After Zab Judah’s shocking loss of his welterweight titles Saturday night – it wasn’t shocking that he lost – it was shocking that the judges got it right – the tension in the air at the Madison Square Garden Theater was thick enough to cut with a knife. The ring was crowded with people who feared and hoped to prevent another Jay Nady-type incident. That, fortunately, did not occur in New York City. Zab did not get violent Saturday – not with the ref Arthur Mercante Jr., not with the judges Melvina Lathan, Guido Cavallieri and Julie Lederman, not with his opponent Carlos Baldomir.
Among those responsible for Zab’s humiliating loss, the first name that came to his mind, the first name that popped out of his mouth, was his promoter Don King. There are several reasons for Zab’s meltdown last week, at which he needs to take a good hard if hopes to go out a winner, but Don King is not one of them.
According to the now ex-welterweight champ, “I have no excuses, but my promoter (Don King) messed me up. All week I was doing his job of promoting the fight by making appearances all over the place.�
Yeah, sure, Zab’s right, it’s true, it’s tough and it’s hard: a week of press conferences, TV appearances, radio spots, whatnot and et cetera; life’s a bitch and then you die.
At the post-fight press conference, someone told Don King what Judah said about the promoter being responsible for what happened, and King, in his fashion, was amused. He heard the accusation, smiled his zillion watt smile and said, “They’ve been blaming me for everything for as long as I can remember. The Johnstown Flood, the Sinking of the Lusitania, the San Francisco Earthquake, Krakatoa – everything but Hurricane Katrina!�
That’s as good a commentary on Judah’s excuse for his loss to Carlos Baldomir as anything I can think of at the moment.
Judah is a spoilt little brat, and always will be. He needs to have a look at how real champions like Kostya Tszyu deal with defeat. But he will never have even 1% of that amount of class.
Judah let down Brooklyn, his family, and all of New York. I think he should fight Mike Tyson next. They are made for each other. I am glad I didn’t buy a ticket.
I think if ever there was a wake-up call for Zab, this one is it! In Puerto Rico, there is a saying (translated in english), which goes like this: The Sickness is NOT IN THE BED SHEET!
For Zab to blame anyone but himself for his loss shows anything but the maturity he claimed to had gained when speaking to the press leading up to the fight.
If he is to be taken seriously from here on in — if Zab wants to become “Super” again —- if Judah wants to become the force to reckon with ever again and try to win the type of money he thinks he deserved before this fight — he must lose his posse, “dust himself off”, and take every bout as serious as a heart attack.
If not, I have another nickname for Carlos Baldomir — Carlos “Kryptonite” Baldomir.
I think Floyd Mayweather could beat Jab & Baldomir on the same night.
Joe Cambridge
Sydney Nova Scotia
Cape Breton Island
Canada
i bought tickets for the fight after seeing Zeb appear on channel 1 news promising a great fight…it was the first time i went in person to a prizefight and the tickets were very expensive.
Zeb acted like a total punk and I can now understand why he still looks up to Mike Tyson. He obviously underestimated his opponent and did not prepare properly and was an embarrassment to himself, the sport and his disappointed fans. He pulled a few unsportsmanlike desperate moves and I think he has hurt his future credibility and money-making ability….and it seems he has way too many hanger-ons.
Floyd Mayweather would have eaten Judah for lunch regardless of the outcome of this fight, nobody out there can match the speed or power of Mayweather. I just wish Zab would have whooped Baldomir so it would have been even sweeter when he gets destroyed by Mayweather. After this horrific performance, Zab says he still wants to fight Mayweather… are you serious Zab? Even on his best day, Judah couldn’t be half as good as Pretty Boy Floyd at 50 percent. Judah’s a scrub, Mayweather is the future of the sport… bottom line.
people are saying zab judah this and that, what they don’t realize is that the promoter plays a big part in this. Don King will put you up just to bring you down, he’s not worth a d*mn! Let him go zab, you see what he did to mike tyson, man he messed mike tyson up years ago and mike ain’t been able to bounce back from that since!
Judah vs Mayweather…………a mis-match. Judah ‘nowhere’ in Mayweather’s league…That would be a repeat of Mayweather/Gatti.
