Tweet
Date: 20 Feb 2007 : Author: Iain Axon
In his latest column, our man in the US Tim Smith looks forward to Zab Judah's fight with Miguel Cotto - and talks to the loud mouth New Yorker.
Zab Judah could hardly contain himself when his promoter, Brian Young, told him that Miguel Cotto's promoters at Top Rank had called and asked if he was interested in fighting Cotto in New York at Madison Square Garden on June 9.
For Judah, who had been on suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission since last April for his role in a 10th round melee in his match against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., it was like someone handing him the keys to a penthouse suite as the cell doors slam behind him.
"I was like, 'For real. I get to smack around Cotto and make some money'," Judah said by telephone from the Top Rank offices in Las Vegas shortly after signing his contract last week.
Lee Samuels, the crack public relations man for Top Rank, said that Judah was so excited about his match against Cotto that he jumped from the car that was taking him from the Top Rank offices back to his Las Vegas hotel when it got stuck in traffic and ran to his hotel.
"He was about three miles away," Samuels said. "He said he couldn't wait in the car in the traffic. He said he was too excited. He got out and just started running."
Judah is a product of Brooklyn, and he brings that essential New York swagger whenever he enters the ring. But Judah's "street cred" has taken a beaten, especially since he lost to the lightly regarded Carlos Baldomir at The Theater at Madison Square Garden last year. Judah came in overconfident, which is a pre-requisite for all Brooklyn boxers.
But he forgot to train, which isn't advisable to any boxer, especially those from Brooklyn. And Baldomir beat him in his own backyard. It was one of the most embarrassing defeats I've ever witnessed.
What made it even more painful was that Judah was supposed to fight Mayweather in a multi-million dollar event in Las Vegas. The fight still took place, but without the undisputed welterweight title in play and with Judah having lost to Baldomir, the fight lost its luster and Judah earned a fraction of what he would have without the loss to Baldomir.
In the Mayweather match Judah and his corner went nuts, rushed the ring and took some ill-advised swings at people during the 10th round. Both Judah and his father-trainer-manager, Yoel Judah, were fined and suspended for a year.
To make matters worst, Judah was being hounded by the Internal Revenue Service for back tax payments and was facing jail time for non-payment of child support. Promoter Don King let Judah go and he signed with Young, a Tennessee-based promoter who operates small shows in the southern states. With the suspension still in place, and being honored by most states with boxing commissions, Judah was on ice, in exile.
Cotto and Top Rank threw Judah a financial life line. But more than that they have offered Judah a chance to redeem himself in front of his hometown crowd, a chance to re-establish his Brooklyn "street cred".
Judah became the opponent when Antonio Margarito dropped out as Cotto's opponent. Margarito decided to make his mandatory defense of the World Boxing Organization welterweight title against Paul Williams rather than get stripped of the title, which would have happened if he fought Cotto in June.
Bob Arum of Top Rank is trying to establish Cotto as an attraction on the East Coast, the way he established Oscar De La Hoya as a main stay on the West Coast. He used Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican Independence Day, as De La Hoya's play date. It worked so well, De La Hoya is still using it.
Arum brought Cotto of Caguas, Puerto Rico to New York in June two years ago and put a fight in Madison Square Garden as part of the Puerto Rican Pride Parade week of festivities. With several million Puerto Ricans in the New York City area, there was a large pool of fans to draw from. Plus, Cotto comes along at a time when Felix Trinidad has hung up the gloves.
This will be the third time that Cotto has fought at the Garden in conjunction with the Puerto Rican Pride Parade. The first year he was the Grand Marshall of the parade, riding on a big float with his championship belt.
Judah said he plans to disrupt those plans this year.
"I'm going to ask Top Rank to have my belt made up ahead of time," Judah said. "I'm going to get me a float and I'm going to ride in the parade. I'm going to have all his Puerto Rican fans cheering for me at the fight and at the parade."
Judah loves to boast and brag. Sometimes it's just so much prattle. Sometimes it isn't. This could be a case where it isn't idle chatter.
Judah is fast, strong and a lefty. And he's desperate. The knock on his has been that he tends to lose concentration in the ring and he likes to fool around too much. It cost him big twice - against Kostya Tszyu, who KO'd him in the second round, and against Baldomir.
Cotto battered another Brooklyn product, Paulie Malignaggi, during his fight at the Garden last June. Malignaggi didn't have enough power to keep Cotto at bay and Malignaggi, who has decent boxing skills, fought the wrong fight. Instead of staying on his toes and boxing, he decided he was going to engage Cotto. Malignaggi suffered cuts above his eye and a fractured orbital bone in his face that needed surgery to repair.
"I'm not Paulie Malignaggi. I'm Zab Judah. They must not know who I am," Judah said. "Cotto is a little boy. He's like my son. You know how it is when your son gets out of line and you have to give him a spanking to get him back in line. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to spank him like he's my son."
