Fight Insight

Boxing Predictions

Look For Clottey To Edge Judah In Big Apple Battle

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I must admit, this is really a tough fight to call. And it’s not because I am a native New Yorker who can’t stand to see another New York City guy lose.  It’s tough to call because both Zab Judah (36-5, 25 KOs) and Joshua Clottey (34-2, 20 KOs) are good, yet inconsistent.  The key to this fight will be consistency, or better yet, the lack thereof.

We all know what Brooklyn’s-own Zab Judah is capable of – good, bad and ugly.  "Good Judah" is the fighter who displayed uncanny hand speed and power in destroying Cory Spinks for the undisputed welterweight title in Spinks’s hometown.  "Bad Judah" is the man who gave away the same title in his own backyard to journeyman Carlos Baldomir.  And "ugly Judah" is the guy who nearly got disqualified in a loss to Floyd Mayweather nearly two years ago.

Fighting out of the "Boogie Down" Bronx, by way of Ghana, Clottey is the more consistent fighter of the two.  He has an airtight defense, a seemingly impenetrable chin, and a very methodical, counter-punching style.  However, he has also shown a knack for losing focus in big fights (against Carlos Baldomir and Antonio Margarito).  Against Baldomir, he was disqualified in a fight that he was dominating.  Against Margarito, he was winning early but eventually went into a defensive shell.  He and his handlers claim a hand injury (which may be true), but I also think Margarito’s relentless pressure had something to do with it. You don’t believe me, just ask Miguel Cotto (ouch).

According to Webster’s Dictionary, consistency is marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity.  Look for the man with the steadier chin, defense and stamina to win an entertaining 12-round scrap.  That man is Joshua Clottey.

Filed Under: Boxing Predictions

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About Ja Dawes

After years of debating via email with my buddies on topics ranging from who the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is to who is going to win the upcoming heavyweight title fight, I wanted to create a forum where I could share my opinions on such topics. Enter FightInsight.com. You can also follow me on Twitter: fightinsight

Comments

  1. Joe says

    *Sigh*
    Last time, you were shown how a boxer can win it on toughness in the form of Mexican Margo.
    This time, you will be shown how a boxer can win it on fleetfootedness and deft boxing in the form of Super Zab Judah.
    I stand alone in a very cold and lonely room called “believers in the Great Zab comeback”.

    Prepare to be shellshocked one more time.

  2. Ja Dawson says

    Joe, I can envision that scenario, but Zab has been like the girlfriend you keep going back to because you think she’s going to change. But, as we all know, past a certain point, people rarely change. I have been burned too many times picking him to win major fights – from Kotsa Tszyu to Cory Spinks I to Miguel Cotto. I can live with being shell-shocked again, IF it comes to that.