RSSIsrael Cardona
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Cotto-Judah Tenatively Set for June 9th
Now that his fight with Antonio Margarito is officially off, ESPN is reporting that WBA Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto will defend his title against former champion Zab Judah on June 9th, provided that the two both win their tune-up fights in March and April respectively.
Cotto will defend his title first against mandatory challenger Oktay Urkal on March 3rd in Puerto Rico; Judah will face an opponent yet to be named shortly after April 8th. Judah was originally signed to face Israel Cardona on April 27th but because the fight with Cotto has now been agreed on, Judah says he can’t wait three weeks after the date to fight since it would only leave him one month to train for Cotto.
Judah can’t fight before April 8th because that is the date he will finally be eligible to once again apply for a boxing license within the Nevada State Athletic Commission after his suspension as a result of the Mayweather brawl is up.
So if both fighters win - June 9th at Madison Square Garden on HBO PPV…
Never at a loss for words, Bob Arum was sure to give his take on the fight:
“Hopefully, everything will be signed and I look forward to the fight, assuming Cotto wins against Urkal on March 3 and Zab wins his fight,” Cotto promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank told ESPN.com. “Then we will have one of the really great events in Madison Square Garden history. There will be a lot of interest in the fight. A lot of people say the Judah fight is a bigger fight than the Margarito fight.
“I’m not going to go crazy with the prices for the tickets either. I’ll price it the same as if Cotto was fighting Margarito, and I think it will be a huge sell, $500 tickets down to $50, none of these crazy prices. I think most seats will be $100 and less.”
Judah also made it known that he is very excited to get his boxing career started back up again…
“It was a big strain, but you know I stuck it out. I’m just cool,” said Judah, also a former two-time junior welterweight titlist. “I just want to look to the future. I’m very happy about this fight. It’s a blessing for me, a blessing and the answer to a prayer. I am the comeback kid. I feel like I’m a cat with nine lives and I’m back. I cannot wait.”
Permalink
Monday, February 05, 2007
Cardona to Face Judah in April
When Israel “Pito” Cardona came out of his 3 1/2-year retirement last year, he dreamed of getting an opportunity for a high-profile fight like the one he just signed against former 5-time world champion Zab Judah on April 27 in Southaven, Mississippi.
Born and raised in Hartford (CT), “Pito” won his first 24 pro fights, 18 by knockout, including an IBO super featherweight winning performance against Jeff Mayweather. He later defeated Steve Larrimore for the IBO light welterweight crown.