Cotto vs. Judah....Explosive"
rayj
Banned
After another snoozer of a fight this past weekend Boxing is gasping for a breath of excitement and hopefully will get it this Saturday in a card labeled Explosive. Undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (29-0, 24 KOs) will defend his title against former three-time world champion Zab Judah Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The card will air live on pay-per-view from New York City.
In the early 1980s the heavyweight division was weak and boxing lacked luster similar to now. The sport was saved by a barrage of young talented welterweights and middleweights with names like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Haggler, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, John The Beast Mugabi, and Wilfred Benitez.
Boxing experts know that if the sport is to flourish again it will once again be the welterweight division that leads the resurgence. Saturday night will hopefully continue the recent trend of tremendous fights in this division.
Miguel Cotto is one of the bright young superstars in boxing and reminds many of fellow Puerto Rican, Felix Tito Trinidad. He is only 26-years old and has already fought in 11 title fights.
He is a power-punching orthodox fighter with a devastating body attack and one punch knockout power in both hands. He has a spectacular 83 percent knockout rate and has been able to carry that power as he has moved up in weight from the lightweight to the welterweight division.
Cotto is not just a one-trick pony that relies on his power. He can also box with anybody in the division as proved by his domination of then undefeated slickster Paul Malignaggi a year ago in Madison Square Garden.
His resume is impressive, littered with wins over some of the top names between 135 and 147 pounds. The welterweight division, which is loaded with some of the biggest names in the sport, has added yet another superstar to the mix with Cotto winning two straight title fights since entering the division.
Zab Judah is one of the most talented fighters in the sport today. He is a skilled southpaw with blazing hand speed and knockout power. Yet his career has been marred with controversy and disappointment.
He started his career with 27 straight wins, winning a world title which he successfully defended five times and seemed bound for stardom in the division until running into Kostya Tszyu in November 2001.
Judah was heavily favored over the aging Tszyu and after a dominating opening round it appeared as though Tszyu would become just another notch in the growing belt of the young champion. Yet he walked into a perfectly timed straight right hand which dropped Judah and he was unable to recover and the fight was stopped in the second round.
Not only did Judah lose his first fight, his title, and his feeling of invincibility, he also lost his composure. He attempted to choke referee Jay Nady after the fight for stopping the fight, although it was clearly the right decision.
This started a run of setbacks for Judah. He was easily out boxed by Cory Spinks in 2004 and was an overwhelming 15-1 favorite over journeyman Carlos Baldomir in a January 2006 fight at MSG. Baldomir repeatedly landed heavy right hands en route to an upset over Judah.
He then fought Floyd Mayweather Jr in April of last year and once again not only did Zab lose the fight, he once again lost his composure. After delivering what appeared to be a deliberate low blow which kicked off a riot in the ring he was seen punching someone from behind during the skirmish.
Both Zab and his father/trainer Joel were suspended from boxing for one year and fined heavily. Zab made his return to the ring this past April with a tune-up fight against a club fighter named Rubin Galvan.
The fight was stopped less than a minute into the fight after a massive cut opened on the face of Galvin. Although the cut appeared to be caused by a punch, the referee ruled that it came from an accidental foul (elbow). The fight was ruled a no contest.
So Judah will enter this mega pay-per-view clash having not won a fight in almost two years with many questions to answer.
BetCris.com has opened the fight with Cotto at -340 to successfully defend his title. The total opened at 9 1/2 rounds with the under at -135.
There a lot of reasons to question whether Judah can dethrone Cotto, but at this price there may also be enough to like about Judah to make him worth the risk with such a high return.
In the early 1980s the heavyweight division was weak and boxing lacked luster similar to now. The sport was saved by a barrage of young talented welterweights and middleweights with names like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Haggler, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, John The Beast Mugabi, and Wilfred Benitez.
Boxing experts know that if the sport is to flourish again it will once again be the welterweight division that leads the resurgence. Saturday night will hopefully continue the recent trend of tremendous fights in this division.
Miguel Cotto is one of the bright young superstars in boxing and reminds many of fellow Puerto Rican, Felix Tito Trinidad. He is only 26-years old and has already fought in 11 title fights.
He is a power-punching orthodox fighter with a devastating body attack and one punch knockout power in both hands. He has a spectacular 83 percent knockout rate and has been able to carry that power as he has moved up in weight from the lightweight to the welterweight division.
Cotto is not just a one-trick pony that relies on his power. He can also box with anybody in the division as proved by his domination of then undefeated slickster Paul Malignaggi a year ago in Madison Square Garden.
His resume is impressive, littered with wins over some of the top names between 135 and 147 pounds. The welterweight division, which is loaded with some of the biggest names in the sport, has added yet another superstar to the mix with Cotto winning two straight title fights since entering the division.
Zab Judah is one of the most talented fighters in the sport today. He is a skilled southpaw with blazing hand speed and knockout power. Yet his career has been marred with controversy and disappointment.
He started his career with 27 straight wins, winning a world title which he successfully defended five times and seemed bound for stardom in the division until running into Kostya Tszyu in November 2001.
Judah was heavily favored over the aging Tszyu and after a dominating opening round it appeared as though Tszyu would become just another notch in the growing belt of the young champion. Yet he walked into a perfectly timed straight right hand which dropped Judah and he was unable to recover and the fight was stopped in the second round.
Not only did Judah lose his first fight, his title, and his feeling of invincibility, he also lost his composure. He attempted to choke referee Jay Nady after the fight for stopping the fight, although it was clearly the right decision.
This started a run of setbacks for Judah. He was easily out boxed by Cory Spinks in 2004 and was an overwhelming 15-1 favorite over journeyman Carlos Baldomir in a January 2006 fight at MSG. Baldomir repeatedly landed heavy right hands en route to an upset over Judah.
He then fought Floyd Mayweather Jr in April of last year and once again not only did Zab lose the fight, he once again lost his composure. After delivering what appeared to be a deliberate low blow which kicked off a riot in the ring he was seen punching someone from behind during the skirmish.
Both Zab and his father/trainer Joel were suspended from boxing for one year and fined heavily. Zab made his return to the ring this past April with a tune-up fight against a club fighter named Rubin Galvan.
The fight was stopped less than a minute into the fight after a massive cut opened on the face of Galvin. Although the cut appeared to be caused by a punch, the referee ruled that it came from an accidental foul (elbow). The fight was ruled a no contest.
So Judah will enter this mega pay-per-view clash having not won a fight in almost two years with many questions to answer.
BetCris.com has opened the fight with Cotto at -340 to successfully defend his title. The total opened at 9 1/2 rounds with the under at -135.
There a lot of reasons to question whether Judah can dethrone Cotto, but at this price there may also be enough to like about Judah to make him worth the risk with such a high return.
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