This past weekend Zab Judah lost a fight that he figured he would win easily. He also lost a few millions dollars along the way...or did he?

I can't hold it in.

Greed lost Jab Judah his mandatory WBC title defense this past Saturday night in Madison Square Garden. No, I do not believe for one minute that Judah tanked the fight, not at all. Before the challenger Carlos Baldomir caught him in the seventh round with a straight right in his forehead, Judah already looked like a man who had underestimated his opponents punching strength, and I told my cousin, who was watching the fight with me, as early as the second round that I didn't like the look in Judah's eyes.

Still, as the fight wore on Judah was indeed in control, and then the sixth round came up,and after it was over, Judah and his "daddy cornerman" had spilled the beans all over Showtime, and I bet most of you missed it.

Judah was clearly at ease blocking most of Baldomir's shots early in the fight. Baldomir's camp proclaimed that the challenger had not seen his wife and kids in five months to prepare for this fight, and it looked like it. Baldomir was definately agressive and undaunted  by Judah's evasiveness and continued to come forward and throw hard punshes, many of which Judah blocked, but some of which eventually caused Judah to be a little more deliberate coming in, and certainly more flatfooted.

You had to figure that after watching Corey Spinks try to do a Roy Jones and rap his way into the ring aginst Judah only to get knocked out in front of his home fans would've been enough to make Zab Judah appreciate focus. Instead he came into the ring wearing a billboard on his back for what I think was Golden Palace dot com.

It was the billboard that made Judah end up looking as ridiculous, if not more than Spinks did.

After the six round, as judah was heading to his corner, the fans in the Garden began booing, mostly due to the lackluster performance being given by Judah up until that point, even though the champ had made it clear to Jim Lampley before the fight that a knockout was neccessary for the hometown. Clearly bothered by the booing, Judah could be overheard saying to his father, I'm ready, I'm ready. His father responded three times by saying What?, What'd you say?

Now if I could understand him in my living room in North Carolina, I'm sure that his daddy heard him standing only two feet away, yet his father kept trying to blow Zab off, like he didn't want theShowtime cameras to hear him respond. When Judah stood up to go out for the second round, his father could be seen muttering something to him, out of the audio range of Showtime, and whatever he said made Zab shrugg, smile, and calm down.

Judah went out for the seventh round and things were par the course until Baldomir crashed his noggin with one of those Ihaven't had sex in five months rights that he had been throwing all night.

So what happened?

Conspiracy  theory #1

Whoever was paying Judah to be a billboard for the fight, was paying him by the round, a deal that without question was orchestrated by Don King, who was the promoter for the fight, as well as Judah. When Judah heard his home fans booing him, he felt slighted and wanted to show everybody that he could knock Baldomir out, which, until he almost got knocked out himself, looked like a possibility. Zab tried to tell his pops that he was ready to finish it, and his dad, keeping his own, and Don King's, best interest in mind, convinced Judah to carry Baldomir for a little longer. say like maybe the tenth round. In trying to do so, Judah got caught with a right hand, that had been waiting five months to hit somebody, and the forehead that happened to be there, probably three rounds longer than it should have, belonged to Judah.

Conspiracy theory #2

I'm wrong

They say it takes one to know one. Well i've done slight of hand in my life to know a fast one being pulled when I see it. Judah was evading Baldomir a little too much early on, it was obvious that he didn't intend to dispose of him early, when he clearly had superior hand speed, punching power, and footwork. Baldomir was holding early in the fight because he couldn't get a bead on Judah's head, yet.

The first word's out of Judah's mouth after the fight were "I have a f***ed up promoter, my promoter is f***ed up!", and his promoter, Don King was standing four feet behind him (and never said a word). Judah later tried to say that what he meant was that he had been forced to do too many public appearances and did not have time to adequately train for the fight. Yeah right...Baldomir said after the win, "Oh he was ready, he just wasn't ready for that right hand".

Judah's father kept trying to claim that his son should've won on the scorecards (more smoke and mirrors), when it was clear that Judah had lost every round after the sixth. Judah'd father even offered this gem. "He may have won like six rounds, but that's it!"

It was a twelve round fight...do the math

Boxing is not a sport that allows anything other than fiery aggression, or master skill to prevail in the ring. You cannot take the risk of fighting passively, because there is always a phantom punch out there waiting to knock you into the next millenium. One good punch is all it takes, and for most of the fight, Judah was ducking and dodging that one good punch, Lord knows Baldomir was throwing them.

I believe that Judah could've knocked Baldomir out, and Baldomir belived it as well, which is why he and his handlers immediately declared that there would be no rematch. That's how sure Don King, and Daddy Judah were of a Zab victory, there was no rematch clause, and for that matter nobody in Vegas was even taking bets on the fight.

Now the big payday that was coming for an eventual fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is scrapped for now.

Did Zab Judah get what he deserved? No.

But Carlos Baldomir did, and so did Don King.