Zab Judah

Zab Judah earns tough split decision over Lucas Matthysse

Zab "Super" Judah took the next step on the road to another title shot Saturday, albeit in the ugly style, scraping by previously undefeated Lucas Matthysse via split decision at the Prudential Center in Newark.

The decision was razor thin, with judges Waleska Roldan scoring it 114-113 in favor of Matthysse, but overruled by judges Joseph Pasquale and Hilton Whitaker who both scored it 114-113 in favor of Judah.

Judah, fighting in the junior welterweight division for the 1st time in almost 7 years, was tentative for much of the fight, content to fight out of a tight guard against the rugged, hard-hitting Argintean. And he had to get off the deck, after a string of straight rights put Judah down in the tenth.

shane mosley

Mayweather dominates, Chris John Keeps title

Surprising few, Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat Juan Manuel Marquez easily over 12 rounds. Scoring a knockdown in the second and dominating throughout, the unbeaten Mayweather, now 40-0 was never really troubled by his smaller opponent. Having significant advantages in both height and weight, Mayweather used his jab effectively and landed an impressive 59% of his punches to Marques' 12%.

Whether boredom, reported staggering IRS bills or a genuine love of competing drove Mayweather back to the ring after 2 years off, he clearly hasn't lost a step. His next fight will probably be against Manny Pacquiao, although Shane Mosley callled him out immediately after the fight and the two had to be seprated. Mosley might be too large of a prospect to take on, being both much larger and stronger physically, however that discussion is for another day. For the time being Mayweather will be basking in the glory of his latest win, proclaiming himself to be the top pound for pound fighter in the world, and hyping up whichever fight he wants to take next. Mayweather said after the fight:

"I've been off for two years, so I felt like it took me a couple of rounds to really know I was back in the ring again," And later: "I know I'll get better.""He's a great small man," Mayweather said. "Don't forget, I came from a small weight class too, so I know when you're in front of a great fighter. I think he brought his best tonight."

Indonesian Chris John also retained his title on the undercard, beating Rocky Juares to a unanimous decision. He looked a lot sharper than the first time the two met, and clearly won all but the later rounds. Juarez like the first meeting surged towards the end of the fight, but didn't do enough to put the result in question. He did hurt John briefly in the last round, but failed to capitalize or get the knockdown. John moves to 43-0-2, with 22 KOs, while Juarez slips to 28-5-1 with 20 KOs.