Hey thanks for checking out this early edition of The Scorecard. With ESPN2 moving Tuesday Night Fights to Wednesday this year they are coming at us guns blazing. Now let’s get this straight, ESPN2 showcases two kind of fighters, fighters climbing the rankings and fighters that are hoping for one more chance at the big time.
This Wednesday happens to produce the latter of those two kinds of fighters, but should be more than entertaining. Verno Phillips 38-10-1 faces Columbian J.C. Candello 26-8-4. In my opinion the only reason boxing fans including myself are excited about this fight is the simple fact that our beloved sport is being aired mid week. With that being said, both fighters have fought top level opposition but failed to rise to occasion and neither has won a fight since 2004. Why watch….why not Candelo has decent power and Phillips has better than average boxing ability. Who’s gonna win? I say Candelo on points only because he fought a fight he should have won against Teddy Reid his last outing, contrasting Phillips lost a Unanimous Decision to Quartey, which is nothing to be ashamed of, even downing Ike in the 9th, but didn’t look too interested in the sport while in the ring.
Friday Night Fights features “The Galaxy Warrior” Nate Campbell 28-4-1 with 24 big KO’s battling Isaac Hlatshwayo 23-0 with 1 NC and 9 KO’s. This fight determines the IBF #2 contender, which title is currently vacant until Julio Diaz and Ricky Quiles fight for the interim. Campbell has by far had the stronger opposition in his career suffering 2 KO losses to Robbie Peden, a point loss to the slick Casamayor, and an upset win over Kid Diamond. Hlatshwayo… to be honest I pride myself in going to extremes to watch up and coming fighters from the States and abroad, but can honestly say I have never seen him fight or any of the 24 fighters he has faced. I see Campbell winning this fight on points maybe 8 rounds to 4. Checking some sources which are not confirmed “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis may appear in this card, though not televised. Arnaoutis is a highly respected Jr. Welterweight prospect and someone to keep an eye out for.
Ahhhh… the weekend fight fans have been anticipating for quite some time now. We have a HBO PPV date that is as solid as they can get. I will waste no time in stating that you need to purchase this card, not just for the main event, rather its entirety. I refuse to acknowledge the first fight for the utter absurdity of it, without the name this kid wouldn’t be shoved down our throats every PPV, his father… one of the best to ever lace them up, a true icon and I have been honored to witness his fights. Alright now on to some real boxers, this next fight features a boxer that never has and possibly never will ascend to International stardom. The man I speak of is Jorge Arce, with a 43-3-1 record with 33 KO’s, Arce hasn’t lost since ’99 to the immortal Carbajal in a fight he was dominating. Since that loss this Mexican Superstar has reeled off 23 consecutive wins, ending 19 of them with either an explosive KO or stoppage by the ref. Arce faces Rosendo Alverez 37-2-2, 24 KO’s of Columbia who has faced some stiff competition himself. I expect a war, and barring an explosion in the main event, this will be the most electrifying fight of the night. If I had money on the fight, I would say Arce by KO within 9 rounds. In a division that has had more ups and downs in the last 12 months it’s easy to over look undefeated Juan Diaz the WBA Lightweight Title holder. This seems to be the mistake for all 28 opponents of Diaz, 28 wins in 28 fights with 14 KO’s. Diaz is a solid fighter that deserves any recognition he receives, and in my opinion doesn’t receive it all too often. This next fight may very well be the toughest of his career, when he faces Jose Cotto. You may be scratching your head right now, saying Cotto? Thought he was a Jr. Welterweight? You have mistaken Jose with his far better known brother Miguel, and in an odd turn of events Jose’s middle name is Miguel….don’t ask. Without boring you with details of why Diaz will win, I will just say one word, experience. Trust me though, this will be a fight, Cotto is not being featured on a PPV to lay down and run away with his tail between his legs, but when all is said and done, I see a dominate UD for Diaz.
On to the Main Event. First we take a glance at Zab “Super” Judah, an extremely talented NY native that possesses the speed and power to throw any boxer off his game and quite possibly on their ass. With a record of 34-3 with 25 KO’s Zab seems to just play with his opponents for a few rounds as a cat would an injured mouse. Many believed that at the time he and Tszyu (pronounced “zoo”) fought in 2001, there would be a changing of the guard. This was not the case, Tszyu shook Judah to the core with one punch in the second round which led to the fabled “Chicken Dance” and later the choking of now referee, past Heavyweight boxer Jay Nady. This was Judah’s first loss, but unlike many other boxers in this predicament, he bounced back to 3 wins before being out-pointed by Unified champ Cory Spinks (yup the same family). Judah avenged this loss with an impressive KO of Spinks in the late rounds in his hometown of St. Louis. Most recently in what was supposed to be a routine tune up bout for Mayweather, Judah lost all but one of his titles in a fight that no one predicted against Carlos Baldomir. Many thought this was the end of a possible match-up between Judah and Mayweather, this is not the case. A la Pacquioa and Morales the fight goes on. Judah will be facing the #1 Pound for Pound Kingpin (P4P means the best fighter currently fighting regardless of their weight) “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweathr boasts an impressive 35-0 record with 24 KO’s. Unlike most fighters with a record similar to Pretty Boy’s, he holds victories over boxing elite, including to decision wins over Castillo as well as KO wins against Corrales and Gatti. The only complaint most analysts and boxing fans across the board is his arrogance toward the media and lack of a career defining fight. If Mayweather were to win this fight, I still don’t think he would get as much recognition due to Judah’s recent loss. For Mayweather to solidify his place in boxing history he must maintain a level of opposition that would raise him above all fighters in recent memory. Maybe a Hatton, Margarito, rematch with Corrales, or possibly a Ouma would make him legendary.
This is the toughest call I have ever had to make in regards to predicting a fight. Mayweather has shown his superior speed and power to all comers before Judah. Judah though has speed and KO power as well as more experience at this weight. Both fighters have shown a weakness, their chin. Though DeMarcus Corley lost to Mayweather, many including myself felt he stunned Floyd in that fight, the same people who thought this would say Judah has more power that Corley. But after the Tszyu fight, we see that Judah has a so called suspect chin. I feel this fight is going to be more exciting than most think, and in my opinion Mayweather has the advantage in speed, but Judah definitely has the power. If Judah can catch Floyd sleeping, we could see the demise of PBF.
Rokk’s Prediction: I am going on a limb and saying that Judah catches Mayweather in the later rounds, say the 10th with a left hook that ends his unbeaten streak.
