Imagine you are Antonio Margarito. Your impressive July beat down of Miguel Cotto was a rousing success both in pulling pay-per-view buys and in garnering media attention. Casual sports fans have started recognizing your name and maybe even your face.

The sky is the limit. Right? Well, not so much. There are so few people out there for you to fight for your deserved huge payday. Shane Mosley? Yawn, that guy never caught the public’s eye. Paul Williams? Nobody knows him and maybe he’s a little too dangerous. Zab Judah? I’d have a good time at least. Ricky Hatton? Um, maybe? Manny Pacquiao? Not for a while, but maybe. Floyd Mayweather, Jr.? He ain’t coming out of retirement for me. He’s scared of the Tijuana Tornado.

No, the guy I really want is Oscar De La Hoya and he says he’s done on December 6th. You then continue your daily morning routine, open your computer and check your boxing RSS feeds. Lo and behold there’s a new article from Dan Rafael about the Golden Boy.

Its headline is intriguing enough, “De La Hoya shies away from retirement talk.” You start to get really excited. Does he want to fight me? Please Oscar, please. I could retire after the money made from that fight. You scan down the page. Still no mention. But wait. Here it is:

“My dream is to fight at Estadio Azteca,” De La Hoya said at the news conference. “I want a big farewell fight to leave a lasting impression all over the world with a huge event…fighting there would be a dream come true, and that’s why I don’t rule out the possibility of having another fight next year.”

“Oh my heavens,” your inner Antonio must be thinking, “he must be talking about me! Who else would he fight at the Azteca? It ain’t gonna be Sergio Mora or Ricky Hatton I guarantee you that! I need to start training right now. It doesn’t matter if he wins or loses to Manny; everyone in Mexico will want to see that fight. I’ll be avenging my hero Julio Cesar Chavez. I can’t wait.”

Neither can we Antonio, neither can we.

Post from: EveryJoe

De La Hoya Not Set on Retirement; Magarito Ecstatic

Let’s hope Paul Williams hasn’t read ESPN.com’s recap of the Joshua Clottey – Zab Judah fight. What does it say? That despite Judah’s loss he might be next in line for the recently lionized welterweight champ Antonio Margarito.

It seems that Clottey tore his bicep in the fifth round of that fight. That’s right, the Ghanian TORE HIS BICEP and still managed to be more powerful and look better than Judah. Zab’s claim of not being able to continue because of purported lost vision looks a lot more cowardly now.

No matter, despite his ridiculous display he still might get the coveted big money fight against Margarito. How many lives does this guy have? How many chances can he get? How can someone keep getting rewarded for be so unsuccessful?

Judah stands no chance of beating Margarito. He hasn’t beaten anyone of note in three years! Nevertheless he gives the fight an American, a recognizable name, and someone with a fan base. The fight would take place on November 1 and presumably be broadcast on HBO and not a pay-per-view. Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t mind seeing Margarito destroy Judah.

But the question still remains, who could Margarito have chosen? Clearly Margarito doesn’t want #3 Paul Williams yet. So who else could it be? A quick look a boxrec.com’s top welterweights gives few answers.

Here are those unavailable b/c a prior engagement:
2. Shane Mosley; 6. Andre Berto; 7. Jackson Bonsu.

Also unavailable:
4. Miguel Cotto; 5. Joshua Clottey.

Unattractive:
10. Kermit Cintron (Margarito KOd him in April) 12. Jesus Soto Karass (Is a Margarito sparring partner and shares the same trainer).

The remainders:
8. Sebastian Andres Lujan (Margarito TKOd him in 2005 but he looked good against Jose Luis Castillo on Wednesday)
9. Isaac Hlatswayo
11. Motoki Sasaki
13. Said Ouiali
14. Zab Judah
15. Alfonso Gomez

Given the need for a recognizable name the choice is essentially between Zab and The Contender alum Alfonso Gomez. I gotta admit that I’d rather see Judah.

Post from: EveryJoe

Zab Judah Loses Fight But May Win the War

Last night on HBO welterweight Zab Judah added yet another disgraceful end to his litany of dubiousness. After impressively standing toe to toe with powerful Ghanian Joshua Clottey for eight rounds a cut was opened over Judah’s right eye in the ninth.

How that cut manifested itself became an object of contention. Multiple replays indicated that the cut was opened by a Clottey uppercut. Nevertheless the referee judged it to be caused by a head butt. While being examined by the ref Judah appeared to get the “how many fingers do I have up?” question wrong.

