Boxing Best Bet: Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah

Written by Jake Thompson
Thursday, 21 July 2011 18:10

There’s one bet that stands out from the boxing odds in the fight between Amir Khan and Zab Judah.

Amir Khan (25-1-0) is regarded as possibly the best light welterweight boxer in the world, and the boxing odds definitely outline that feeling as he gets set to take on Zab Judah (41-6-0) at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 23rd.  Khan comes into the match as a heavy -500 betting favorite with the over 7.5 rounds also appearing likely at -230 odds.  We’ll breakdown both fighters and then let everyone know the best wager to make in what should be a great night of boxing.

Khan is the WBA World super lightweight champion and, at only 24 years of age, will definitely have youth on his side against the 33-year-old Judah.  You have to give the speed edge to Khan here as the younger fighter has proven to be amongst the quickest in the division.  For Khan to win he’ll have to avoid Judah’s powerful uppercut, and it is worth noting that the only career loss for the Brit was by knockout against Breidis Prescott.

Judah has always been a boxer that was full of unrealized potential and I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him since he began training with former four-weight champion Pernell Whitaker.  Whitaker has taught Judah the art of defensive boxing and it could come into play in a big way in the Khan fight because of that speed advantage we previously discussed.  Judah has edges in power and experience, and I’m a bit concerned because Khan seems to be looking ahead to future paydays instead of respecting the skills of his adversary here.

This will be a unification bout between Khan’s WBA strap and Judah’s IBF belt, and I have to think the best bet here is to go with the big underdog at those plentiful odds.  Khan struggled with another southpaw when he took on Paul McCloskey, and a similar outcome could present itself here.  You can expect Judah to be the less busy of the two fighters, but his one-punch knockout power and newfound ability to not get hit are more than enough for me to want to take a chance on the 4/1 odds.  Although Khan is probably the better overall fighter at this point, there is simply too much to like about Judah to put your money anywhere else.

Look for Khan to fire off plenty of punches while his accuracy takes a hit because of Judah’s solid movement and better understanding of how to properly defend.  Judah should be firing off jabs and big uppercuts here and I think he can eventually frustrate Khan in the later rounds.  If the younger fighter gets overanxious, I could definitely see Judah getting that one big shot in that ends the night early for his hyped opponent.  If that big one never lands, Judah’s avoidance and willingness to counter just might be enough to get the nod on the judge’s scorecards.  Either way, there is nothing that I’ve seen to indicate that Judah should be close to a 4/1 underdog against Khan, and that is where my money is going.