Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah: The Best of the Best

by Hans Olson

Come July 23 I will become 6x Champion of the World!!!” Zab Judah tweeted to his 25,000 plus followers on Twitter this past Tuesday.

The only man standing in his way of doing that is the pride of Bolton, Amir “King” Khan.

When WBC/WBO champ Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley declined 1.4 million dollars plus 50% of all revenue generated by UK PPV, WBA champ Amir Khan needed another opponent for his date with HBO on July 23rd.

Step in Zab Judah, who agreed to a 55/45 split of the revenue—Khan keeps his UK PPV cash.

Sounds like Bradley may have made a bad business move, but it’s the fans who are the ultimate winners here. Khan/Judah is a much better fight than Khan/Bradley in every way. Look no further than Zab Judah’s recent track record. 3 of his last 4 fights have ended via knockout; the exception being a hard fought decision against Argentinean assassin Lucas Matthysse. This past March, Zab won the vacant IBF Jr. Welterweight title in startling fashion, disposing of Kaizer Mabuza with emphatic purpose.

Judah, opposed to Bradley, is a proven ticket-seller; he has more name value, more personality, more speed, and more power.

Sounds pretty daunting for Khan doesn’t it?

This is just one of many reasons why this fight is so compelling.

They each want it.

Badly.

“The division is a very competitive one with the likes of Bradley, Erik Morales, Zab Judah, Marcos Maidana and others,” said Khan in a post he made recently on AmirKhanWorld.com. “But I know I’m the number one in this weight category and hope to prove that starting with my next fight on July 23rd.

Although the fight between Khan and Bradley was certainly the fight that HBO wished for, what they’ll get is more bang for their buck. The experience and unpredictability of Judah, matched with his precise punching power will test Khan greatly.

Fortunately for Khan, he has those very same attributes. Though Khan may be forever tagged as having a weak chin due to the violent knockout he suffered at the hands of Breidis Prescott in 2008, he went a long way in distancing himself from that distinction against Marcos Maidana last December. In those desperate moments in the fight’s final rounds, Amir Khan’s heart held his chin (and possibly career) together.

Zab Judah overcame a similar obstacle when he was stopped in the 2nd round by Kosta Tszu back in 2001…the only loss Judah has suffered as a Jr. Welterweight.

Regardless of what critics may have to say about either fighter, a true testament to their courage and pursuit of greatness has been revealed simply by their having agreed to this fight. Either fighter could have taken “easier” fights against more “ordinary” opposition.

But Zab Judah and Amir Khan are not ordinary fighters.

Even before the fight was signed, Amir knew he wanted to fight the best of the
best.

“For now, I’m just looking to the immediate future and hopefully unifying the light-welterweight division sometime soon. My next opponent is not yet confirmed but I can assure fans that it will be one of the best in the 140lb division. I only want to take on the very best out there, beating all the big names one by one. That’s a sign of a true champion, someone who is not afraid to take on anyone at all.”

Khan/Judah will be the fight of the summer; the marquee centerpiece to prize fighting here in America…a title unification between two well known names, guaranteed to bring action and excitement.

What more could you ask for?

follow Hans Olson on twitter: @hansolson