Three Punch Combo: Previewing Judah-Seldin and Other Fights This Weekend

THREE PUNCH COMBO — For the second consecutive year, the Turning Stone Resort and Casino will host a live boxing card in conjunction with the International Boxing Hall of Fame during its annual induction weekend. The card is headlined by an intriguing 140-pound crossroads fight between former two division world champion Zab Judah (44-9, 30 KO’s) and power punching Cletus Seldin (23-1, 19 KO’s).

Judah, 41, has certainly had a long rollercoaster career full of peaks and valleys. He turned pro at 18 on the Whitaker-Rivera II undercard in September of 1996 and came into the sport with enormous expectations. Those expectations were so high, as a matter of fact, that although he won multiple world titles and took part in several high profile bouts, it can be argued that he never lived up to all that hype. Now clearly at the twilight of his career, Judah is seeking one more shot at a world title.

Seldin, 32, built up a nice local following on the club scene in the New York area scoring knockouts on the way up the ladder against journeymen level competition. His big break came in November of 2017 when he was added to the HBO televised portion of a card at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, to face another hard puncher with an impressive record in Roberto Ortiz. And Seldin made the most of that opportunity scoring a scintillating third round TKO.

HBO was so impressed that they brought Seldin back a month later to face the up and coming Yves Ulysse Jr. However, on this occasion Seldin would be easily out-boxed and outclassed by a much more polished fighter. It wasn’t just that Seldin lost but that Ulysse Jr made him look amateurish. As much as his career skyrocketed after the Ortiz win, it fell back just as much, if not more, after the Ulysse performance.

Seldin has since bounced back with two quick knockout wins against vastly overmatched opposition. Similarly, Judah has also won back to back fights, also against inferior foes. Now they face off against each other with the winner likely moving forward toward a title shot at 140.

Stylistically, this is a fascinating contest to break down. Judah is clearly the more skilled and technically sound fighter. At 41, his hand speed and elusiveness may not be what it once was, but it is not all gone. He will look to use what quickness he has left in the tank to outbox Seldin. The question is at 41 just how long can his legs hold up?

As for Seldin, he will certainly be the aggressor and he carries a big punch. But as we saw against Ulysse, Seldin has a lot of holes in his game. In that fight, he was not able to set up his power shots against a more polished fighter and proved to be very easy to hit. He has raw power but needs to show improved technique. Will he do so against Judah or will this be a repeat of the outing against Ulysse?

The questions surrounding Judah and Seldin make this an interesting, well matched fight. With the stakes very high, it is perhaps the most intriguing contest of the upcoming week.

Golovkin-Rolls Undercard, Part One

We have seen undercards of big fights this year be either hit or miss. The Golovkin-Rolls undercard should be one of the better ones. I’m particularly interested in a pair of bouts featuring blue chip prospects taking a major step up in class.

In a 154-pound contest, 24-year-old prospect Israil Madrimov (2-0, 2 KO’s) faces veteran Norberto Gonzalez (23-12, 13 KO’s). Madrimov, who had an extensive and decorated amateur career, is on the fast track as a professional. He is coming off a highlight reel second round knockout of then 24-2 Frank Rojas in March and looks to continue his fast ascent up the rankings.

Madrimov’s amateur pedigree shows in his game. He not only has natural athleticism and quickness, but possesses elite level footwork. In his two pro fights, he has shown an exceptional ability to use his feet to not only keep his opposition off balance but to set up precise angles to land impactful power shots. He has also displayed legitimate one punch knockout power in both fists. Mark him down as a potential superstar.

Madrimov will be in the ring on Saturday with a seasoned pro who has generally shown to be durable, not to mention that Gonzalez has some subtle counterpunching ability along with some pop in the right hand. Back in 2014, Gonzalez showed why he can be dangerous when he almost knocked out fast rising Erickson Lubin in a fight that went the full distance.

Despite the 12 losses, Gonzalez can fight and though this is a test that Madrimov should pass, it is still a considerable test for just his third pro fight. I am very interested to see how Madrimov handles this step up in class and if he can continue to build upon the momentum from the Rojas knockout.

Golovkin-Rolls Undercard, Part Two

Also, 2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell, another fast rising 154-pound prospect, takes a sizable jump up in caliber of competition when he faces Courtney Pennington (12-3-3, 5 KO’s).

Conwell (9-0, 7 KO’s) turned pro in April of 2017 with a first round knockout of Jeremiah Page and since then has been moved steadily along, all the while putting on some impressive performances in his early pro career.

Stylistically, Conwell is best be described as an aggressive boxer-puncher. He likes to work behind a short compact left jab from the orthodox stance and fire off powerful combinations. He has quick hands for the division and possesses heavy handed power. Just as impressive, he is very sound defensively, keeping a very tight guard with good head movement.

Conwell checks all the boxes to be considered an elite level prospect and at only 21 still has yet to come close to reaching his ceiling.

As much as I like Conwell as a prospect, I think he could get tested by Pennington who fights in a very similar mode to that of Ray Robinson who we have seen give fits recently to a couple of other touted fighters. Similar to Robinson, Pennington has good hand speed but not much power. And he is a very elusive, slippery target with quick feet and excellent head movement who is not easy to hit clean.

It will be interesting to see just how Conwell handles Pennington’s difficult style. An impressive showing by the former Olympian could not only open a lot of eyes but put him on the fast track toward a title shot at 154.

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