I’m no doctor and I can’t attest to Judah’s vision problems but the cut didn’t appear to be particularly debilitating.

It certainly seemed that Judah thought he was ahead on the cards and when given the head-butt out he decided to quit. Post-fight Judah raised his arms as if he had won, denied that a punch caused the cut despite clear evidence to the contrary, admitted that he thought he was ahead on the cards, and crowned himself the people’s champ.

The most damning evidence for Super Judah came next when HBO announcer Max Kellerman interviewed the ringside doctor. In his recap of the situation he said that Zab told him he couldn’t see. After removing the blood the doctor judged that Zab could fight but Judah still insisted that he could not see.

The doctor didn’t outright say that Zab was lying but his tone was so incredulous that Kellerman asked him “It sounds like you don’t believe him?” We don’t believe Judah either.

Which is a shame. He is as talented an American welterweight as we’ve seen in the last fifteen years and he looked especially determined in the first eight rounds last night.

How many more chances is Zab going to get? Probably a few more even though he is only 2-4 (with one no contest) over the last three years.

The Clottey bout showed that he remains a popular draw and is still a good, if not great, fighter. It’s doubtful that he’ll be headlining a pay-per-view as he was supposed to with Shane Mosley but this won’t be his last HBO appearance.

We can’t wait to see what sort of controversial ending he can make happen next time.

Photo Source: http://www.newscom.com/

Post from: EveryJoe

Zab Judah. Controversial Ending. You Don’t Say.

Who is Mrs. Jabandgrapple’s favorite boxer to watch? I’m going to hazard a guess and say Zab Judah. It’s not because she enjoys his flashy style or thinks he’s particularly handsome. No sir. For reasons that elude me she hates Super Judah with a passion. She loves to see him knocked out, made a fool of, and lose. Luckily for her Judah has been knocked out in spectacular fashion and his DQ history and potential rivals even Mike Tyson.

Why do I mention Zab? It’s not because he’s fighting Joshua Clottey this weekend (look for recap here on Sunday). It’s because he’s live chatting on ESPN.com at 4:30 EST today! Get your questions sent in. There’s a whole lot of questions to ask Zab and they’re not all shower-related. I know I’ve already sent a few pointed queries in. Let’s see if they get answered.

Post from: EveryJoe

Live Chat With Zab Judah on ESPN.com

Fight fans everywhere are feeling a huge Zab Judah putting his arm through glass-caused void in their Saturday night fight watching plans. OK, maybe not. I wasn’t planning to buy Zab’s pay-per-view bout against Shane Mosley and am relieved that I didn’t have any last minute pangs and pressures to do so.

That doesn’t mean that Sugar Shane has kept himself out of the news. Today’s Los Angeles Times reported that Mosley’s former trainer, Derryl Hudson, swore in federal court on Friday that “Shane was fully aware he was using performance-enhancing drugs as he prepared for his victorious 2003 rematch against Oscar De La Hoya.” The accompanying picture was taken just before that fight.

Hudson’s testimony comes as a result of his defamation suit against Shane for telling the media that “he didn’t know he was taking banned drugs from BALCO” and that “Hudson convinced him to take stomach injections because they were ‘icing on the cake’ to his typically rigorous conditioning program.”

Boxing has thus far avoided the performance enhancing drug scandals that have plagued most organized sports. Could Mosley’s BALCO link be the first of many exposés to follow? It’s doubtful simply because of the weight-limit nature of the sport. I personally don’t care and fail to see the arbitrary difference between cold medicines, steroids, chemically-altered foods, lasik surgery, protein shakes, or anything else not wholly natural that enters or affects your body in an effort to become better.

I know I’m in a distinct minority there. Dissent or agree? Comment below. This is a debate I’m always willing to engage in.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Trainer Says Shane Mosley Knowingly Juiced to Beat De La Hoya

Last night a message appeared on my Comcast cable box. It read: You still have time to order this Saturday’s exciting welterweight pay-per-view event “Sugar” Shane Mosley vs. Zab “Super” Judah. I wonder what would happen if you did order the May 31 fight that was officially canceled almost three weeks ago because of Zab Judah’s unfortunate incident with a shower and the resulting fifty stitches Zab had installed in his right arm?

