Zab Judah was the 1994 New York Golden Gloves champion, 139
pounds-novice, and the 1995 New York Golden Gloves champion, 139 pounds-open. He
was also 1995 National PAL gold medalist at 139 pounds. He had a brilliant amateur
career, in which he won 110 of 115 contests.
Zab Judah made his pro debut as an 18 year old in Miami, and TKO'd Michael
Johnson in the second round. His early promise manifested itself with 21 straight wins
before the IBF put him forward as a contender for its world light-welterweight championship
(140 lbs). He won, knocking out veteran Jan Bergman in four rounds.
In November 2001, Zab Judah put his IBF junior welterweight title on the line
against WBC and WBA champion Kostya Tszyu. There was much clamour in the boxing
world to see the contest; many wondered whether Zab Judah's speed and silky
skills would negate the hardened Australian's power and strength. Zab Judah was
considered to have won the first round of the fight convincingly but appeared hesitant to
engage his opponent in the second round. With only seconds remaining in the second
round, Tszyu connected a right-handed blow to his chin, which forced him to retreat. Tszyu
then struck again, with a straight right, knocking Zab Judah down flat on his back
with his head slamming hard against the canvas. Attempting to beat the referee's count,
Zab Judah rose from the knockdown almost immediately, and unfortunately for him,
a bit prematurely: almost as soon as he rose to his feet, his legs appeared to melt beneath
him, and he stumbled awkwardly across the ring, falling once more. Referee Jay Nady
waved the fight off.
Zab Judah fought to defend his undisputed welterweight championship against
Floyd
Mayweather Jr. on April 8, 2006. The hype for the event revolved around a friendship
between both fighters that went sour when Zab Judah became jealous of
Mayweather's quick rise in the sport. In a surprise to many, the Thomas & Mack Center in
Las Vegas, Nevada, sold thousands of tickets within a few days and the anticipation for the
bout remained strong. Despite what many experts had predicted, the fight turned out to be
competitive, and packed action from the fighters and their camps when a riot broke out at
the end of the tenth round. Once order was restored, the fight was restarted with 5 seconds
left in the tenth round. Mayweather stuck to his game plan by winning the remaining rounds
to win the IBF welterweight title by way of unanimous decision. The final scores were
116-112, 117-111, and 119-109, all for Mayweather.