Zab got exactly what he deserved Saturday night – to blame Don is ridiculous. The way he acted proved to everyone that boxing is a MAN’S sport, and not for the halfhearted punks who happen to have fast hands and little else. Hats off to Baldomir (my new hero) and Showtime for some great action
Ricky Hatton would eat Judah and Mayweather for lunch.
Judah is a good boxer, but compared to mayweather is he’s nothing. He’s is making a big mistake trying to fight Mayweather.
Hatton would eat Judah. But Hatton v. Mayweather? That would be be something to watch. This is the next step for Mayweather for a key 2006 fight. The odds on that one in Vegas should be very even.
Mayweather is moving up because he is scared of Ricky Hatton
the press, in particular, has a way of bestowing “knighthood” to a lot of these fighters when they win a fight against a name opponent … examples:
shane mosely(like ray robinson) ,fernando vargas (another punk) ,vernon forest etc..etc. like shane mosely ,when he beat delahoya ,i coudn’t beleive what i was hearing! they were comparing him to sugar ray robinson! holy crap! then he goes on to get beat twice in a row by vernon forrest, and i thought oscar beat him the 2nd one. but that’s neither here nor there.
vargas – he was the next GREATwelterweight … he got lucky when the judges for his fight with winky wright were staring at an eclipse of the sun that day and couldn’t see and gave him the fight. and, of course, he was going to show oscar de la hoya how to be a “real” mexican when they fought. to make sure he took illegal steroids that gave him an edge for 5 or 6 rds but eventually ran out of gas. he got KO’d in 11 rds. in his last fight he looked terrible, but who cares…..
now vernon forrest, here is a nice guy, he was suppose to “run through the division and then move up in weight” … “he is tall and would carry it well” said the press. well he beat Sugar Ray – oops – i mean sugar shane and got annilihated in the next two fights with ricardo mayorga. they both are pretty much out of it, with mayorga being demolished by a faded trinidad and vernon trying to comeback from those defeats.
judah is another one who has all this to look forward to if he doesn’t get it together … he needs to get rid of his dad as trainer … his posse and his attitude that it’s everyone’s responsibility but his to get him ready for a fight.
Zapped is your new name
You crazy? Hatton would get whipped by Mayweather. Zab just is a nobody with a big mouth.
Zab – don’t fight Mayweather
It’s sad to see such talent wasted. Zab can fight – we’ve all seen it. He has too many distraction around him. As soon he grows up we may his skills again, without all the baggage surrounding him.
SORRY JUDAH, YOUR PERFOMANCE: WELL LET’S SAY YOU HAD A BAD NIGHT. REGARDING PRETTY BOY MAYWEATHER. HE’S NO JOKE.
Proves what we all knew … Judah is a loud mouthed punk. He says he still wants the mayweather fight … i’m sure what he means is he still wants the mayweather fight paycheck … any word on Barrera-Chavez for March 25th? when is Marco gonna sign off on this one , geez , after the vargas-mosley and hopkins-jones snoozers we will need a good one- Nate in NC “see ya at the cashiers window”
mayweather is too fast for judah … i’m sure he would kick his b*tt.
Since Zab was embarrassed on Sat. he will go back to the gym and focus and train harder than ever for the Mayweather fight.This fight will no longer be PPV and Zab will receive about 10 times less money than Floyd … but this will make Zab hungrier. Zab will still lose but it will be a more entertaining fight.
I bet Zab had to sell those diamonds in his big mouth to pay for all the parties he was going to after the fight. What a ….!!!!
ZAB HAS TALENT NO DOUBT. BUT HE ACTS LIKE ALL THOSE TYPICAL OVER HYPED NY FIGHTERS ALWAYS RUNNIN THEY MOUTH ABOUT BROOKLYN THIS AND THE BRONX THAT THEN NEVER REACH THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL CAUSE THEY BELIEVE IT’S WHERE YA FROM. REPRESENT YA SELF AND YA FAMILY PLAYA AND LEAVE ALL THAT 1980′S HYPE OUT OF IT CAUSE “BROOKLYN” AIN’T BEEN IN THE HOUSE SINCE !!!!
