Clottey vs. Judah Free Boxing Odds | Prediction | Pick

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

Clottey vs. Judah in Zab’s Last Hurrah



BetUS Sportsbook boxing betting enthusiasts will see a nice clash in styles coming their way on Saturday (August 2) in Las Vegas, as Zab Judah duels with Joshua Clottey in a bout for the vacant IBF welterweight championship over 12 rounds. The bout is between a pair of fighters who make their home in New York, but this encounter will take place at the Palms Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

BetUS boxing betting odds: IBF Welterweight (147-pound) title
August 2 -- Las Vegas

JOSHUA CLOTTEY -260 vs. ZAB JUDAH +200

OVER 11.5 ROUNDS -130
UNDER 11.5 ROUNDS Even

For sports betting purposes, let's size up the contestants:

CLOTTEY (34-2, 20 KO's), the -260 favorite in the BetUS boxing odds, is a rough-and-tumble native of Ghana who now lives in the Bronx. He fought almost all of his early fights overseas, and was unknown even after an 11th-round disqualification loss to Carlos Baldomir in November of 1999. He did not make his debut in the United States until 2003, when he stopped solid journeyman Jeffrey Hill, and continued to move along against that same kind of competition until scoring what was his biggest win to that time, a 12-round majority decision over Richard Gutierrez in July 2006. That fight earned Clottey a shot at the WBO welterweight title, and which he fought gamely but was beaten on a unanimous decision by Antonio Margarito. The most notable win for Clottey came one fight later, when he dropped Diego Corrales twice en route to winning an easy unanimous decision. In his last fight, Clottey stopped Joe Luis Cruz in five rounds. That was on April 3.

JUDAH (36-5, 25 KO's), the +200 underdog at BetUS, was born and bred in Brooklyn. After a brilliant amateur career where he reportedly won 110 of 115 bouts and beat the likes of Ishe Smith and Hector Camacho in the Olympic Trials, Judah turned professional in September of 1996 with a stoppage of Michael Johnson. He has won two world titles - in February of 2000 he knocked out Jan Piet Bergman in four rounds, and defended it several times until his most embarrassing moment, a second-round stoppage loss to Kostya Tszyu in November of 2001, after which he went after referee Jay Nady and got suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Judah was on the comeback trail when he decisioned DeMarcus Corley in July of 2003 for the WBO 140-pound title, and moved up the next year to fight Cory Spinks for the undisputed welterweight crown. Spinks outboxed him and won a clear nod, but Judah bounced back in February of 2005 and stopped Spinks in nine rounds to claim the title. The WBC part of that championship was subsequently lost to Carlos Baldomir, and Judah had excuses. Then came a loss to Floyd Mayweather, a wild affair that featured a brawl among seconds in the ring. There was the brutal fight with Miguel Angel Cotto, which ended with Judah battered and stopped in eleven rounds. He's come back with two fights since, the last a decision over Ryan Davis the the Turks and Caicos.

Clottey is just a very tough and determined guy to fight. He's not necessarily a finesse guy, but he's not unsound either. He's been a welterweight for long enough, and has even crept up to the junior middleweight division on occasion. But even though he has scored plenty of wins against high-level opponent-types, the "A" level fighters on his resume are not there in abundance, at least not the ones he's defeated. He gained a reputation as a tough, game fighter in a loss, albeit one to Antonio Margarito, who as we know by now is a welterweight champion and the conqueror of Miguel Cotto. But some people justifiably give the fight with Corrales less "weight," to pardon the pun, because Corrales was basically moving from the 135-pound division to 147 for that one.

We don't want to imply that Judah is an especially strong fighter; indeed, Clottey may be able to impose himself physically upon him, to some extent. But this is a guy who won't at all feel uncomfortable going in the ring with somebody who can punch a little. Judah's skills should give him an advantage if he can settle down and box. The question is how sharp those skills still are. Maybe Judah was never at a level where he could compete with the likes of Mayweather , Tszyu and Cotto at the time he fought them. But there was no excuse for the loss to Baldomir, who was not associated with "class." Judah had started to fancy himself a puncher as a welter, based on the stoppage of Spinks, but perhaps in retrospect that was not advisable.

Because he has at least encountered a number of different styles and a high caliber of opponent in his career, I will count on Judah catching no surprises but bringing some Clottey's way. This is admittedly a stretch, but maybe he can reach back for that extra something; after all, he's only 30. At this price, Judah's worth a small play in the BetUS boxing betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: JUDAH TO WIN (+200) *

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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