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Hey, I am a college student who has been trying to crack into some writing of late and at the suggestion of a friend a month or so back I wrote an article on the Judah/Spinks fight (kind of just threw it together one night...) In any event, I was looking through some older files on my comp. and found it-- I figure this would be a good place to post it to get some feedback on it, you know- in the spirit of improvement and all... So read it if you want and let me know what you think!
ARTICLE:
Zab Judah: A Promise Finally Realized
Zab “Super” Judah stood in the center of the ring on March 2nd, having just TKO’ed Cory Spinks at the 2:49 mark of the ninth round of their bout for the undisputed welterweight title of the world. The whirlwind that had been the previous four years of his career looked as though it were finally leveling off. The ever confident Judah finally had reached the pinnacle of his sport, and now he was going to reap the benefits that came with being on top. It had not always been like this though, and there had been a time not long ago when many held serious doubts that Zab Judah would ever have this moment in the sun.
Most fighters go their entire careers without getting a shot at the title, let alone the undisputed crown of their weight division. Previous to his March 2nd bout with Spinks, in which he would finally break through, Judah already had gotten two. Zab had sprinted his way to his first shot at the undisputed crown against Kostya Tszyu in 2001, winning his first twenty-seven professional fights and picking up the IBF jr. welterweight title along the way. He was a hot item in boxing; he was young, talented, and immensely popular with youthful fans. Despite the fact that Kostya Tszyu, even then, was recognized as being one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in boxing, in many circles of experts it was believed that Judah had an excellent chance of defeating him and seizing the top spot at jr. welterweight. It seemed, however, that fate planned on steering the young fighter in an entirely different direction. Judah came out and started strong, he seemed to quick for Tszyu, boxing circles around him for the duration of the first round. Most of the second round went the same way, with Judah catching Tszyu flush while the Australian fighters punches met only air. Then something went wrong, just before the bell sounds to end the round Tszyu lands two huge right hands that send him to the canvas. Not having been here before he tried to jump right up, but Zab’s mind and legs had two different plans and he stumbled back to the canvas, causing referee Jay Nady to stop the fight. It was as though the roller coaster that Zab’s career was about to ride was locking into place and heading up its first loop.
Judah would be the talk of boxing “experts” for the next few months, but for all the wrong reasons. The stool across the ring and the glove on Nady’s throat would cost Zab seventy-five thousand dollars and six months away from the sport he loved. Many “experts” were already turning their back on Judah, claiming that he did not have the maturity needed to be a great champion. But Zab would refuse to give up on himself, and he would burn through three more opponents before finding himself with another chance at greatness three years later. The weight class had changed from jr. welterweight to welterweight. The opponent had changed from the slugger that was Kostya Tszyu, to a slicker then grease boxer in Cory Spinks. But what would remain the same is that again Zab found himself with a chance to take hold an entire weight division, as Spinks had relieved the free-swinging Ricardo Mayorga of the undisputed title some months before. The fight was viewed as a toss-up between two crafty boxers, Judah perhaps holding the slight edge because of his seemingly narrow advantage in the power of his punches. But once again, what looked to be another amazing opportunity would turn out to be just another sharp turn in the tracks of his roller coaster ride. Seeming to take the early rounds off against Spinks, Judah had to turn it on late in order to catch up on the scorecards. Things went into emergency mode though in the eleventh round when Zab was off-balance and hit by a by a punch that sent him to the canvas. Judah lived up to his nickname though and put up a “super” final round, knocking down Spinks and almost KO’ing him as the round came to a close. It seemed to some as though Zab may have done just enough to pull out the fight. The judges felt otherwise though as they rewarded Spinks with a unanimous decision. Now the wheels were almost flying off of the track.
It is amazing to think about the one-eighty that Zab’s career had done between the time that he first fought Kostya Tszyu for an undisputed title and his second chance at Cory Spinks’ in 2005. He had gone from a hot commodity to yesterday’s wasted hopes, with his less then impressive performances against the ancient Rafael Pineda and the overmatched Wayne Martell doing little to change now widely held perceptions that he lacked the mental discipline or desire to be champion. The youthful hip-hop culture that had so eagerly embraced him four years before now seemed disinterested. But Zab had been given one final chance at redemption, and he was not about to let it pass him by. In the most unlikely of places, the heart of St Louis, Spinks’ hometown, Zab would find his boxing salvation. It would happen suddenly in the ninth round when Judah would catch Spinks with a shot that wobbled his legs. Zab sneered and followed it up with a salvo of power shots that would send Spinks tumbling to the canvas. Spinks rose only to be saved by the referee before the round would end and before further punishment could be bestowed by Judah. Just like that, almost as quickly as it had all gone south, Zab found himself at the top of the division.
Standing in the ring after the fight, a smiling Judah would answer questions about his future plans with names like Mosley and De La Hoya. The roller coaster had finally screeched to a halt, and the man that they called “Super” would step out into the light. Finally the unfulfilled promises that his talent and charisma had made years ago would be answered. Finally all of the questions about his commitment and discipline could be put to rest. Finally he stood triumphantly at the very top of his division. It had not been the road that many had predicted for him, but finally Zab Judah was exactly where he belonged.