LET’S NOT FORGET WHAT ZAB HAS ACCOMPLISHED THESE LAST FEW YEARS. THE TWO FIGHTS WITH SPINKS WERE GREAT. I DON’T THINK HE SHOULD BE WRITTEN OFF SO QUICKLY. IF HE GETS HIS MIND RIGHT I THINK HE COULD STILL BE A HANDFUL FOR MAYWEATHER – WHO IS NO DOUBT A GREAT FIGHTER. I WOULD STILL LIKE TO SEE ZAB AND FLOYD GO AT IT IT – STILL WOULD BE A GREAT FIGHT. DON’T BE TOO QUICK TO DISMISS ZAB. YOU KNOW MOST GUYS DON’T GET UP FOR A TUNE-UP FIGHT AND THAT’S WHY THEY BLOW THE BIG PAYDAYS. HE HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAN ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS MADE THE SAME MISTAKE. LET’S JUST HOPE HE DOESN’T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN SO WE WON’T MISS OUT ON A GREAT FIGHT.
Thank god I get pirated satellite TV. There is no way I would have paid to watch that fight.
liam… are you totally out of your bird? Do you honestly think that Hatton can beat Maweather? Mayweather is too fast, and probably too strong, but that doesn’t even matter dude, what does is that nobody is smarter in the ring than Pretty Boy. Say whatever you want about Hatton, is he tough? Yes. Is he strong? Yes. Is he a smart fighter? Hell no! He’s a street brawler with the balls to beat most fighters. Pretty Boy has the balls to fight him though. I have always given Hatton credit and have said that he will indeed give Mayweather a very tough fight, probably the toughest of his career, but in the end, like always, Mayweather will figure him out and beat him.
After being a long time fan of boxing and seeing many of judah’s … i would bet everything i own that zab will bounce back.
its sad to see that. zab was one of my favorite fighters. he shouldnt be acting like that though. he, like all great champs after a loss, needs to suck it up, take it like a man, and get back to the gym. he blame anyone he wants. it aint gunna get his belt back. as far as zab and ricky hatton, i dunno that would be a fight to see. but i think i would have to put my money on the hitman.
mga putang ina ninyo
thanks for a great fight judah – your career is over
Bossman… after seeing all the cry baby crap that Judah has pulled throughout his entire career, do you honestly give a damn if Judah bounces back? I honestly believe he should walk himself into oncoming traffic, but then again that’s just my opinion. With the level of corruption in the sport, especially with King as the promoter, and the BS that Judah pulls and the way he whines, cries, and complains like a 4 year old, you know he is going to get a shot at one of his vacant titles, probably against a worthless scrub along the likes of Sharmba Mitchell, no wait, that’s too much competition for Zab, probably along the likes of Ben Tackie, Alfonso Gomez, David Estrada, or Luis Collazo. The only way Judah can truly bounce back and be respected again and the only way in hell he should get a shot at one of his now vacant titles is against Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather, and to be respected, he’s got to beat Mayweather, clearly. I’m sorry, but even on his best day Judah couldn’t even give Mayweather half a round’s worth of real competition.
ZAB HAS NOT CHANGED SINCE HIS DEFEAT BY AUSTRALIAN LEGEND KOSTYA TSZYU – A REAL CHAMP. ZAB CONTINUES TO UNDERESTIMATE HIS OPPOSITION’ … GOOD LUCK WITH PRETTY BOY, AS FLOYD WILL SEND HIM BACK TO BROOKLYN!!!!
GO FLOYD
James… you are indeed right that Judah has done a lot recently, nevertheless he is still an arrogant egotistical maniac. You say most fighters don’t get up for tune-up fights, while that may be somewhat true… its total BS and should never happen. True champions get up for any and every fight… no matter who it’s against or what’s on the line. Mayweather certainly got up for his tune up fight against Mitchell, who is certainly a more highly regarded fighter than Baldomir. You see James… that is exactly what separates Judah from Mayweather, heart, will, and desire… 3 things which Zab Judah lacks.
