What If? Aaron Pryor vs. Zab Judah

What If? Aaron Pryor vs. Zab Judah
by Terrance Alexander (Thurs May 31, 2001)

Place: Madison Square Garden
Referee: Arthur Mercante

ROUND ONE: Pryor roars out of the corner and swings and misses wildy. Zab makes him pay with a quick double uppercut to the jaw. Pryor throws a few jabs to get inside, but when he misses again with a wide hook, Judah scores again with an uppercut. Judah flicks out some weak shots and gets warned by Mercante for punching with an open glove. Pryor moves in and both fighters trade some trash talk. Judah lands three strong hooks to the head, but the 'Hawk' roars back with a couple of uppercuts that bring blood from Zab's lip.
ROUND TO JUDAH

ROUND TWO: Pryor lands some strong flurries to open the round. Judah misses a left right, and Pryor counters with a four-punch salvo of his own, forcing Zab to clinch. Pryor lands a left to the ribs and then goes upstairs with a right cross to the head. The crowd roars. Judah fires back with a cross, then jabs Pryor to the ropes before landing another cross. Pryor clinches, and then pushes Zab away before Mercante can break the fighters up.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND THREE: Pryor is bouncing around, and then he leaps in throwing leather, landing to the head and body of Judah, who is taken aback by the awkward style of the 'Hawk'. Judah feints Pryor, and then lands a hook to the forehead, garnering oohs and aahs from the sold out crowd. Judah is beating Pryor to the punch, but just as suddenly, Aaron shoots two crosses through Judah's defense. Judah clinches as Pryor comes on.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND FOUR: Judah and Pryor exchange jabs, and then with the speed of a leopard, Zab lands a double hook to the head of Pryor, buckling his knees. Pryor clinches to clear his head. Judah lands another hook to the head, and Pryor's jabs are not keeping the Brooklynite at bay. Both men trade jabs with Judah's having more steam Pryor misses a wild right, and gets a cross to the temple for his trouble. The fighters clinch and clash heads. Mercante warns Pryor for headbutting at the round's end.
ROUND TO JUDAH

ROUND FIVE: The pace has slowed a bit, with both fighters feinting to try and find an opening. Judah is the busier of the two, even though a lot of his shots are being blocked or deflected by Pryor. Pryor clinches and gives Mercante a tough time when a break is called for. Judah lands a couple of clean rights, finding a home for them with great frequency.
ROUND TO JUDAH

ROUND SIX: Pryor keeps coming forward and keeps getting drilled by right hands. The 'Hawk' throws all caution to the wind, and lands a bundle of big shots to Judah's head. Judah has his back against the ropes, and immediately clinches to halt the action.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND SEVEN: Pryor again leads off the round with punches in bunches, but it 's Judah who responds with blazing combinations of his own, that snap Aaron' s head back. Pryor answers with punch after punch and the crowd erupts at the best action of the fight. Midway through the round, it's Pryor back in control, and Judah is in retreat mode. Pryor lands a straight right, and Judah is staggered. Pryor swarms over Zab, but the bell ends the round.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND EIGHT: Judah tries to get a jab going, but Pryor comes over the top with a hard hook. Pryor is dancing and moving, all the while flicking out punches. Aaron leaps in with an uppercut that lands on Judah's jaw. Judah is stuck on the ropes, but his speed gets him out of the way of Pryor's flurries. They trade jabs, but while Zab keeps jabbing, Pryor is sending in power shot after power shot. Judah is starting to take a lot of punishment now.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND NINE: Judah leads with a straight left and gets drilled with two hooks to the head. Zab lands a couple of solid jabs, but Pryor is walking through them while winging hooks that land. A lead right sends Judah reeling into the ropes, and Pryor is on him. Aaron swings wildly, and Judah is able to elude the follow-up barrage. Judah clinches and holds on.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND TEN: Pryor has given up any semblance of boxing, and is just looking to get Judah out of there. A devastating right uppercut freezes Judah in his tracks. Zab fires back, surprising the crowd and his opponent. Pryor's punches have radar on them though, and Judah is having trouble getting out of trouble.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND ELEVEN: The doctor visits Judah's corner between rounds, but Zab refuses to give in. Zab comes out blazing, but fatigue and punishment have diminished his speed. The two exchange punches, but it's Pryor's shot that have the zip on them. The two clinch off and on until Pryor rips a combination to the head with a minute left in the round. Judah clinches, and a tiring Pryor doesn't seem to mind.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND TWELVE: Triple jabs by Judah miss their mark, and soon Zab is bullied into the corner by Pryor. The "Hawk' lands punch after punch, and Judah clinches. Judah is spent, and spends most of the round looking for a breather. With 30 seconds left he flurries, looking to steal the round. Pryor gets frustrated, and Mercante warns him for backhanding.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND THIRTEEN: The first minute is uneventful until Pryor lands a solid right cross. Pryor is winded as well, and doesn't follow up. Judah takes advantage and lands a four punch combination to the mouth of Pryor, stunning him and waking up the crowd. Unfortunately, Pryor wakes up as well, and he fires back with a bunch of shots of his own. Judah continues to battle back though, showing the heart of a champion.
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND FOURTEEN: Father Yoel Judah has told his son that he needs a knockout to win the fight. Both fighters refuse to engage for the first minute, and when Pryor tries to clinch, Zab pushes him away. Judah flurries and lands, but then gets careless, getting caught with a crisp right cross by Pryor. Judah continues to wing shots, throwing caution to the wind, and the two go toe-to-toe. Pryor has the upper hand, but at the bell, the crowd chants: "JU-DAH! JU-DAH!"
ROUND TO PRYOR

ROUND FIFTEEN: The two touch gloves, and the first shot thrown by Pryor in the fifteenth, a straight right, drops Judah on the seat of his pants for the first knockdown of the fight. Zab is up at three, but his legs look shaky. Pryor bulls Judah into the ropes, and a three-punch combo almost sends Zab into the press section. Zab rolls with the punches, but with two minutes remaining, he's in deep trouble. Pryor clinches, looking for that extra burst of wind that will give him a stoppage win. Judah eludes a couple of wild punches, but gets drilled with an uppercut that sends him reeling into the ropes. Pryor grabs Judah and pushes him away, following that with a right cross that snaps Zab's head back. A minute left, and after another brutal uppercut, Mercante is watching Judah closely. Judah picks off a couple of shots, and tries his best to stay upright. Judah spins off the ropes and gets caught with a lunging left right that lands cleanly. Before Pryor can follow up, Mercante steps in and stops the fight with 15 seconds left in the bout.

YOUR WINNER, BY 15TH ROUND TKO - AARON "THE HAWK" PRYOR

At the time of the stoppage, Pryor was comfortably ahead by the same scores on all three scorecards, 138-128

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