Crossroads fights are important part of boxing. The winner goes on to bigger and better things, while the loser squanders a significant career opportunity.

The first Showtime Championship Boxing telecast of the year features a crossroads – a rematch between Cory Spinks (34-2, 11 KOs) and Zab Judah (32-2, 23 KOs) on Saturday night.

Last April, the two men met in a welterweight title unification bout. It was a hard-fought, competitive fight. Spinks came out aggressively and controlled the action during the early going. Then Judah stepped up the pace, closed the gap, and dropped his opponent with a big right hand late in the final round. Spinks (the son of Leon and nephew of Michael Spinks) was hurt, but survived to win a unanimous 116-111, 114-112, 114-112 decision. A flash knockdown Spinks scored in Round 11 was the difference that allowed him to consolidate the WBA, WBC, and IBF belts.

“I didn’t fight my fight,” Judah acknowledged recently. “I know I could have done more, especially in the early rounds, but I still thought I did enough to win. I have no complaints. I give credit to Spinks for giving me another chance. He’s a good fighter, but if the fight had lasted one more minute, I’d be the undisputed welterweight champion.”

Spinks disagreed.

“I give Judah credit, he’s a great fighter,” Spinks said. “I was just a little better the first time. I boxed beautifully. As for me going down, I got a little relaxed. In the last round, I should have played it cool and just boxed and stayed away, but I got careless and he threw a good shot. I won’t make the same mistake in the rematch.”

The rematch almost didn’t happen. Judah is from Brooklyn, and promoter Don King wanted to put the fight in Madison Square Garden. But Spinks refused to fight in New York, so they’re doing battle for all three belts in Cory’s hometown of St. Louis instead.

“I guess he wanted to go out with a big bang,” Judah said when the contracts for the rematch were signed. “He wanted to go out in style at home. He’s the one who’s losing. It’s not my going out party.”

But Spinks has no intention of losing or retiring. “This is my backyard,” he countered. “No one comes into my backyard and takes my crown.”

Spinks is a 7-to-5 favorite. There was a time when Judah was talked about as the next Pernell Whitaker. But as his career has progressed, it has become apparent that when he gets hit, he takes the rest of the round off.

Both fighters are southpaws. If Judah fights aggressively for 12 rounds instead of six, as he did last time, he could gain the edge. But Spinks is a slick, stylish boxer who has outpointed former welterweight champions Ricardo Mayorga and Michele Piccirillo. It won’t be easy for either man. The bout is a toss-up.

The televised undercard has Monte Barrett (30-3, 16 KOs) going against Owen Beck (24-0, 18 KOs) in a heavyweight matchup. Beck has never faced a quality opponent. Barrett should knock him out.

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WESTCHESTER PUGILISTS

After a seven-year drought, boxing returns to the Westchester County Center on Friday night. Ron Katz, the matchmaker and director of boxing for Northeast Promotions, has put together a card featuring an eight-round middleweight contest between John Duddy (7-0, 7 KOs) and Larry Vaughn (8-1-1, 4 KOs) and a 140-pound matchup between Joey Rios (8-0, 4 KOs) and Chad Lawse (8-3, 3 KOs). Duddy is an exciting young fighter, who has been referred to as “an Irish Arturo Gatti.” Rios is a popular ticket-seller from the Bronx.

The Westchester County Center is located at 198 Central Ave. in White Plains. Doors open at 6:30. The first fight is scheduled for 7:30. Ticket prices range from $25 to $75 and can be purchased by calling the WCC at 914-995-4050.

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GATTI-MAYWEATHER ON TRACK

Last Saturday night, Arturo Gatti successfully defended his WBC 140-pound crown with a fifth-round knockout of Jesse James Leija that leaves him on track for a June megafight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The 38-year-old Leija is a relatively small 140-pounder well past his prime. Mayweather, by contrast, is one of the most gifted fighters in the world and at the top of his game. Fighting Mayweather will make Gatti rich, but he could take an awful beating in the process.

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TIME FOR GREENBERG TO STEP UP

At the Manhattan Center, unbeaten heavyweight Roman Greenberg (an Israeli citizen living in England) knocked out Marcus Magee in four rounds for his 18th victory. Greenburg has potential. But he fights down to the level of his opposition. And in this case, the opposition wasn’t much.

Greenberg has fast hands, good footwork, and a sharp punch. It’s time for him to step up the level of competition, so boxing fans can see more of what he’s got. It should also be noted that, oddly, Roman is too trusting in the ring. He doesn’t protect himself at all times and has the bad habit of lowering his hands and raising his chin on breaks. That’s a good way to get knocked out.