Ringside report and photos by Chris Cozzone of FightNews.com
It might’ve been billed as “The Road to Redemption,” but the marquee names and their chosen road kill had three main bouts taking disappointing turns for the worse, off-road, off-beat and just plain off. One was ugly enough to make a freight train take a dirt road; the second ended up a road to nowhere; and the third, well, the third was a case of let’s-get-this-show-on-the-road because it never really happened.
The PPV card, held at the Palms in Las Vegas and promoted by Fernando Vargas’ V.E.P. Promotions, Ron Johnson’s American Dream Entertainment and Zab Judah’s Super Judah Promotions, headlined get-back fights for former world champs Judah, Joel Casamayor and unproven minor champ Ron Johnson.
Matched up against carefully chosen fodder, Judah was too much for a trial horse veteran, who quit in round two; Casamayor was sluggish in a dull eight-rounder; and Johnson, pitted against a downhill, overblown welterweight, had to settle for a no-contest when the two clashed noggins in round two.
The card did have its share of action – after the telecast, of course – when the son of a local legend stole the night with a blazing Vegas debut.
For former world champ Zab Judah, however, usually stout-hearted Mexican veteran Ubaldo Hernandez, at one time a live opponent and on a two-bout losing streak, should’ve provided plenty of opportunity to showcase his newly-honed skills.
But even that flopped. Hernandez, usually orthodox, came out a southpaw against the always-leftie Judah, which made a somewhat tentative first two minutes. The two crashed into one another a couple times during the opening round, then Hernandez crashed into the canvas from a body shot, once, and again.
Early in the second, a second collision resulted in Hernandez on the canvas, from what could’ve been body shots with a mixed-in low blow. This time, Hernandez decided it’d be best if he didn’t continue, massaging a damaged shoulder that somehow had been injured from throwing unseen punches in the second.
Referee Joe Cortez called off the mismatch at :35.
Ending his year lay-off, Judah, now 38-6, 26 KOs, restated his mission to reclaim world dominion, over one belt or another.
“I’m on a mission, I’m on the road to redemption – trust this,” he said, calling out Andre Berto.
Hernandez drops to 22-20-2, 10 KOs.