Cletus Seldin is scheduled to face Zab Judah in an intriguing welterweight matchup at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York on June 7. This crossroads fight is an excellent litmus test for the Hebrew Hammer.
Seldin (23-1, 19 KOs) struggled against a boxer-mover in Yves Ulysse in his only career loss on December 16, 2017. Judah (44-9, 30 KOs) is a boxer-mover and a southpaw, which theoretically will pose problems for Cletus. But Judah, a 22-year veteran, is 41 years old. The question remains whether Judah can move well enough to cause Seldin issues.
Nicknamed "Super," Judah has fought a who's who in the 140 and 147 pound divisions over the past twenty years. He's faced the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Kostya Tyszu, Amir Khan, and Danny Garcia just to name a few. But Judah has come up short in his biggest fights. Blessed with tremendous talent, Judah never lived up to his potential despite winning some world title straps.
Seldin has been far busier than Judah in recent years. Judah has stepped in between the ropes only twice since a decision loss to Paulie Malignaggi on December 7, 2013. Seldin's fought twice since Judah's last bout in January of 2018. But Seldin's two fights amounted to only a little over a minute in the ring. "The Hamma" tends to bum rush his opponents while firing overhand rights, and as a result, he's scored two first round knockouts since his lone loss to Ulysse.
Seldin is fairly unique for a puncher. Most punchers wait around and load up until they see an opening for their money punch. Seldin is aggressive and busy, intending to force an opening. His best chance in this fight is to get to the inside and maul the veteran in order to neutralize Zab's five inch reach advantage. Seldin can be rough on the inside, and when he was much younger, Judah was known to lose his cool easily, so it behooves Cletus to try to frustrate the lefty. Judah may no longer have the reflexes to keep the younger, stronger man off of him, allowing Seldin an opportunity to dictate the contest.
Judah will look to take a page from Ulysse and be a slick boxer. If he sticks and moves, Seldin may not be able to catch him. But it remains to be seen if the man with the nine year age disadvantage can keep it up for the scheduled ten rounds.
Thanks for the review and your insights. Nice analysis of the Judah - Seldin upcoming fight.
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