The Way I See It: 09.02.09: Super Thoughts
Posted by Joe Roche on 09.02.2009
As we waive goodbye to summer and welcome in the height of 2009's boxing season I take a moment to look at someone who won't be appearing on the Mayweather-Marquez undercard, Zab "Super" Judah.
The Curious Case of Zab Judah
It was announced this week that Zab "Super" Judah (37-6, 27 KO's) would not be appearing on the undercard of the Sept. 19th HBO Boxing pay per view headlined by Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez. Judah had originally been slated to face Matthew Hatton in one of the three undercard fights at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, however due to a contract dispute about the catch-weight for the bout Hatton dropped out and Antonio "Tono" Diaz (46-5-1, 29 KO's) was inserted as a replacement. This past week Judah announced that Diaz was not worthy of fighting him as he was a "nobody" and the purse being offered to Zab for the fight was far to low for the former unified welterweight champion to consider fighting Diaz on Sept. 19th.
Judah's decision to label Diaz as unworthy and Matthew Hatton as "worthy" (for lack of a better term) appears to stem from the fact that Hatton would bring in the U.K. audience. "The only reason Matthew Hatton would get a shot is because what he brings to the table, he brings the U.K." is the exact sentiment expressed by Judah to the media during an open workout in Cleveland, Ohio where Judah was this past weekend to attend the "Latin Invasion" pay per view event.
After making the announcement that he would be "booted and suited" and not in boxing trunks and gloves on Sept. 19th, Zab began making his case for bigger things in his future. "If we've got to go to 140 and get [Juan] Diaz, we'll go there. If we've got to go to 147 for [Andre] Berto, we'll get him. Berto is too slow for me. He fought Cosme Rivera, went ten rounds and got dropped. I dropped Cosme eight seconds into the first round, knocked him out in the third." His comments calling out Diaz and Berto began in Cleveland but they spilled over onto the internet as Zab Judah began broadcasting himself live on the popular video blog website UStream throughout this past week. During his broadcasts Judah spent a great deal of time calling out Berto and Diaz, as well as Nate Campbell and any other fighter that he might stir up enough to agree to fight him at some point in the future.
At this point there doesn't appear to be anything on the horizon for "Super" Judah, although if you stay connected to the man through his twitter feed [@superjudah] and his ustream feed you will surely known the minute anything changes. Judah has said that he is still in the ring and training so that he will be prepared to fight once or twice before the end of the year. At this point it just remains to be seen who exactly Super Judah Promotions is able to line up for the former junior welterweight, and welterweight world champion.
The Way I See It: I've got two different things I wanted to talk about concerning Zab Judah. The first is my feelings about Judah pulling out of the Mayweather-Marquez undercard. The second issue is my feelings on Judah's internet persona, and his use of ustream and other social networking services to promote himself and call out various fighters. We'll start with the easier topic of the two – Judah's decision to not fight on the Mayweather-Marquez undercard.
The last time we saw Zab Judah in a boxing ring it was November 2008 when he won a unanimous decision over Ernest Johnson at Madison Square Garden. The fight was relatively one sided and only made competitive because of a significant cut over the left eye of Judah that was caused by an accidental head butt early in the fight. Zab looked good in the fight, and his punch output was phenomenal as usual. Zab's offensive output essentially overwhelmed Johnson who for his part looked game, but was obviously in over his head with a fighter of Judah's pedigree.
Prior to the Johnson fight Judah was mired in the worst stretch of his career. From January 2007 through the present date Judah has amassed a professional record of 3-4-1. That number is a bit deceiving when you look closer at the competition that Judah faced during that stretch. His losses came at the hands of Carlos Baldomir, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, and Joshua Clottey, so at the very least it could be said that Judah was in the ring with some of, if not the best fighters in his weight class. Of course Judah critics point to the three victories over Ernest Johnson, Ryan Davis, and Edwin Vazquez as evidence that Judah no longer has the ability to beat quality opposition and the only time he can get a victory is if it's against lesser competition. That may be fair – but does that necessarily mean that Judah should just be happy when a fight comes along and face the first (or second) guy placed in front of him?
At one time Zab Judah was the undisputed welterweight champion, and he is still ranked by The Ring Magazine as one of the Top 10 welterweights in the world today, a fact which should support Judah's contention that he need not worry about fighting any guy who happens to walk into a gym and ask for a fight with a former world champion. People can talk about his diminished skills, or his questionable chin, or how slow he has gotten over the last few years – but if the only reputable ranking system that we have in professional boxing (a claim that is at least disputable) still ranks Judah as one of the Top 10 welterweights in the world, then why should we be surprised that he feels a bit offended when he's told that Antonio Diaz will be his next opponent?
Do you know who Antonio Diaz has beaten recently? Do the names Javier Castro, Mario Ramos and Juan Pablo Montes de Oca ring a bell? Of course they don't – but that's the level of competition that Diaz has been in the ring with over his last three fights. The reputable competition that Diaz has fought, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley both had little trouble dispatching Diaz. The truth about Antonio Diaz is that he's a journeyman fighter who carries little to no name value. Whether or not you think Zab Judah is still a world class fighter, the fact remains that his name carries some value, and he is still a highly regarded welterweight at this stage of his career.
