By James Slater – Zab Judah was all set to face 37-year-old Michael Clark in his next fight, with the bout set for October 2nd. Now, however, there has been a change of plan, and the Brooklyn southpaw will instead clash with the far more dangerous Lucas Matthysse, undefeated brother of Walter.
The intriguing and risky fight (for both men) will go ahead at The Prudential Centre in Newark, and will be televised live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark show. For the 32-year-old Judah, 39-6(27), the fight will offer him the chance to make a statement by taking the zero from the end of the 27-year-old’s record, and for Matthysse the fight will present a real step up in class..
Judah, who always was at his best at the 140-pound limit, has won three on the bounce since his 2008 loss to Joshua Clottey, and he looked great last time out in halting the capable Jose Armando Santa Cruz inside three-rounds. Very much of the belief that he can win big titles at light-welterweight and even dominate the talent-rich weight class, Judah must not fall foul of the big-punching, if relatively untested, hope from Buenos Aires.
Matthysse, 27-0(25), scored his biggest win to date back in February of this year, when he won a highly controversial 4th-round TKO over former champ “Vicious” Vivian Harris. The win, which took place in Mexico, looks good on paper, but experts everywhere agreed the fight was stopped prematurely; almost disgracefully so. Harris complained bitterly as soon as ref Gelasio Perez Huerta dived in, and he had every right to, seeing as how he appeared almost completely unhurt. Matthysse was given a gift back then, but he cannot rely on getting one against the flashy, powerful southpaw.
Matthysse, who has won one more since the contentious victory over Harris, has been in with a southpaw before – most recently in early 2009 – but Zab’s stance could well be the least of his problems in November. This is not to say Judah will definitely win, but he should do so – seeing as how he is so much more experienced at world class. This really is a big test for the Argentine who has been a pro since 2004.
But, to repeat, this fight is also a potentially dangerous one for Zab. Should he get caught by the somewhat raw but certainly powerful Matthysse, all Judah’s plans of once again ruling the 140-pound division will go right out of the window. If Zab can come out and dominate, getting himself a win sometime before the second half of the fight, he will be okay. But we all know what can happen to the former two-weight champ if he finds himself up against it and getting hurt – he can lose heart and unravel.
We don’t really know how reliable Matthysse’s chin is yet; but we will find out on Nov. 6th! Both guys should be applauded for taking this fight.