Would you get a Zab Judah highlights montage showcasing the choking Jay Nady incident, the Roger Mayweather corner clearing brawl, the dizzying Kosta Tszyu knockdown? Or maybe you would get a clandestine video of what really happened in the infamous Las Vegas glass shower. ESPN’s Dan Rafael reports on his ESPN Insider blog that Judah did indeed put his jabbing arm threw glass only it didn’t occur because of an unfortunate slip.

No. Rafael’s sources told him that the 30-year-old Judah threw a temper tantrum in the Las Vegas Top Rank gym, got angry with his dad, and put his arm through the steam room shower door. The practical result is that now Zab will fight Ring Magazine’s #7 welterweight Joshua Clottey on August 2 on HBO instead of Ring Mag’s #2 Sugar Shane. Judah ranks #6.

Judah’s latest mishap cost him approximately $400,000 given the purse difference between the two fights. Through his multiple suspension and many career fines his uncontrollable temper has drained at least a conservative $1.5M from his accounts. If he defeats Clottey Judah will probably get another chance at Mosley once again proving his inimitable ability to bounce back.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Zab Judah and the Shower, The Real Story Emerges

Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Darling Jimenez
Before the fight has even started Max Kellerman calls Yuriorkis Gamboa a “Mike Tyson or Jack Dempsey in miniature.” With all the hullabaloo surrounding this guy we half expect him to levitate to the ring, turn water to wine, and transform Primm into Las Vegas. Can the hype be real?

Well, he’s awfully flashy. His hand speed and closing speed is astounding. He’s an unbridled ball of super-powered electricity. He’s freakishly athletic and talented. The problem is: he knows all of these things. He looks supremely bored by Jimenez. He fights with his hands down and goes wherever he wants. He has no respect for Jimenez and believes he can dodge and sidestep any punch he throws.

Gamboa is probably right. The skill chasm between these two makes the fight difficult to watch as does Gamboa’s foolish arrogance and complete lack of discipline.

Then Jimenez knocks him down! Oh my heavens! Vamos Darling! At this point Jimenez has forgotten the Mike Tyson, Roy Jones, and Jack Dempsey comparisons. Gamboa’s more like a Cuban Zab Judah. The bout is now watchable.

Amazingly, Yuriorkis still refuses to fight with his hands up. He still doesn’t believe he’s in any danger. He’s not going to get away with this cocksure attitude against a better class of fighter. Maybe he’ll even learn his lesson tonight, a lesson he’ll only understand if he loses.

Jimenez is digging in with a steady, professional, disciplined style landing where he can and trying to block Gamboa’s amazingly quick flurries. Hopefully he can sneak in another big blow.

In the seventh Gamboa throws Jimenez to the canvas twice with rudeness and classlessness. What will he do next to make me dislike him more? Is there anything he can do to make me like him?

His tenth round comes close as he begins with almost a minute and fifteen seconds worth of non-stop punching! Yuriorkis closes out the fight with the same energy and control with which he began. So it’s no surprise when he wins by a wide unanimous decision.

Nevertheless after this spotty debut in which Gamboa was simultaneously extremely hard working and very lazy it’s clear that the he’s-the-greatest-there-ever-will-be luster is gone. Gamboa was the pre-fight headliner but post-fight the broadcast’s highlights were the other two fighters: the bulldogs, Kirkland and Angulo.

Part One – HBO’s Night of the Bulldog: Ferocious Kirkland

Part Two- HBO’s Night of the Bulldog: Gutsy Angulo

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

HBO’s Night of the Bulldog: Flashy Gamboa

Judah fell through the shower glass on an as-yet-to-be-determined date sometime this week resulting in an astounding 50 stitches in his right arm. How could this all have happened? Golden Boy promotions spokesperson explained. “He slipped and he went to brace himself on a glass door and his arm went through it. I saw his arm. It looked pretty bad.” Another story may eventually emerge but given the Tszyu knockdown we are inclined believe poor Super Judah.

Zab’s doctors have recommended him to hold off training for at least a month. When the wound has sufficiently healed then the fight will be rescheduled. Zab is an exciting, flashy fighter whose underachieving career can only be described as wholly disappointing. In his last six fights he’s 2-3 with one no contest. The fact that he’s still headlining PPV cards is a testament to his entertaining style, still-promising talent, and large New York fanbase.

Will this last setback derail the 30-year-old Brooklyn southpaw? It’s doubtful. He’ll be back vexing fight fans, appearing in music videos, and being name-checked by rappers soon enough.

Post from: EveryJoe

Zab Judah Shatters Glass, Fight Postponed, Jaw OK

Post from: EveryJoe

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