Judah & Mosley fight for one more shot

By Robert Morales

The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles had that boxing buzz going Monday. Reporters and photographers scurried through the door leading to the lobby, looking to make their way to the "Sugar" Shane Mosley-Zab Judah news conference.

They will get it on May 31 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Whichever former champion wins, he will likely be in line for a shot at a welterweight title.

After the proceedings, and while other reporters were sitting down with the two fighters, yours truly was invited to sit down and do an interview for HBO, which will televise the bout on its pay-per-view arm.

The subjects broached during the interview were thought-provoking. One in particular struck a nerve. The interviewer wondered if Judah would be able to tap his full potential if he has finally grown up, like he claims he has.

Judah has twice been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his shenanigans in Las Vegas fights. Once for holding his gloved fist under the chin of referee Jay Nady and throwing a stool across the ring at Nady after Nady stopped Judah's 2001 fight with Kostya Tszyu in the second round. Judah had went down twice from the same punch.

Judah again was suspended when he instigated a brawl during his 2006 fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. that saw Judah and members of both camps fighting in the ring during the 10th round; Mayweather did not join the melee.

At a Las Vegas news conference March 15 held the morning of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch, Judah said, "There comes a time in your life when you grow up."
On Monday, Mosley said that sometimes Judah does "immature things in the ring," but that "he says he has grown up."

If Judah's maturation process has indeed caught up with his talent, he could be a tough nut to crack. For example, even though Judah was stopped by Miguel Cotto in the 11th round of their fight last June, Judah had Cotto on Queer Street at one point. He had Cotto in enough trouble where he could have stopped him. Even Mosley can't say that, even though he went 12 solid rounds in losing a close decision to Cotto in November.

"I'm not looking past Zab Judah because he definitely can crack," Mosley said March 15 in Las Vegas. "He can fight. I think he hurt Miguel Cotto more than I did."

So we know Judah (36-5, 25 KOs) can fight. His temper and his focus, however, have always been a detriment. If he can harness that energy and put it in all the right places, Judah is still young enough to again become welterweight champion.

And if he can stay on top of his game mentally as well as physically, he has enough talent to leave an indelible mark on the sport.

He must train his behind off, so much so that when he gets smashed in a fight, he can recover better. He must remember that if he does want to be all that he can be, he must live in the gym and not on the streets. Judah, from Brooklyn, does seem to have some street in him. That's not a knock, rather an observation from somebody who ran the streets hard as a young man.

Boxing must come first, his friends second.

Heck, Judah is only 30. Let's see if the left-hander who has won world titles in two weight classes can meet the challenge. It will be very interesting to see what he can do if he really, really puts his heart and soul into his work.

On the other hand we have Mosley (44-5, 37 KOs). He is now 36 and no matter how good he looked against Cotto, time is running out for him. The man who has won world titles in three weight classes needs this victory more than his younger counterpart. If Mosley loses, he might never get another chance at championship glory.

During Monday's gathering of the minds, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, stepped to the microphone.

"Shane Mosley could have taken an easier fight, so could have Zab Judah," Schaefer said. "But the fighters decided to fight each other to give fans a thrilling fight."

A nice sentiment. But Mosley is smart enough to know that fighting the proverbial "easier fight" does him no good at this point. But a win over Judah would do plenty for him.
All that said, this has the makings of a darn good fight. Judah hits very hard, and Mosley is one of the most determined fighters in recent times. Still is. His courageous performance against the 27-year-old killer Cotto just four months ago is proof.

One thing's for sure, the emotions are starting to come into play for this fight just the least little bit. There was nothing close to any kind of altercation Monday, but there was more trash-talk than there was March 15.

At one point, Mosley told Judah, "You're too small for me." Judah said he would bet Mosley "$100,000 right now that you won't knock me out." To which Mosley replied, "You are a steppingstone."

Back and forth they went. Mosley was trying to talk while it was his turn at the dais, but the more mature Judah kept interrupting. Mosley tried to tell Judah that he let him talk while it was his turn, but Judah kept at it. By this time it was obvious that Mosley wasn't convinced that Judah had changed much at all.

"You do have a problem and it is not in your head," Mosley said to Judah, seated to Mosley's left. "Your problem is "Sugar" Shane Mosley."