It was all Zab Judah through the first six rounds and too much Lucas Matthysse in the last six. But Judah was able to weather the late storm and hold on for a 12-round split decision in a junior welterweight title elimination bout before 4,172 fans Saturday night at the Rock in Newark.
The victory helps Judah (40-6, 27 KOs) bolster his campaign to return to the championship ranks in the 140-pound division. He hasn't held a title since he lost the undisputed welterweight crown to Carlos Baldomir in 2006.
Even the judges had a tough time scoring this one. Judge Waleska Poldan scored it 114-113 for Matthysse and judges Joseph Pasquale and Hilton Whitaker scored it 114-113 for Judah. The Daily News scored it 114-113 for Judah.
"I won the fight," Matthysse said. "This is a bad decision. I was undefeated when I came here. This kind of loss hurts boxing. Zab never hurt me. I closed the championship rounds. What more do they want? I clearly won. This must be because we're in his backyard."
Judah, 33, had fought at the Rock on July 16, defeating an overmatched Jose Santa Cruz on a third-round TKO.
Because of his KO power, Matthysse (27-1, 25 KOs) promised to offer a little more resistance than Santa Cruz.
It was the perfect test for Judah, a former undisputed welterweight champion who has moved back down to the junior welterweight division, where he won his first world title back in 2000. Going into the fight, the thinking on the part of his promoters at Main Events was that if Judah could handle what Matthysse was going to throw at him, then he would be able to weather whatever could come from the boxers at the upper echelon of the 140-pound division - the most talent-rich division in boxing.
The feeling-out process went on much too long, as both men seem to give a tremendous amount of respect to the other. Judah respected Matthysse's power and Matthysse respected Judah's speed and power.
Judah caught Matthysse with a big uppercut in the second round and Matthysse smiled and poked his own chin as if to say that it was sturdy enough to take anything that Judah could land on it.
The crowd was restless and booed on occasions because there wasn't much action. But Judah, a southpaw, was the more polished boxer and he pressed those skills to his advantage, doubling up on his jab and giving Matthysse the kind of lateral movement that big power punchers hate.
During a clinch in the sixth round, Judah found time to chat with Roy Jones Jr., who was sitting just below the ring apron as part of the HBO broadcast team.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2010/11/07/2010-11-07_judah_wins_by_decision.html?r=sports#ixzz14aV87ckv
The victory helps Judah (40-6, 27 KOs) bolster his campaign to return to the championship ranks in the 140-pound division. He hasn't held a title since he lost the undisputed welterweight crown to Carlos Baldomir in 2006.
Even the judges had a tough time scoring this one. Judge Waleska Poldan scored it 114-113 for Matthysse and judges Joseph Pasquale and Hilton Whitaker scored it 114-113 for Judah. The Daily News scored it 114-113 for Judah.
"I won the fight," Matthysse said. "This is a bad decision. I was undefeated when I came here. This kind of loss hurts boxing. Zab never hurt me. I closed the championship rounds. What more do they want? I clearly won. This must be because we're in his backyard."
Judah, 33, had fought at the Rock on July 16, defeating an overmatched Jose Santa Cruz on a third-round TKO.
Because of his KO power, Matthysse (27-1, 25 KOs) promised to offer a little more resistance than Santa Cruz.
It was the perfect test for Judah, a former undisputed welterweight champion who has moved back down to the junior welterweight division, where he won his first world title back in 2000. Going into the fight, the thinking on the part of his promoters at Main Events was that if Judah could handle what Matthysse was going to throw at him, then he would be able to weather whatever could come from the boxers at the upper echelon of the 140-pound division - the most talent-rich division in boxing.
The feeling-out process went on much too long, as both men seem to give a tremendous amount of respect to the other. Judah respected Matthysse's power and Matthysse respected Judah's speed and power.
Judah caught Matthysse with a big uppercut in the second round and Matthysse smiled and poked his own chin as if to say that it was sturdy enough to take anything that Judah could land on it.
The crowd was restless and booed on occasions because there wasn't much action. But Judah, a southpaw, was the more polished boxer and he pressed those skills to his advantage, doubling up on his jab and giving Matthysse the kind of lateral movement that big power punchers hate.
During a clinch in the sixth round, Judah found time to chat with Roy Jones Jr., who was sitting just below the ring apron as part of the HBO broadcast team.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2010/11/07/2010-11-07_judah_wins_by_decision.html?r=sports#ixzz14aV87ckv
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