By Jim De Pierro

13.07 - In heavyweight action Monte “two gunz” Barrett (26-2 15 KOs) returns to the ring following nearly 10 months of inactivity when he will take on Vaughn “shake and bake” Bean (42-3 32 KOs) in Las Vegas. This fight is not being televised and I can’t say I’m too disappointed. Bean, more than likely, will probably will stink out the joint and go into survival mode after a couple of rounds. Bean is the type of fighter who really doesn’t to win. His purpose when he steps into the ring with anybody good is to survive as long as possible. That’s been his pattern in fights with Holyfield, Moorer and Vitali Klitschko. If Bean actually opens up and fights, Barrett might be able to score a KO but I think this fight ends up being a lopsided decision for Barrett. Barrett should win about eight rounds to two.

- Monte Barrett UD over Vaughn Bean

Showtime will be featuring what might be a tripleheader this Saturday although the preliminaries will prove to be little more than record padding bouts for up and coming prospects Rocky Juarez (10-0 7 KOs) and heavyweight Malik Scott (11-0 6 KOs). According to the fightnews schedule Malik Scott’s fight against Lyle McDowell (27-8-1 18 KOs) is going to be televised although my TV listing only has the main event and Juarez-Zepeda as being televised. Probably this one will be off cameras but I can tell you having seen Scott once he looked good in his last fight dispatching Britton Thomas in 1. I am not one to jump on the bandwagon after seeing a 1st round KO but I think Scott is someone at least worth keeping your eye on. Malik Scott is a baby in this sport as he is just barely old enough to drink but unlike many of today’s prospects that are just starting to get some attention in the pro ranks in their late 20s and early 30s, Scott does have a fairly decent amateur background. He compiled a 70-3 amateur record and served as an alternate on the 2000 US Olympic team. At 21 he has a lot of time and a future with a lot of potential.

- Malik Scott KO 4 over Lyle McDowell

Next up will be 2000 Silver medallist Rocky Juarez, as he will continue his rise through the featherweight ranks when he takes on Isidro Tejedor (15-8-4 8 KOs). Tejedor has lost four of his last five fights, which doesn’t bode well when you’re fighting a talented former Olympian like Juarez. Interestingly, Tejedor does hold victories over Edwin Santana and Rogers Mtagwa who fought to a draw last night on Friday Night Fights so that does indicate that Tejedor is at least one step better both fighters on FNF this week which was a very good match up. Just to get my 2 cents in I thought Mtagwa won the fight last night.

- Rocky Juarez TKO 2 over Isidro Tejedor

In the main event Zab Judah (27-1 21 KOs) will make his return to the ring after serving a six-month suspension from boxing for his outrageous conduct following his loss to Kostya Tszyu. As much as I dislike Judah I don’t think he should have been banned for life because even Judah deserves a second chance but six-month suspension is a joke. Highly ranked contenders usually only fight every six months.

I don’t predict upsets to often but I think this fight has serious potential for one. Omar Weiss (35-3-3 16 KOs) is a live underdog. He is so live that I’m even willing to predict that Judah will not be victorious Saturday night. Weiss has been in with Antonio Diaz and Ray Oliviera and came up short on the official scorecards in fights where many people feel he deserved to win outright. Against Oliviera he received a draw in a fight I personally thought he won. Weiss’ luck finally began to change when he became the first person to brand Hector “anything but macho” Camacho jr.’s record with an official L. In reality Leija was really the first fighter to beat Camacho but nevertheless it is Weiss that beat Camacho without giving him an excuse to quit the fight outright.

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised to see Weiss beat Camacho. I am not surprised how that fight turned out because I knew Camacho was garbage but given how Goosen and Camacho’s team were able to screw Leija over and the fact that Weiss has a history of getting robbed in fights he should have won I was expecting the three blind mice to give it to Camacho. I guess somebody forgot to pay the judges their bribes because Weiss actually got a fair decision.

Zab Judah without a doubt has the fastest hands of any jr. welterweight fighting today and he is certainly a superior fighter to Camacho but I think team Judah is making a mistake by putting him in with a known spoiler like Weiss in his comeback fight coming off a devastating KO loss. Just about every fighter loses at some point in his or her career. To me the mark of a good fighter is one who learns from his or her mistakes. I think Judah is an obnoxious punk who doesn’t learn from his mistakes and I think ultimately that will be his downfall. I don’t think Judah’s confidence will at all be shaken as a result of getting crushed by Tszyu because Judah is so cocky and full of himself that in his own mind he can’t be beat.

All in all I think Judah overrated and Weiss is underrated. Put the two together and the end result is a draw. Any fight with Weiss in it is a good candidate for a draw as all his fights with name opponents go to the scorecards with close or even decisions, as was the case with his fight with Oliviera. The odds against a draw are always a long shot but with you have to consider that three of his last six fights have ended in draw. I think this fight will start off with one fighter taking the early rounds and the other rallying in the later rounds to make it a close contest on the judge’s scorecards. I see Judah as the more physically gifted but Weiss as the one being more focused and determined which will make for a good fight.

Zab Judah and Omar Weiss will fight to a Draw (one judge apiece and the third sees it even)

* * * * Bonus Prediction * * * *

Al Cole, after having upset Vinny Maddalone on the under card of Klitschko-Mercer has made himself a credible enough opponent that he will find himself in the ring again with another New York based undefeated white heavyweight prospect of Italian decent. Look for a Mesi-Cole fight in the not so distant future.