Zab Judah vs Josh Torres Preview March 12th
Former world champion Zab Judah of Brooklyn, New York returns to the ring once again when he takes on Josh Torres of Albuquerque, New Mexico in a 10-round junior welterweight bout on Saturday, March 12. The fight from the Las Vegas Events Center can be seen live in North America on the CBS Sports Network. The show is the first in a series which has been titled Knockout Night at The D. There are eight telecasts scheduled for 2016 from the outdoor venue in downtown Las Vegas. This is Judah’s first fight in two years and the former two-division champ is hoping it will pave a way to his sixth world title.
Judah vs Torres Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jose Torres +2000
- Zab Judah -2o00
My Pick
The 38-year-old Judah enters the clash with a record of 42-9 with 29 Kos under his belt while the 26-year-old Torres is 15-4-2 and has 7 Kos to his name. Judah has been beaten in three of his last four outings with his last fight being a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Paulie Malignaggi back in December of 2013. It’s entirely possible that Judah will get off to somewhat of a slow start against Torres due to ring rust. When he’s at his peak, Judah exhibits fine boxing skills, mobility, and hand speed, but he isn’t the most powerful puncher around.
Judah is a southpaw who stands is just over 5-feet-7-inches tall and has a 72-inch reach. He’s fought 319 rounds since turning pro in 1996 and has a current knockout ratio of 55 per cent. He’s a former three-time junior welterweight champion and at one time was the undisputed titleholder in the welterweight division. He’s taken on the best fighters out there for over a decade and a half now and is still an entertaining boxer with decent power. If he does have any weakness at this stage of his career it could be his questionable chin.
Judah has taken on some of the best fighters of his era such as Danny Garcia, Vernon Paris, Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto, Carlos Baldomir, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Cosme Rivera, Cory Spinks, Rafael Pineda, DeMarcus Corley, Kostya Tszyu, Junior Witter and Micky Ward. His losses were to Tszyu, Spinks, Mayweather, Baldomir, Cotto, Clottey, Khan, Garcia and Malignaggi with Tszyu, Khan and Cotto all stopping him.
Torres has won three out of his past five bouts with a third-round TKO over Daniel Gonzalez in December being his last appearance. He’s definitely taking a step up in class with Judah and he’ll be doing it with a four-inch reach and half-inch height disadvantage. Torres turned pro in 2008 and has 117 rounds under his belt since then with a knockout ratio of 31 per cent. Torres hasn’t faced any top-10 contenders as of yet, but appears to have a pretty solid chin as he hasn’t been stopped in his four losses.
Prediction……
Judah has lost nine fights, but he’s been in with the best and has proven that he belongs with them. He wasn’t in his best form two years ago and the time off may have reinvigorated him. He can’t take Torres lightly and needs a win here if he has any hopes of getting another title shot. Unless he’s totally lost it, Judah should win a decision here with a late stoppage being a remote possibility.
Judah should be too skilled and experienced for Torres.
Play: Judah -3500 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Josh Torres betting • Zab Judah betting