all his talent, Clottey has yet to win a major title, which is why he needs to focus hard on trying to work on his conditioning, so as not to wear out and lose the fight in the 2nd half.