Is Zab Judah a Serious Contender?
When Zab Judah returns to the ring on July 16 to take on Mexican fighter Jose Armando Santa Cruz at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, he'll be looking to restart a career which had flat lined in recent years. Judah (38-6, 26 KOs) is a former champion in both the junior welterweight and welterweight division but has been in relative seclusion in recent years. He's only fought twice since November 2008, winning fights against lesser opponents Ernest Johnson and Ubaldo Hernandez.
Many people have written Judah off as a serious title contender; in fact, his recent inactivity (his bout against Hernandez was last November) made some people question if they would ever see Judah in the ring again. However, Judah has said that he is committed to boxing again and wants to get another title shot. Beating Santa Cruz (28-4, 17 KOs) in front of a national cable audience in the main event of ESPN's "Friday Night Fights" would be a good place to start.
It wasn't that long ago that Judah was headlining PPV cards instead of cable broadcasts. Judah was one of the top fighters in the early part of the 2000s, winning the IBF and WBO junior welterweight title by beating such tough opponents as Junior Witter, Allan Vester and DaMarcus Corley. Unfortunately, his reign as junior welterweight champion is more likely known for the fight he lost when he was KOed with one punch in the second round against Kostya Tszyu in November 2001. Tszyu caught Judah with a shot that destroyed Judah's equilibrium. Although Judah claimed he was fine, his "chicken walk" when he got up was enough to cause the referee to stop the fight.
Judah would move up to welterweight in 2004 and eventually win the unified title from Cory Spinks in a rematch in 2005. However, a shocking upset loss to Carlos Baldomir in January 2006 would signal a pattern for Judah and be the start of a career slide. It was suggested that Judah was unprepared for the lightly-regarded Baldomir and it showed as he coasted through the fight only to lose a close unanimous decision.
The lack of focus and discipline that Judah showed in his loss to Baldomir would plague him throughout the rest of his career as he lost his next two bouts to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto. Judah was involved in a shameful episode during his loss to Mayweather Jr., when he struck the champion with a low blow in the 10th round and then followed that with a rabbit punch when Mayweather Jr. was down. This sparked a near-riot in the ring involving both corners and lead to Judah being suspended for one year.
All of the incidents and poor performances in Judah's past have marked him as something of a pariah within the sport. There's a belief that Judah has squandered his considerable talent because of a lack of focus and energy. Judah is now 32, and appears to understand that this comeback will almost certainly be his last chance. He's dedicated himself to fighting back down at junior welterweight and is now working with leading trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad - a big step for someone usually trained by his father.
Whether the seeming dedication to the sport leads to future success remains to be seen. Judah appears to have lost none of his swagger despite his recent setbacks, believing that he's in line for a major fight against a junior welterweight champion like Amir Khan. Before that happens, Judah will have to get past the dangerous Santa Cruz, who has held his own with Joel Casamayor and David Diaz in the past. If Judah can put it all together, his combination of size and power in a southpaw package could trouble any top fighter. But he could also lose to any fighter as well if he isn't focused on the task at hand.
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