SO WHAT’S wrong with super fighter Zab Judah failing in his world title defense?
Things simply went to form yesterday in glitter gambling town Las Vegas.
No jackpot sirens were sounded.
Judah just happened to be beaten by Floyd Mayweather Jr., candidate for the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time.
With Mayweather’s awesome reputation, majority of the oddsmakers had refused to give Judah a ghost of a chance of reversing the expected ending.
As they put it, Judah had already lost the world welterweight crown before the first punch could be thrown in the championship match.
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OK. Judah should’ve been content enough he was neither crushed nor torn to shreds by his extremely masterful foe.
There was nothing of the savage beating and the emotional pain suffered by Erik Morales when he was stopped by our very own Manny Pacquiao, also at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
It was a routine setback.
Judah could’ve easily shrugged off the defeat.
But hold it. Police sirens nearly sounded close to the end of the 12-round fight, in the 10th round to be exact.
Judah gave misery and frustration in that fight a dirty, unforgivable twist.
Judah, his face a mask of defeat, hit Mayweather below the belt.
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No, correction, it was not a plain foul punch thrown in the 10th.
Judah did it with the foulest of intent, aiming, cocking his killer left for a crippler to Mayweather’s groin.
As is always the case in a formal fight, Mayweather’s testicles were heavily cased, guarded by a thick leather cup.
The victim recovered after a brief rest.
Still Judah gave a new evil twist to frustration in prizefighting.
He had sent the message across that the finest fighter deserves the foulest blow in professional boxing.
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The blow was definitely intentional any which way you looked at it.
Judah also did not waste time. He promptly clubbed Mayweather, now limping breathless in pain, behind the head.
Had referee Richard Steele faltered the way Joe Cortez often did, Mayweather could’ve been knocked out cold.
Steele jumped in, grabbed and prevented what could’ve been an evil reign.
As could be expected, Floyd Sr. jumped into the ring with the menace of a wounded tiger.
But what we next saw was Judah charging onto the incensed old man.
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You see, they talk endlessly of great stands, about unforgettable KO blows after a great fight.
Mayweather, no doubt, came up with another magnificent performance.
But, in the end, it was Judah’s foul punch that would become the talk among fight experts.
Things do happen inside the boxing ring, Mayweather Jr. told the tall interviewer when asked about the foul blow.
He brushed off the foulness with a charming victory smile.
How Mayweather kept his cool, performed with utmost composure and control, after nearly being wrecked by the evil punch, would clearly enhance his legend.
He sustained his perfect record with his 36th win against no loss.
Zab Judah? He squandered and lost what little respect the boxing world had for him with that evil punch to the seat of a man’s greatness.
