By William Mackay: IBF light welterweight champion Zab Judah (41-6, 28 KO’s) can put to rest the hype machine of WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (25-1, 17 KO’s) if he taps his chin hard with one of his blazing fast and powerful upper cuts to send Khan down to his second knockout loss. A defeat for Khan would ruin all the dreams that Khan has been talking about with fights against WBC/WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Beating Khan may be a lot easier than some think, because Khan took an enormous amount of shots from Marcos Maidana in 2010 in a fight that Khan barely won after getting badly hurt. Khan was doing to chicken dance after getting blasted by a right hand from Maidana in the 10th. A lot of referees would have stopped the fight right then and there because Khan was out on his feet and not really fighting back for the next 30 seconds.

However, Khan was allowed to clinch his way out of the round and periodically hold for the next two rounds to preserve the win. Khan may have won the fight, but all the shots to that head couldn’t have helped him too much. Khan was already knocked out by Breidis Prescott in 2008, and hasn’t wanted any part of Prescott since losing that fight. Judah only needs to take a page from Prescott’s playbook by going at Khan at full speed ahead in the first round.

Judah needs to shoot off all his fireworks early because you can’t let Khan remain standing for the full 12 because he’ll likely win by a decision because of all the judge pleasing flurries he likes to throw. Judges love that kind of thing and it doesn’t matter whether the shots are landing or not, they love that stuff. Judah has stamina problems and tends to lose energy once his fights go past the 4th. Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach is well aware of that face, and sees Judah as only a threat in the early going. It doesn’t matter. Judah needs to chase Khan down and level him with an uppercut once Khan does his usual grabbing around the back of the head.

Khan loves that move, even thought it’s not legal. Once Khan grabs Judah around the back of the neck and starts pulling his head forward, Judah needs to nail Khan with a hard uppercut to make him let go. If the referee had it on the ball, he’d penalize Khan left and right for that move and for his habit of shoving his opponents when they get in close, but don’t count on Khan being penalized or warned. I see him getting away with these fouls. Judah needs to forget about being helped by the referee and take matters in his own hands by flattening Khan as soon as possible.