Before he entered the ring for his last fight against Jose Santa Cruz on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights," the commentators declared that Judah said he was a changed man; that he had matured in the months he had been away from boxing. I wasn't so sure. This was the guy who had done the "funky chicken" against Kostya Tszyu, getting knocked down before getting back up on shaky legs and then wobbling back to the canvas. This was the guy who had set off a riot in the Thomas Mack Arena in Las Vegas, setting up his opponent Floyd Mayweather with a rabbit-punch, low-blow combo that brought trainer Roger Mayweather into the ring.

Security managed to calm things down before the situation could deteriorate into a fiasco of Golota-Bowe proportions, but the damage had already been done. Judah was an official wild man and Uncle Roger was fined a couple hundred grand. Flash forward a few fights and Zab got stopped twice, accidentally head-butted another opponent, and even managed to win a few fights. Then he disappeared for awhile.

As he walked down the aisle with his daughter in tow for his return fight on ESPN, I watched him and wondered. Had he changed? There was something different about him, and it didn't seem to be an act he was putting on merely for the edification of his daughter. He stepped into the ring and walked over to his opponent and touched gloves in a show of respect. Then it hit me. Zab had become humble. Not "humbled" in the sense that he had been brought to his knees, but humble in the sense that he had acquired some maturity.

That newfound maturity was on display in the fight, all three rounds of it. The bout ended when he caught his opponent with a blindingly fast left uppercut. Even in slow-mo instant replays, it was fast; textbook Judah. The man he knocked out was not a huge force in the division. Cruz's finest moment was probably a split decision he lost to Joel Casamayor a few years ago. Judah's knockout didn't send shockwaves through the division, but it did send a message to his fans, and it served notice that he was at least alive again, and in contention.

There are many "what-if" fights that could and should have taken place in Judah's prime. At the top of the list has to be a fight with Ricky Hatton. Zab lasted much longer with a younger Floyd Mayweather than the "Hitman" did. This, of course, doesn't necessarily mean that Judah would automatically beat Hatton, but it would be an intriguing match-up.

There are rumblings emanating from the UK that, fairly soon, Matthew might not be the only Hatton active in the fight game. If Ricky un-retires, this would be a great fight to watch. But even if Hatton does step back into the ring, it's doubtful that his sights would be set on Judah. There is more money that lies elsewhere, and Hatton most likely just wants a few more paydays, maybe just one more, before he fades into the sunset for good.

Judah would love to fight Hatton, for what it could do for him in both money and in rejuvenating his own name, but it doesn't seem likely to come off. A more modest proposal, but one that might provide more intrigue to the hardcore fans (this author included) would be a fight with another ex-bad boy whose star is no longer burning so brightly.

After losing to Amir Khan, Paulie Malignaggi was asked by Max Kellerman what he thought of the division's rising stars. Paulie sensibly said that the junior welterweight division was deep in talent, and he looked forward to watching a little round robin unfold between Alexander, Bradley, and Khan. He didn't mention himself battling against any of those fighters, which proves the "Magic Man" is not battling under any illusions himself.

So now that both he and Judah have reached this pragmatic level of awareness, both knowing their limitations, wouldn't it be nice to watch them get in the ring and slug it out for old time's sake? Both HBO and Showtime would probably pass on the match, but ESPN would lap it up, as would the fans who remember both men from their heyday.

There have been talks that Paulie might be moving up to 147 lbs., but even if he did, he should have at least this one last fight at 140. Both men still have incredible speed and enough personality to make the entire package entertaining, from the press-conference to showboating inside of the ring. Not to mention, they both hail from Brooklyn, and that fact alone would add intrigue to the bout. Just because the division is filled with young, budding talent does not necessarily mean that we should forget the veterans who have given the fans some of the best fights money can buy.