Amir Khan and Zab Judah has agreed to fight on July 23rd according to Kathy Duva, promoter of Judah. It will be a unification fight with both fighter's belts on the line.
Khan (25-1, 17 KOs) was in talks to fight Timothy Bradley, widely regarded as the top 140 pounder in the division, and even rumored to fight Erik Morales, who recently lost a tough decision against Marcos Maidana. However, when Bradley inexplicably waived on a 1.4 million dollar payday to avoid Khan, Zab Judah (41-6, 28 KOs) was eager to pounce at the opportunity.
It will be Khan's 5th defense of his belt while Judah will be defending his newly minted IBF belt for the first time. It will be televised on HBO and fought in Las Vegas. Judah's camp was trying vehemently for a Atlantic City venue, but gave in to Golden Boy's Vegas demands.
It is going to be a 55-45 split, which coincides with this writer's opinion to the matchup in this fight. Amir will be facing someone for the first time with hand speed that is comparable to him. Also, while many feel Amir proved that his chin has improved from the Marcos Maidana fight, the questions still linger.
I am excited for this matchup as it will also feature a matchup of great trainers in Freddie Roach vs. Pernell Whitaker.
When did Zab Judah fire his dad?
ReplyDeleteZab Judah hired Pernell Whitaker as a mentor and as a co-trainer with Yoel.
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