In his latest column, our man in the US Tim Smith looks forward to Zab Judah's fight with Miguel Cotto - and talks to the loud mouth New Yorker.
Zab Judah could hardly contain himself when his promoter, Brian Young, told him that Miguel Cotto's promoters at Top Rank had called and asked if he was interested in fighting Cotto in New York at Madison Square Garden on June 9.
For Judah, who had been on suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission since last April for his role in a 10th round melee in his match against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., it was like someone handing him the keys to a penthouse suite as the cell doors slam behind him.
"I was like, 'For real. I get to smack around Cotto and make some money'," Judah said by telephone from the Top Rank offices in Las Vegas shortly after signing his contract last week.
Lee Samuels, the crack public relations man for Top Rank, said that Judah was so excited about his match against Cotto that he jumped from the car that was taking him from the Top Rank offices back to his Las Vegas hotel when it got stuck in traffic and ran to his hotel.
"He was about three miles away," Samuels said. "He said he couldn't wait in the car in the traffic. He said he was too excited. He got out and just started running."
Judah is a product of Brooklyn, and he brings that essential New York swagger whenever he enters the ring. But Judah's "street cred" has taken a beaten, especially since he lost to the lightly regarded Carlos Baldomir at The Theater at Madison Square Garden last year. Judah came in overconfident, which is a pre-requisite for all Brooklyn boxers.
But he forgot to train, which isn't advisable to any boxer, especially those from Brooklyn. And Baldomir beat him in his own backyard. It was one of the most embarrassing defeats I've ever witnessed.
What made it even more painful was that Judah was supposed to fight Mayweather in a multi-million dollar event in Las Vegas. The fight still took place, but without the undisputed welterweight title in play and with Judah having lost to Baldomir, the fight lost its luster and Judah earned a fraction of what he would have without the loss to Baldomir.
In the Mayweather match Judah and his corner went nuts, rushed the ring and took some ill-advised swings at people during the 10th round. Both Judah and his father-trainer-manager, Yoel Judah, were fined and suspended for a year.
To make matters worst, Judah was being hounded by the Internal Revenue Service for back tax payments and was facing jail time for non-payment of child support. Promoter Don King let Judah go and he signed with Young, a Tennessee-based promoter who operates small shows in the southern states. With the suspension still in place, and being honored by most states with boxing commissions, Judah was on ice, in exile.
Cotto and Top Rank threw Judah a financial life line. But more than that they have offered Judah a chance to redeem himself in front of his hometown crowd, a chance to re-establish his Brooklyn "street cred".
Judah became the opponent when Antonio Margarito dropped out as Cotto's opponent. Margarito decided to make his mandatory defense of the World Boxing Organization welterweight title against Paul Williams rather than get stripped of the title, which would have happened if he fought Cotto in June.
Bob Arum of Top Rank is trying to establish Cotto as an attraction on the East Coast, the way he established Oscar De La Hoya as a main stay on the West Coast. He used Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican Independence Day, as De La Hoya's play date. It worked so well, De La Hoya is still using it.
Arum brought Cotto of Caguas, Puerto Rico to New York in June two years ago and put a fight in Madison Square Garden as part of the Puerto Rican Pride Parade week of festivities. With several million Puerto Ricans in the New York City area, there was a large pool of fans to draw from. Plus, Cotto comes along at a time when Felix Trinidad has hung up the gloves.
This will be the third time that Cotto has fought at the Garden in conjunction with the Puerto Rican Pride Parade. The first year he was the Grand Marshall of the parade, riding on a big float with his championship belt.
Judah said he plans to disrupt those plans this year.
"I'm going to ask Top Rank to have my belt made up ahead of time," Judah said. "I'm going to get me a float and I'm going to ride in the parade. I'm going to have all his Puerto Rican fans cheering for me at the fight and at the parade."
Judah loves to boast and brag. Sometimes it's just so much prattle. Sometimes it isn't. This could be a case where it isn't idle chatter.
Judah is fast, strong and a lefty. And he's desperate. The knock on his has been that he tends to lose concentration in the ring and he likes to fool around too much. It cost him big twice - against Kostya Tszyu, who KO'd him in the second round, and against Baldomir.
Cotto battered another Brooklyn product, Paulie Malignaggi, during his fight at the Garden last June. Malignaggi didn't have enough power to keep Cotto at bay and Malignaggi, who has decent boxing skills, fought the wrong fight. Instead of staying on his toes and boxing, he decided he was going to engage Cotto. Malignaggi suffered cuts above his eye and a fractured orbital bone in his face that needed surgery to repair.
"I'm not Paulie Malignaggi. I'm Zab Judah. They must not know who I am," Judah said. "Cotto is a little boy. He's like my son. You know how it is when your son gets out of line and you have to give him a spanking to get him back in line. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to spank him like he's my son."
Comment