At the press conference to promote his fight with Miguel Cotto, Zab Judah boasted about his drawing power at New York's Madison Square Garden and his popularity overseas. Cotto, in his limited English--which proved superior to Judah's, as far as sentence structure goes--replied that he wasn't concerned if, as Judah stated, his only fans are in the Latino community. Judah, Cotto, said emphatically, would find out in the ring Saturday night who Miguel Cotto is.

Judah's claim to the NYC throne is a bit premature; his debut fight at MSG against unheralded Wayne Martell was on the undercard of the Felix Trinidad-Ricardo Mayorga superfight, in which the crowd was packed with Trinidad supporters. Cotto, a Puerto Rican like Trinidad, has fought for the past three consecutive years on the weekend of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York, and is building up a loyal fan base that could one day rival Trinidad's. So Judah, a native of Brooklyn, will likely have his hometown glory overshadowed by rabid Puerto Rican fans once again. Think Judah's supporters will outnumber those loyal to Cotto? Think again.

Judah, 34-4 (25), is Cotto's toughest test to date, and is hungry for vindication since coming off a twelve-month suspension by Nevada State officials for his role in the ring riot during his fight with Floyd Mayweather. A tuneup versus Ruben Galvan in April resulted in a no contest, although Galvan was clearly on his way to another world when the fight was stopped because of a cut caused by an alleged clash of heads. Judah's lapses in concentration caused him to lose a winnable fight against Corey Spinks (Judah scored a knockout in the rematch), be upset by Carlos Baldomir (a fight he was winning with his boxing skills), and lose to Mayweather (in a match that was all Judah early on).

Cotto, 29-0 (24), is Judah's antithesis, stoic and expressionless in the ring, displaying a robotic concentration that often results in his breaking down of his opponents' will. Judah seems the perfect fodder for Cotto, but the Brooklynite presents a threefold problem that has troubled Cotto in the past: he is fast, he has power, and he is a southpaw. Cotto, was badly hurt by the light-punching but quick hands of Demarcus Corley in 2005 before securing a controversial stoppage. And Cotto's intestinal fortitude was tested against hard-hitting Ricardo Torres that same year, a war of attrition which saw both men floored. Cotto passed the test both times.

It will be interesting to see how Cotto responds to Judah's power and quickness; it will be equally intriguing to see whether Judah, if he proves unable to get an early knockout, will fight or fold. The logic says Judah early or Cotto late, but Judah has the boxing skills to win a decision over his slower but relentless opponent.

The question is, does New York's newest bad boy have the heart?

Prediction: Judah KO 6