LAS VEGAS -- As if watching the Yankees get crushed by the Diamondbacks 15-2 in the sixth game of the World Series last night wasn't bad enough for New York sports fans, they had to hear about their homeboy Zab Judah getting knocked silly in the second round of a bout for the undisputed title at 140 pounds by Kostya Tszyu.

At least the Yankees still have a chance to win the Series in Game 7 and that's what Judah and his people want from Tszyu -- a chance to even the score.

Gary Shaw, COO of Main Events and Judah's promoter, announced at the post-fight news conference that the New Jersey-based promotional company would file an official complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the three sanctioning organizations to force an immediate rematch.

Shaw and Judah said that referee Jay Nady was wrong in stopping the fight without issuing a count, especially so close to the end of the second round.

"Zab Judah was up and Nevada rules state if a fighter is on his feet at 3 minutes of the round, then he's OK as long as he can walk to his corner," Shaw said. "It's a shame fans didn't get to see what would've been a great fight.

"This was for the undisputed junior welterweight championship of the world, let him get knocked out, let him get a 10 count."

Nady told commentators for Showtime, which televised the fight from the MGM Grand, that he believed Judah was out on his feet and that he waved it off in order to keep the 24-year-old fighter from aggravating what could have been "second-concussion syndrome."

"Your mind tells you to 'Get up!' but sometimes your body just don't agree," Judah said of the first knockdown. "Yes, I got caught while going backwards, but a fight of this magnitude, this much hype, it should have went on."

Jay Larkin, executive producer of Showtime's boxing programming, said the hype on this fight is not dead, and the magnitude of a return bout can be even greater.

"Right now we are looking at a terrific fight that is now a megafight -- the rematch," Larkin said. "It has the making of a classic fight. February, back here at the MGM Grand, would be the perfect time and place for a rematch."

Vlad Warton, Tszyu's promoter, is not in that much of a hurry.

"We'll give it some rest, give it some thought," Warton said, causing Shaw to roll his eyes, throw his head back and groan out loud. "I want to see what Kostya wants to do. I think Zab needs a tuneup. Kostya may want a tuneup."

Shaw, rubbing his face with his hands, blurted out, "Don't think about it, let's do it immediately, will put a rematch clause in the second fight."

There was no rematch clause in this fight. So what does Tszyu, the undisputed 140-pound champion, do next?

"Take a break," he said. "I've been training for nine months straight this year."

When asked if, after his well-deserved vacation, he would like to try his luck at welterweight and take on the likes of WBC champion Shane Mosley or IBF champ Vernon Forrest, an amateur rival of his, Tszyu didn't seem interested. Despite fighting at 139 (amateur) or 140 (professional) for most of his adult life Tszyu, 32, said he is comfortable at the junior welterweight limit.

"I make weight easily," he said. "People can't believe how much I can sweat in the gym and still be strong."

He said he noticed that Judah did not have much of a sweat going before the start of Saturday's bout.

"Zab wasn't really ready," he said. "He looked a bit cold. I was ready from the first second of the first round."

But it was Judah who did most of the damage in the opening round. For 2 minutes and 30 seconds, Judah repeatedly jolted Tszyu's head back with lightening-fast right-left combinations. Tszyu, who never stopped advancing, said it was what he expected and the punches were not much of a bother.

"I've been hit, but never hurt," he said. "It's a fight. When you have two punchers in the ring someone is supposed to get hit. He caught me, but I wasn't hurt."

Whether or not that's true, the fact that he kept coming forward, undaunted, must have spooked Judah a little bit as the southpaw speedster stopped punching in the final 20 seconds of the first round and allowed Tszyu to land a short right hand before the bell.

"I was movin' in 3-D, yo, I was movin' so fast -- I mean, quick, quick, quick -- it was like I thought it was too rapid, and I told myself to slow down," Judah said of his successful first round.

In the second round Judah slowed down his fists to about zero and put his feet into overdrive. Judah merely backpedaled, content to make Tszyu miss with most of his punches. The problem with that was Judah didn't make Tszyu pay for missing his shots, which got closer and closer as the round wore on. By the second minute of the round, Tszyu was landing his jab.

"Everybody knows I've got power, but I've also got a little speed, and I think I surprised Judah," Tszyu said. "Coming into this fight I wanted to be smarter than him, be better than him and faster than him."

Getting two out of three was more than enough for Tszyu to take all three belts back to Australia. Judah was faster, prettier and smoother for five minutes of action, but he was also younger and he showed his immaturity before, during and after the fight.

Before the fight, it could be said that Judah suffered from overconfidence that bordered on arrogance. One didn't get the feeling he was preparing for the biggest fight of his career by talking to him about his opponent.

"Kostya Tszyu cannot win this fight," he said two weeks ago. "The only way he can win is if he lands a lucky punch."

Luck had nothing to do with it.

"Zab got caught with a nice easy right hand," Tszyu said. "I was not very hard, not with all my power, I just set it up with good timing."

Judah was dropped to his back, his head slamming the canvas -- eerily reminiscent of the way Lennox Lewis was floored by Hasim Rahman months ago -- and then the inexperienced champion foolishly tried to bounce up before Nady could even begin to issue a count.

Judah got up on stiff legs and did that little dance that only loopy fighters do while he tried to plead his case to Nady not to stop the fight even as he was crashing to the canvas again.

"I told him 'Hold up, hold up, hold up, I'm OK!' But he just waved it over," Judah said.

And once Judah came to his senses, he went off, first throwing his stool into the middle of the ring and then charging into Nady's chest and attempting to strangle him, although forgetting that it's pretty hard to get your hands around a person's neck when you have boxing gloves on.

Judah's father and trainer, Yoel calmed him down and order was restored.

"Amid all the chaos, there was calm and grace and eloquence when Yoel consoled his son before it became something very ugly," Larkin said.

Despite the loss, Judah is still perhaps the most naturally gifted junior welterweight in the world who still has a very bright future if he can learn from his mistakes.

"I overreacted after the fight," he said. "You got to understand I've been looking to this night this my whole life and I felt I was cheated. The Lord has other plans for me. Right now is not my time, but I'll be back."