Can Judah make 140?

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

I think he could make 140 without too much difficulty.

I agree, and I have long thought that he could go to his real weight, JWW. I was prety surprised when he moved up to 154 for that Caribbean fight.

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

Could he? Maybe. Will he? No way in hell. To much money to be made at 147.

I really can't think of too many 147 fights that would be more money than Judah-Hatton, or the "Battle for Gotham", Judah-Malignaggi.

Can you imagine Judah-Malignaggi at MSG? Hell, I'd buy tickets for the press conferences.

[kayjay]

Wade makes the appropriate remark about money, but at WW he is now reduced to an opponent (i.e., no longer a contender or prospective contender). At 140 he could seek winnable fights with Hatton, Paulie, and eventually Lamont Peterson or Bradley

At 147 he will be high-profile fodder for the next generation. Everyone will get the chance to knock him out

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

From what I hear, Zab doesn't believe he can fight at 140. That suggests that even if he makes that weight, in his mind he'll be convinced he is too weak to be effective. IMO Judah will finish his career as a welterweight, for better or worse.

I don't understand that.

If guys like Hatton, Guzman, Pacquiao, etc can dry out 14-16 pounds on fight week, why can't Zab and Mayweather dry out 6-8 pounds?


Ricky is 154 on fight night, yet makes 140. Apparently somewhat comfortably. And he relies on 'strength' much more than ZJ.

[Sweet Pea 50]

I really can't think of too many 147 fights that would be more money than Judah-Hatton, or the "Battle for Gotham", Judah-Malignaggi.

Can you imagine Judah-Malignaggi at MSG? Hell, I'd buy tickets for the press conferences.

I gotcha
I see what you are saying, Dios. But I think Judah can still get some of the big fish to fight him at 147. The top guys at 140 would be probably scared to death of Judah, and rightfully so.

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

I gotcha
I see what you are saying, Dios. But I think Judah can still get some of the big fish to fight him at 147. The top guys at 140 would be probably scared to death of Judah, and rightfully so.

The problem is that with every loss to a 'top guy', his value diminishes. Kinda like Collazo. Or Estrada.

For example, he has lost to Mayweather, Cotto, and Clottey. What is the value to, say, Cintron or Berto if they beat Zab? Won't he quickly become what Chop-chop was at 140 (if he isn't already)?

[Scott9945]

I don't understand that.

If guys like Hatton, Guzman, Pacquiao, etc can dry out 14-16 pounds on fight week, why can't Zab and Mayweather dry out 6-8 pounds?


Ricky is 154 on fight night, yet makes 140. Apparently somewhat comfortably. And he relies on 'strength' much more than ZJ.

I can only guess, but I believe it is psychological. Hatton genuinely believes that he is the best at 140 in the world, and is willing to make the sacrifices to get down to that weight. Zab thinks he is a true welterweight and feels he would be too weak at 140. If he doesn't truly believe in himself in that weight class, he will almost surely fail there. Once you reach the skill level these guys are at, their performance may come down to them believing in their conditioning on fight night. Not to mention that Judah is psychologically shaky even under the best of circumstances

[Scott9945]

I gotcha
I see what you are saying, Dios. But I think Judah can still get some of the big fish to fight him at 147. The top guys at 140 would be probably scared to death of Judah, and rightfully so.

I think Judah is looked at as damaged goods and just a name opponent, and that every top 140 lb fighter would be anxious to get him in the ring.

[Sweet Pea 50]

The problem is that with every loss to a 'top guy', his value diminishes. Kinda like Collazo. Or Estrada.

For example, he has lost to Mayweather, Cotto, and Clottey. What is the value to, say, Cintron or Berto if they beat Zab? Won't he quickly become what Chop-chop was at 140 (if he isn't already)?

I see your point. Judah is almost at gate keeper status at 147, in my eyes. He can still give the top welters a good scrap, but the top tier guys are just to much for him.
I'd love to see a Judah-Berto match, by the way....

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

I can only guess, but I believe it is psychological. Hatton genuinely believes that he is the best at 140 in the world, and is willing to make the sacrifices to get down to that weight. Zab thinks he is a true welterweight and feels he would be too weak at 140. If he doesn't truly believe in himself in that weight class, he will almost surely fail there. Once you reach the skill level these guys are at, their performance may come down to them believing in their conditioning on fight night. Not to mention that Judah is psychologically shaky even under the best of circumstances

Or, the flip side is that he comes in at 140 with the hyper-confident mindset that he brought into the Mayweather fight, and Spinks 2. Because he would know (or believe) that he had definite advantages.

Zab said that he knew he could "crush" Floyd because he was bigger, stronger and faster. Also, he picked up so much confidence from hurting Cory late in the first fight, he was a complete hunter in the rematch.