Which brings me to my ultimate point – and that is the name value that Zab Judah still carries. I'm not sure that Judah himself wouldn't admit that his best days are probably behind him. If his days as a top tier championship caliber fighter have passed, then the last chance he has to make as much as possible per fight is to cash in on his name value – a commodity that simply doesn't have a very long shelf life. Boxers who have reached the top of the mountain and have started the decline down the other side have a limited window to cash in; because once they start losing on a regular basis they're done. I brought this up with Paulie Malignaggi last week when I talked about how his best bet at securing some big fights in the next year or so was due to his name value, and the fact that most of the top fighters would be comfortable fighting him, while still adding an impressive name to their resume. Zab Judah finds himself in a similar situation.
So why not fight Antonio Diaz? Because there is simply no value there for Judah. The Matthew Hatton fight made sense for "Super" Judah because while Matthew is not the most famous brother in his house, he's still a Hatton, and he'd bring the U.K. fans to the table on Sept. 19th. If Judah beat Hatton (which he most likely would have) the storyline for Judah's next fight would already have been written. I could see Judah doing his post fight interview with the Union Jack over his shoulders – a fight in the U.K. against the almost retired Ricky Hatton, looking to avenge his brother and go out on top would have been a major draw. It's all about the dollar signs and a fight with Matthew Hatton had dollar signs all over the place not just for Sept. 19th but for the next fight as well.
Antonio Diaz brings none of that – and as a matter of fact that only thing that could happen with a Diaz fight is that Judah slips up and is beaten. Immediately a loss to Diaz would turn the potential to cash in on the Judah name to zero and Zab would be stuck in a position where he was still game to fight, but none of the money fighters (or networks) would sign a contract to fight him because his value would be next to nothing. So Zab did the smart thing – bowed out of the Diaz fight and kept his name recognition, and drawing power in tact (even if it took a minor hit) so that he could draw out one of the younger champions looking to pad their resume with a former great.
This brings me to the second issue, Zab Judah's penchant for self promotion via the internet. There are many fighters who use twitter as a means of communicating with the fans, and keeping people up to date on their upcoming fights/previous fights. None of them have been drawn to the internet as wholly as Zab Judah who seems to have his entire life on the video blog website ustream to the point where I am constantly getting updates from @superjudah at twitter that he is "now live" on the site. Judah has turned his entire life into an ongoing vlog (got I hate that term). He brought his fans into the hotel room where he was staying in Cleveland, backstage at the "Latin Invasion" pay per view card, and then back to Las Vegas in his own home. Judah is constantly on ustream, and it is absolutely fascinating for anyone who has missed out on the broadcasts.
It was through these constant video streams that Judah ramped up his noise making concerning current WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (himself an avid twitterer), Nate Campbell, and Juan Diaz. All three fighters would be considered "name" fighters, and none of the three have expressed any interest in fighting Judah. Berto for his part responded to Judah's taunts by saying via his twitter account that he'd only need two weeks to prepare for a fight with Judah, and that he'd knock "Super" Judah out in the first round. Of course trash talk is trash talk, and there is absolutely no movement from either side to actually sign on for the fight.
As a fringe boxing "journalist" I find the whole Zab Judah-social networking connection fascinating beyond belief. I can't imagine ten years ago a fighter giving his fans, and really anyone else the type of access that Judah has exposed these last few days – and that's even taking into account the horrible microphone that Judah's uses on his ustream video and the ridiculous – no content, only shoutout – nature of his ustream show. There was a time, way back when the world was in black and white when fighters had to call each other out face to face, or through the press – but now they're talking directly to one another via twitter, or some other social networking site. Judah is actively campaigning for bigger paydays, and better fights not through his Promotion Company, or different television networks – but through the people. It's an interesting development in a sport that has been run so closely by a group of shadowy figures for so long.
But really where does this leave Zab Judah? I honestly do not believe that Andre Berto will agree to a fight with Judah even though I think it's a no brainer. Like I said earlier, Judah is still a Top 10 ranked fighter, his name still carries some cache, and if the fight is on the East Coast (NY, NJ, CT) then he's going to draw a crowd. I've heard all week that HBO was trying to get Berto on the undercard of a Shane Mosley – Joshua Clottey card for December, and frankly if Berto won't fight Issac Hlatshwayo then perhaps HBO should be on the phone (or twitter) with "Super" Judah – because a Mosley-Clottey, Berto-Judah double header would be a very interesting night of fights. The other benefit to the fight for Berto is that if he were to get a victory over Judah it would give him that name that people claim is missing from his rather soft resume, while not exposing him to the dangers of fighting someone truly at the top of the division.
My other suggestion – if Andre Berto will not fight for HBO in December because the purse isn't big enough is to entice Judah to sign onto the card and face Issac Hlatshwayo for the IBF welterweight title. I was at Mohegan Sun when Hlatshwayo won the vacant IBF welterweight title over Delvin Rodriguez and I don't think there is anything special in the South African champion. Hlatshwayo is not a draw, which means that whenever he fights next it'll have to be on the undercard of a bigger show, and against someone with some name value. Zab Judah on the undercard of Mosley-Clottey solves both of those problems, and it opens up a new door for Judah because a victory over Hlatshwayo would give Judah one more world championship – and a great bargaining chip to get Andre Berto's attention in 2010.
