I tried to give Zab Judah the benefit of the doubt in thinking that his experience would help carry him to the end of a 12-round fight in which he would lose by decision to Amir Khan. Instead, Judah proved again that he can't hold par with the top guns in the sport.
After watching the match, I wasn't sure if Khan won because he fought really well, or was it because Judah fought so poorly. Khan certainly was the more aggressive of the two, he out punched Judah by a wide margin. However Khan's connect percentage was low. Judah's performance was atrocious in all categories. If Judah had a fight strategy for dealing with Khan, it was only apparent to himself. Even Judah's trainer six time world champion "Sweet Pea" Whitaker seemed perplexed as to what Judah was doing in the ring. Like a deer in the headlights, Judah looked confused. He constantly let Khan get off first and back him towards the ropes. Rarely did Judah counter punch to challenge Khan's frequent encroachments.
Judah's course of action should have been to stand toe-to-toe with Khan and trade shots, or back up and then bang Khan as he moved forward. Judah did neither, and that's why he was face down in the 5th round after receiving a controversial body shot, and then counted out (KO)! Maybe the shot was low. But there is a high probability Judah would have landed on the canvas in the near future anyway.
Like a true champion, Khan finished his man. Yet there is still the question of whether the young gun can win a tough close match. To present none of Khan's opponents have pushed him to his limit, with the exception of the flash knock out he received earlier in his career. Beating Zab Judah makes Khan a good fighter, but certainly not the best. If Khan wants to raise his stature, he has got to win against someone like Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao. Only then will Khan be seen as exceptional.
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