Alex I like how you put that down on James comment regarding “Zab the Scab”. First of all if you really pay attention closely to these fighters. Everyone would of seen after Scabs fight with TSZYU. That Scab cant take a punch. He did the Trevor Berbick dance that his homie Mike dished out back in the 80’s. Once a fighter get’s chin checked to that extreme. Boxers know that from each fight on, that guy is one punch from doing the Trevor / Zab The Scab dance again. Baldomir if he didnt see the fight saw the tapes. He knew all he had to do is press Zab (I mean Scab) and eventually his bitch ass would crack. Scab’s all mouth and couldnt squash a damn grape if you showed him how. Let alone stand across the ring from a Mayweather. Let’s face it, he knew it and was to damn scared to even make it to the big payday. All it would of been if he did have the nut sack to get to the big dance. Is him doing the Trevor damn Berbick all across the damn ring “all over again”. Scab needs to go take his “Brooky – Brook”…or should I say “Babblin Brook” a$$ somewhere and sit down. All that damn “Babblin” and excuses about “anything” just shows how much of a bitch made trick he really is. This is Boxing yawl!!! THIS AINT NO DAMN RAP CONCERT where you come in “blang-blangin” witt ya “Babblin Broke a$$” posse!!!….Get ya mind right or step off “which is what he should do”…I hate to say it but we havent seen the last of Zab The Scab. It’s only going to get worse until they ban his trick a$$, cause he aint $hit!…”now that’s word”.
Indeed, Zab Judah was not prepared for this fight. He was fighting one punch at a time and reduced dramatically in activity after being stunned in the seventh round. His ability to take a punch has been seriously questioned. Against Kostya Tszyu it was understandable that he was knocked silly considering that Tszyu is a big puncher, but to once again be put on jelly legs by a journeyman boxer who is not considered a big puncher should be a serious wake up call for Judah. Judah needs to take a step back and analyze his career. In my opinion he should move back down to 140 pounds because he clearly cannot handle welterweight power. Besides that, my other piece of advice is pretty obvious, taking every fight seriously!!!! You would think that after the Buster Douglas upset of Mike Tyson, the more recent Hasim Rahman upset of Lennox Lewis and the Zahir Raheem upset of Eric Morales that fighters would get the message to train properly for their fights. Zab reminds me of Riddick Bowe. Only when he truly has something to prove do we see his best performance. I do not doubt that Zab will come back strong from this loss, as he did in his rematch with Cory Spinks. The most appropriate fight for him would be a rematch with Tszyu considering that they are both coming off big upset losses. This is a fight that I do believe Zab can win with his hand speed, just as long as he stays away from Tszyu’s power, something he failed to do in their first bout.
I totally understand why Zab blamed Don King for the loss, very upset and heated he flat out called Don King DIRTY! I do believe Zab did not train hard at all and focused more on promoting himself. After closely watching, and the end of the fight, Jab with a concerned look, walked over to a certain individual in the ring and on live broadcast nodding his head, he loudly assured Jab, “I got you”. Heard loud and clear. When Judah heard that, you could see that grin on his face. But little did he know that it was caught on camera in front of millions of viewers. When the announcer called it, Zab was furious cuz his promoter was suppposed to have taken care of it and he didn’t come thru on his promise. That’s why Zab uncovered Don and flat out blamed him for the loss. I realized right away as soon as I saw and heard that comment, that this was another Don King FIX! He probably was not able to buy the fighter, but most likely the judges. I think at that moment, the fix was called off because of Zab’s dumb ass had to go over and confirm it, had he not done that, I”m sure he’d still have his title. So going into this fight, Zab was assured a win as long as he didn’t get knocked out. Why train if your promoter is paying off people so you can get a monster payday to fight with Mayweather. I’m sure for that fight, Zab would train really hard and actually make it an interesting fight. I wouldn’t count out Zab, it seems he fights better when his back is to the wall and his mouth shut. You can also see Zab’s dad angry at King trying to get an explanation. When in reality, Zab just plainly got beat up and his belt taken from him. Don’t count on King, Zab.
Everybody has an excuse! Take responsibility for one’s own actions. Zab was beaten by a better boxer on Saturday. He can now make the choice to try and redeem himself, possibly making a successful comeback. Look at the past. Great boxers dominate, age, and must accept their fate. Like the comments about Kostya Tszyu. He’s a banger! However, a good boxer would play with him. Also, I agree that Ricky Hattan is a “BAD MAN.” However, Mayweather and Hatton will have their day, then the same will happen to them. The trouble with boxers is they are bred to “fight.” I like to give them the respect they deserve for climbing through the ropes. How many of you “old” fighters ever accepted the fact that you could, at some point, be “over the hill?”