Zab Judah Foolish To Leave Main Events
Glax0r
03 Oct 2012
Zab Judah foolish to leave Main Events
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Keith Idec, The Record
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If Zab Judah wasn’t aware of what karma can become before Tuesday, now he knows.
A purse bid was held at the IBF’s offices in Springfield for a junior welterweight title fight the infamous sanctioning organization ordered between its 140-pound champion, Lamont Peterson, and Judah, its No. 1 contender. Only one company bid for the right to promote their fight.
That company, Headbangers Boxing, is operated by the family of Barry Hunter, the man who trains Peterson and helped save him and his younger brother, Anthony, from homelessness once upon a time in our nation’s capital. Hunter bid $50,000, the minimum allowed in accordance with IBF rules.
Here’s where Judah learned an invaluable lesson, quite the hard way.
Had he remained loyal to Main Events, the Totowa promotional company that helped resurrect his career when the former Teaneck and Closter resident rejoined it in 2010, Judah would be paid what he’s worth for the Peterson fight. Little Falls’ Kathy Duva, Main Events’ chief executive officer, negotiated a $1.2 million purse for Judah’s ill-fated fight against Amir Khan, in which Judah performed so poorly 14 months ago that it seemed this perpetually fortunate fighter had spent the ninth life of a curious career beset by one disappointment after another.
Yet there was Duva again, landing the talented southpaw another opportunity to fight for the very same IBF belt he lost to England’s Khan, who lost it to Peterson. To his credit, Judah (42-7, 29 KOs, two NC) exposed Detroit’s Vernon Paris (26-1, 15 KOs, three NC) as a byproduct of mostly masterful matchmaking en route to a ninth-round technical knockout win March 24 in Judah’s native Brooklyn.
Judah, 34, took short money for that fight ($25,000) because he was to be paid on the back end against Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs).
Then he got greedy.
His contract with Main Events expired in July. Judah left the company again, this time for friend/former opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was supposed to start a promotional company with his friend-turned-adversary 50 Cent.
The Mayweather-50 Cent company imploded before it promoted its first card. That leaves Judah to fight for $12,500 — the mandatory challenger’s 25 percent take of the winning IBF bid — or wait it out.
Say what you will about how Arturo Gatti lived his life outside the ring, but the late legend was fiercely loyal to Main Events throughout his career, just as Duva and her staff were to Gatti. Hall of Famer Pernell Whitaker still has that type of relationship with Main Events.
It’s a shame Judah, who considered Gatti a friend and claims Whitaker as his idol, wasn’t paying attention.
Twitter: @Idecboxing
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Keith Idec, The Record
Print | E-mail
If Zab Judah wasn’t aware of what karma can become before Tuesday, now he knows.
A purse bid was held at the IBF’s offices in Springfield for a junior welterweight title fight the infamous sanctioning organization ordered between its 140-pound champion, Lamont Peterson, and Judah, its No. 1 contender. Only one company bid for the right to promote their fight.
That company, Headbangers Boxing, is operated by the family of Barry Hunter, the man who trains Peterson and helped save him and his younger brother, Anthony, from homelessness once upon a time in our nation’s capital. Hunter bid $50,000, the minimum allowed in accordance with IBF rules.
Here’s where Judah learned an invaluable lesson, quite the hard way.
Had he remained loyal to Main Events, the Totowa promotional company that helped resurrect his career when the former Teaneck and Closter resident rejoined it in 2010, Judah would be paid what he’s worth for the Peterson fight. Little Falls’ Kathy Duva, Main Events’ chief executive officer, negotiated a $1.2 million purse for Judah’s ill-fated fight against Amir Khan, in which Judah performed so poorly 14 months ago that it seemed this perpetually fortunate fighter had spent the ninth life of a curious career beset by one disappointment after another.
Yet there was Duva again, landing the talented southpaw another opportunity to fight for the very same IBF belt he lost to England’s Khan, who lost it to Peterson. To his credit, Judah (42-7, 29 KOs, two NC) exposed Detroit’s Vernon Paris (26-1, 15 KOs, three NC) as a byproduct of mostly masterful matchmaking en route to a ninth-round technical knockout win March 24 in Judah’s native Brooklyn.
Judah, 34, took short money for that fight ($25,000) because he was to be paid on the back end against Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs).
Then he got greedy.
His contract with Main Events expired in July. Judah left the company again, this time for friend/former opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was supposed to start a promotional company with his friend-turned-adversary 50 Cent.
The Mayweather-50 Cent company imploded before it promoted its first card. That leaves Judah to fight for $12,500 — the mandatory challenger’s 25 percent take of the winning IBF bid — or wait it out.
Say what you will about how Arturo Gatti lived his life outside the ring, but the late legend was fiercely loyal to Main Events throughout his career, just as Duva and her staff were to Gatti. Hall of Famer Pernell Whitaker still has that type of relationship with Main Events.
It’s a shame Judah, who considered Gatti a friend and claims Whitaker as his idol, wasn’t paying attention.
Twitter: @Idecboxing
The_Ikon
03 Oct 2012
I betcha he's back on the phone with main event today!
But the network will pay as well. So truthfully they'll make much more. Maybe a few hundred thousand
But the network will pay as well. So truthfully they'll make much more. Maybe a few hundred thousand
HeSoNice
03 Oct 2012
Zab's career has turned out to be so disappointing. I remember how genuinely excited people were when this kid exploded on to the scene.
ShameLess
03 Oct 2012
HeSoNice, on 03 October 2012 - 08:36 AM, said:
Zab's career has turned out to be so disappointing. I remember how genuinely excited people were when this kid exploded on to the scene.
As boxers go mane he's had a great career, won championships had fame and made millions and still has a chance . And he's like 34 right, just hope he saved mane. Made more than most of us will in a life time mane
bazooka
03 Oct 2012
ShameLess, on 03 October 2012 - 09:05 AM, said:
As boxers go mane he's had a great career, won championships had fame and made millions and still has a chance . And he's like 34 right, just hope he saved mane. Made more than most of us will in a life time mane
mos-def
03 Oct 2012
Judah should have been grateful anyone still wanted to even promote him. I'm not at all surprised at this.
True Fist
03 Oct 2012
So is nobody promoting Judah right now? Why didn't his dumb ass contact Duva again as soon as TMT was found to be a failed business endeavor?
atruesoutherngentleman
03 Oct 2012
bazooka, on 03 October 2012 - 09:10 AM, said:
He also invented his own dance mane.
This never gets old
... Classic.
rayajr
03 Oct 2012
If its a big fight Zab gets ktfo. That's all I know about Zab. Oh ya and he has good dance moves.
atruesoutherngentleman
03 Oct 2012
Who knew his career would never be the same after that KO.
The_Ikon
04 Oct 2012
ShameLess, on 03 October 2012 - 09:05 AM, said:
As boxers go mane he's had a great career, won championships had fame and made millions and still has a chance . And he's like 34 right, just hope he saved mane. Made more than most of us will in a life time mane
The_Ikon
04 Oct 2012
Boxingfan32, on 04 October 2012 - 01:33 AM, said:
What i've always found interesting about Judah's career is that with all of his ups and downs, the guy still has a pretty good following. Had he grown up years ago, he would have had quite a massive following. His fear has kept him from getting some big wins. A lot of people say that he is wasted talent. I don't agree with that. I think what he wasted was years listening to his Father... who frankly sucks as a trainer and has never offered him any sort of good advice that I ever recall.
He certainly had the talent to be a bigger star... he's had a very good career