ARTICLE:
Zab Judah: A Promise Finally Realized
Zab “Super” Judah stood in the center of the ring on March 2nd, having just TKO’ed Cory Spinks at the 2:49 mark of the ninth round of their bout for the undisputed welterweight title of the world. The whirlwind that had been the previous four years of his career looked as though it were finally leveling off. The ever confident Judah finally had reached the pinnacle of his sport, and now he was going to reap the benefits that came with being on top. It had not always been like this though, and there had been a time not long ago when many held serious doubts that Zab Judah would ever have this moment in the sun.
Most fighters go their entire careers without getting a shot at the title, let alone the undisputed crown of their weight division. Previous to his March 2nd bout with Spinks, in which he would finally break through, Judah already had gotten two. Zab had sprinted his way to his first shot at the undisputed crown against Kostya Tszyu in 2001, winning his first twenty-seven professional fights and picking up the IBF jr. welterweight title along the way. He was a hot item in boxing; he was young, talented, and immensely popular with youthful fans. Despite the fact that Kostya Tszyu, even then, was recognized as being one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in boxing, in many circles of experts it was believed that Judah had an excellent chance of defeating him and seizing the top spot at jr. welterweight. It seemed, however, that fate planned on steering the young fighter in an entirely different direction. Judah came out and started strong, he seemed to quick for Tszyu, boxing circles around him for the duration of the first round. Most of the second round went the same way, with Judah catching Tszyu flush while the Australian fighters punches met only air. Then something went wrong, just before the bell sounds to end the round Tszyu lands two huge right hands that send him to the canvas. Not having been here before he tried to jump right up, but Zab’s mind and legs had two different plans and he stumbled back to the canvas, causing referee Jay Nady to stop the fight. It was as though the roller coaster that Zab’s career was about to ride was locking into place and heading up its first loop.
Judah would be the talk of boxing “experts” for the next few months, but for all the wrong reasons. The stool across the ring and the glove on Nady’s throat would cost Zab seventy-five thousand dollars and six months away from the sport he loved. Many “experts” were already turning their back on Judah, claiming that he did not have the maturity needed to be a great champion. But Zab would refuse to give up on himself, and he would burn through three more opponents before finding himself with another chance at greatness three years later. The weight class had changed from jr. welterweight to welterweight. The opponent had changed from the slugger that was Kostya Tszyu, to a slicker then grease boxer in Cory Spinks. But what would remain the same is that again Zab found himself with a chance to take hold an entire weight division, as Spinks had relieved the free-swinging Ricardo Mayorga of the undisputed title some months before. The fight was viewed as a toss-up between two crafty boxers, Judah perhaps holding the slight edge because of his seemingly narrow advantage in the power of his punches. But once again, what looked to be another amazing opportunity would turn out to be just another sharp turn in the tracks of his roller coaster ride. Seeming to take the early rounds off against Spinks, Judah had to turn it on late in order to catch up on the scorecards. Things went into emergency mode though in the eleventh round when Zab was off-balance and hit by a by a punch that sent him to the canvas. Judah lived up to his nickname though and put up a “super” final round, knocking down Spinks and almost KO’ing him as the round came to a close. It seemed to some as though Zab may have done just enough to pull out the fight. The judges felt otherwise though as they rewarded Spinks with a unanimous decision. Now the wheels were almost flying off of the track.
It is amazing to think about the one-eighty that Zab’s career had done between the time that he first fought Kostya Tszyu for an undisputed title and his second chance at Cory Spinks’ in 2005. He had gone from a hot commodity to yesterday’s wasted hopes, with his less then impressive performances against the ancient Rafael Pineda and the overmatched Wayne Martell doing little to change now widely held perceptions that he lacked the mental discipline or desire to be champion. The youthful hip-hop culture that had so eagerly embraced him four years before now seemed disinterested. But Zab had been given one final chance at redemption, and he was not about to let it pass him by. In the most unlikely of places, the heart of St Louis, Spinks’ hometown, Zab would find his boxing salvation. It would happen suddenly in the ninth round when Judah would catch Spinks with a shot that wobbled his legs. Zab sneered and followed it up with a salvo of power shots that would send Spinks tumbling to the canvas. Spinks rose only to be saved by the referee before the round would end and before further punishment could be bestowed by Judah. Just like that, almost as quickly as it had all gone south, Zab found himself at the top of the division.
Standing in the ring after the fight, a smiling Judah would answer questions about his future plans with names like Mosley and De La Hoya. The roller coaster had finally screeched to a halt, and the man that they called “Super” would step out into the light. Finally the unfulfilled promises that his talent and charisma had made years ago would be answered. Finally all of the questions about his commitment and discipline could be put to rest. Finally he stood triumphantly at the very top of his division. It had not been the road that many had predicted for him, but finally Zab Judah was exactly where he belonged.
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