The problem that Judah is faced with is that there are many people who believe that he's less of a fighter now and more of a personality. His twitter/ustream love may be a sign of the fighter distancing himself from the ring and looking to take on a more Floyd Mayweather Jr. role as celeb-u-boxer. It was a fine career move for Mayweather, who had a lot of heat on himself when he left the sport to take up acting/wrestling/dancing – a point that shouldn't be lost on Judah if he has decided to try on Floyd's tasseled dance pants. Mayweather had something to come back to, but Judah won't have the same doors open for him as his friend "Money" had after two years. If I was advising Zab Judah I'd tell him to strike while the iron it hot, use the capital that he's built up in his name and reputation to sign for a fight that will make him some money because while his fans (myself included) love him on ustream and twitter – it'll be difficult to draw viewers if you stay away from the ring for too long.
The Way I See Bullet Points
- We're going to start with a self serving bullet point this week as I will be at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island on Friday September 4th for a CES Boxing show that will feature 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius "Boo Boo" Andrade. If you're in the Lincoln, RI area on Friday night it's going to be a very good night of fights and if you haven't seen Demetrius Andrade you have the chance to see this future champion on Friday night, plus you can always hang around and have a few adult themed beverages with yours truly after the show. In addition for those of you who won't be able to attend I will be live twittering the results (@411JRoche) because I can do that from my phone, and the Twin River Event Center wireless network hates my laptop.
- Quick thoughts on the season finale of Friday Night Fights: I thought Juan Urango looked much bigger then Randall Bailey and while he didn't fight a perfect fight I thought Urango showed a lot of heart getting up off the canvas to dominate the second half of the fight like he did. The opening bout to me was a better all around fight as Clinton Woods had nothing for Tavoris Cloud but he was game throughout the 12 rounds and Cloud surely learned a lot from that fight. I thought Cloud looked like a stud in that fight with good power, and impressive speed – he's still a bit raw but I liked what I saw against a crafty veteran who can retire with his chin held high because he accomplished a lot more then talent probably would have led anyone to believe was possible.
- Caught a replay of Brian Viloria's WBC junior flyweight title defense against Jesus Iribe and the first thing that popped into my head was that the ring looked incredibly large for those two. The fight was really a pretty solid bout between the two and while Viloria obviously controlled the fight I thought Iribe held his own and there were some times when I thought Viloria was legitimately rocked. I admire Viloria wanting to make boxing big on the Hawaiian islands – and this past weekend was a nice start, the crowd sounded loud and seemed to be into the fight from beginning to end.
- Also had a chance to catch the "Latin Invasion" PPV that was headlined by Hector Camacho Jr. and Israel "Pita" Cardona. Cardona is a difficult opponent for anyone and he showed that he had a lot more in the tank then I think people expected, however the night belonged to Camacho Jr. who may not have vaulted himself back into title contention but he at least got the win and can look to the future now. Also on the card Ron "The American Dream" Johnson won the WBC UNSB light heavyweight title and immediately made it known (via his promoter) that he wanted a match with Joey "K.O. Kid" Spina from Providence, Rhode Island. Spina is promoted by Jimmy Burchfield so I am going to try and get a word with either Spina, or Burchfield on Friday night and see what the chances of that fight happening are at this point.
The Way I See The Week Ahead
Friday, Sept. 4, 2009
TV: None
- Jose Lopez (38-7-2, 32 KO's) v. Marvin Sonsona (13-0-0, 12 KO's)
Try not to be too depressed at the very light schedule this weekend because next weekend begins the massive fall/winter season in the world of boxing. If I were you I'd take the weekend to get your affairs in order because there is going to be one great fight per week until about Christmas time and I don't want you friends and family to suffer without advance warning of what is coming down the road for them. In a somewhat related note on this particular fight unless you live in Ontario The fight is for Lopez's WBO junior bantamweight title but I don't think I'd favor the champion in this one. I know next to nothing about Sonsona, but I do know that Lopez lost his previous four WBO title fights, and Sonsona has won his previous 12 fights all by KO. While Sonsona is only the #6 challenger ranked by the WBO I think we'll have a new champion at the end of this fight.
Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009
TV: HBO (TV PICK OF THE WEEK)
- Floyd Mayweather Jr. – Juan Manuel Marquez 24/7
Well when there is no real boxing on then you might as well make 24/7 your one "must see" TV choice of the week. The show airs at 10:00 PM/ET and if the second episode is as well put together as the first episode then it'll be worth checking out. The first episode did a good job of showing us all the Floyd Mayweather Jr., that we all love to hate, and also established that the entire series will be carried by the charismatic, and English speaking Mayweather clan. Marquez for his part looked strong, although I still think the weight is going to slow him down some. Also nice cameo in the first episode by Rafael Marquez. Can't wait for the second episode on Saturday.
