Khan vs. Judah Reflections

Well, we thought it would be close.  We thought it would be the classic youth versus experience battle.  We thought that with one good punch on either side it could break out into a war.

...And we were wrong.  Last night, from the opening bell to the finish, one guy was clearly faster, smarter, more conditioned, more effective, and all-around dominant.  That guy was Amir "King" Khan, who knocked out Zab Judah in the fifth round.

The Knockout
The knockout punch was an uppercut to the body that landed directly on the belt of Zab Judah.  Zab went down to his knees, acting as though he was hurt by a low blow.  Referee Vic Drakulich immediately began the count, and Judah, without protest, was knocked out.  It was not until after he was counted out that Zab began protesting.

[Note: HBO may take the below clip off of YouTube in the coming hours.  I will sit at my computer all day monitoring to be sure a clip of the knockout is up at all times.]

When it happened, I thought it actually could have been illegal--but thanks to the beauty of instant replay, I changed my mind.  Judah, who was getting beaten up all night, was either looking for a way out, a break from the ref where he did not deserve one, or a guise for a legal, deadly punch that truly hurt him.

Implications
So Khan now has two major belts in the 140-pound division: the WBA belt he brought into the fight last night, and the IBF belt, formerly Zab Judah's.  The other two--the WBC and the WBO--currently belong to Timothy Bradley.  Now we wait for a major division unification fight between the two.  Next?

As the HBO commentators mentioned, Khan looked bigger than he usually has in this fight.  He may move up to Welterweight if the Bradley fight fails to materialize, or perhaps after it happens.  You heard it here: don't be surprised if more of the 140-pounders make the move up.  The 140-to-147 jump is boxing's Manifest Destiny.

Afterword
This was Amir Khan's biggest assignment, mainly because it was supposed to be his toughest.  Quite frankly, though, it was an easy fight for him.  Zab Judah did not show up last night.  He was unable to pull the trigger, and not because of anything Khan was doing.  Zab never tried.  Where was the Judah that so effectively landed precision shots against Floyd Mayweather?

I'll answer my own rhetorical question: stuck in 2006 when that fight happened.  Last  night we saw the 2011 Zab Judah, older and less effective.  We saw the 2011 Zab Judah get beaten down by the 2011 Amir Khan.  The problem is, we do not know that the 2011 Amir Khan is any different from the 2010 Amir Khan that almost got knocked out by Marcos Maidana.

Because Zab didn't show up, Khan was unable answer any of the questions he was supposed to answer.  Regardless, he's a top dog now with that win.  Résumé candy.

-JD