Columnist Dean Juipe: Judah: ‘I’ll be like a blur to him’

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001 | 11:01 a.m.

Dean Juipe's boxing notebook appears Thursday. His sports column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

To hear Zab Judah tell it, Kostya Tszyu is a robot with but a singular purpose and one with exploitable flaws.

Judah, who takes on Tszyu with the unified junior welterweight championship at stake Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden, is convinced his speed will be the determining factor in the scheduled 12-round fight.

Bettors agree and have made him a 3-1 favorite.

"This is going to be one of my easiest fights," Judah brashly proclaims. "Tszyu's style is made for me.

"I will be like a blur to him."

Many a classic fight has pitted boxer vs. puncher, and this is at least a variation of that old theme in that Judah's slick style figures to contrast with Tszyu's lying-in-wait approach. Yet Tszyu has never been cast in such a stiff mold before, and the perception that he isn't swift enough to retaliate may be an outgrowth of being paired with a man who is noticeably quicker than most in the sport.

"It's not like I'm a one-dimensional fighter that can only punch," Tszyu says in his defense. "I know how to box and I know how to win.

"If I crack him right -- and I will -- the fight will be over."

Tszyu, 32, is 27-1-1 with 22 knockouts and has been a world champion almost seven full years, excluding an 18-month period in 1997-98. He currently holds both the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association titles at 140 pounds.

Judah, who turned 24 last week, is 27-0 with 21 KOs and has been the International Boxing Federation champion since 1999.

"If I had my way it would be winner takes all," he said after a workout this week. "The winner would get all the money and all the belts. Then the loser gets to go home and cry, and get a job."

Judah is set to receive approximately $1 million for the fight, with Tszyu in the neighborhood of $1.5 million. Jay Nady will referee the bout, with Duane Ford, Glen Hamada and John Keene serving as judges.

"You join a little different group as an undisputed champion," Tszyu said of the stakes. "I feel very cool, relaxed and ready to go."

A noted right-handed counterpuncher, Tszyu has an advantage in experience and claims notable wins over Jake Rodriguez, Roger Mayweather, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sharmba Mitchell. Only Mayweather of that group went the distance with the Russian-born Tszyu, who now lives in Australia.

"It seems like the public wants me to prove myself, but I am a two-time world champion," Tszyu said. "I do not feel I have to prove anything to anybody."

He admits to studying Judah, a southpaw who has been knocked down three times -- by Jan Bergman, Terronn Millett and Reggie Green, respectively -- in his career.

"I know I have what it takes to beat him," Tszyu said. "I do not feel he has faced the kind of fighters I have. Fighters with much less power than me have knocked him down."

Yet to Judah's credit, he came off the canvas to win each of those fights in which he had been knocked down, disposing of Bergman in four rounds, Millett in four and Green in 10.

"Boxers with good speed beat punchers with good power every day," Judah said. "Tszyu has a puncher's chance, but what kind of odds are that?

"He is strong but he stands straight up and comes forward. He has only a handful of options: come forward, try to keep pressure, throw the right hand, swing a hook and try to get lucky. He's a very one-dimensional fighter and he's hittable."

Judah is of the belief he will win with some ease.

"Tszyu is like Swiss cheese to me," he said. "He has a lot of holes in him.

"He's getting older and I don't think he's a dangerous fighter. I don't know if he is even my toughest challenge."

In all probability, Tszyu is Judah's toughest challenge in that the IBF champion's toughest fights to date were against Bergman, Millett and Green -- none of whom ever became a world champion. Which puts Judah in a position of having to defend his swagger.

"I'm confident, not cocky," he claims. "I'm unbeaten and on the verge of being the first undisputed junior welterweight champion in many, many years. Why shouldn't I be confident?

"I'm sure Tszyu is confident, too, but not like me. In fact, I think if he had his way he wouldn't be fighting me.

"I believe his management pushed him into this fight."

Paired are junior welterweights Francisco Bojado and Mauro Lucero, two fighters who have little in common.

Bojado is 19 years old and is 8-0 with eight knockouts. He hasn't fought anyone of any repute yet, but he has the look of a future champion and he has expressed the desire to be a star.

"I want to be more than a champion," he said this week. "I want to be more than just any fighter. I want to do something here. I want to become history.

"I feel I have the talent and I am a great fighter. The only thing I lack is experience and maturity."

His ninth victory figures to come at the expense of Lucero, who is 29 years old and holds a record of 34-8-1 with 22 KOs. But Lucero looks to be shot and has lost five of his last seven fights, including four by knockout.

This does not have the appearance of a competitive fight on paper, and likely is being televised by Showtime only to speed Bojado's public ascent.

"I'm going to show him that his one fight at heavyweight history was only one fight," Lewis told reporters at a media workout. "He doesn't know how to command the ring like me.

"I've been doing it for the last 10 years and he's just a freshman in the game."

Lewis' trainer, Emanuel Steward, says he has heard enough from Rahman as well.

"He's acting cocky now," Steward said. "All of a sudden, in his mind, he's become Mike Tyson -- a punch weapon -- and that's not the case."

Rahman, 34-2, upset Lewis, 38-2-1, last April but is an underdog for the rematch.

"Realizing that he's got a great punch, you definitely don't want to stand in front of the punch again," Lewis said of Rahman's right hand, which ended their first fight in the fifth round. "I'm going to make sure my defense is up in a better position this time. There's no way in the world I want to get caught by that punch again, or any of his punches, so I'm not going to take this lightly."