Zabdiel Judah (born October 27, 1977) is an American professional boxer. As an amateur, he set a kind of record: according to statistics, Zab Judah won 110 meetings out of 115. He became a professional in 1996. On February 12, 2000, he won the IBF (International Boxing Federation) welterweight title by defeating Jan Bergman by knockout in the fourth round. He successfully defended the IBF title five times before losing to Kostya Tszyu by TKO on November 3, 2001. The biography of Zab Judah has it all: scandals, fights, arrests. Although he was never involved in drugs and was not in prison.
Amateur career
Zab Judah came to boxing at the age of six. He was a two-time U.S. Champion and a three-time New York Golden Gloves champion. He also won the 1996 PAL National Championship.
Judah attempted to earn a spot on the US boxing team in 1996. After defeating Ishe Smith and Hector Camacho Jr., he lost to David Diaz in the final, which prevented Zab Judah from qualifying for the Olympic boxing team.
Professional welterweight career
Judah debuted in professional boxing at age 18 on September 20, 1996 in Miami, Florida and defeated Michael Johnson by TKO in the second round. After beating George Kren and Omar Vazquez in May and June 1997, he scored first-round knockouts over Caesar Castro, James Salava and Ricardo Vazquez. Early the next year, he eliminated Steve Valdez in the first round as well.
In March of the same year, during a fight with Esteban Flores in the second round, the boxers accidentally collided heads. Flores was cut and the fight was stopped in the third round as he was unable to continue due to injury. A technical draw was officially awarded.
winning streak
On April 14, 1998, Zab Judah passed two-time Dominican Republic champion Angel Beltre by stopping him in the second round. The win gave Judah the opportunity to take on Mickey Ward for the vacant USBA (United States Boxing Association) welterweight title. Judah won and then successfully defended the title by defeating Darryl Tyson in the eleventh round on October 15, 1998. Judah also won the interim IBF junior welterweight title with a fourth-round knockout win over Wilfredo Negron in January 1999.
On February 12, 2000, in Uncasville, Connecticut, he fought Ian Pete Bergman for the vacant IBF welterweight title. Despite some difficulties, he still won in the fourth round. On June 20, 2000, he defended the title by defeating Junior Witter in Glasgow, Scotland.
Two months later, on August 5, 2000, he defeated former IBF welterweight champion Terron Millett in Connecticut. Further on the list of his defeated opponents are Hector Quiroza (October 20, 2000), Reggie Green (January 13, 2001), Allan Wester (June 23, 2001). Last win allowed Judah to meet the WBA welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu, who had previously defeated Oktay Urkal.
Fight Judah - Tszyu
On November 3, 2001, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, a duel was scheduled between Zab Judah and Kostya Tszyu. Initially, Judah was considered the favorite. The whole first round of the initiative was his. However, Tszyu ultimately won, by referee's decision, by technical knockout. This decision caused a backlash from Judah. He picked up his chair and threw it into the center of the ring. Despite the fact that his father and trainer Yoel Jada tried to restrain the angry boxer, he nevertheless broke free and tried to arrange a fight. Following this, Judah was fined $75,000 and had his license suspended for six months.
After defeating Omar Weiss in July 2002, Judah challenged De Marcus Corley for the WBO welterweight title on July 12, 2003 at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He won in the third round, although he broke during the fight left hand. Defending the WBO title, he defeated Jaime Rangel in the first round on December 13, 2003.
In 2004, Zab Judah lost by decision to Cory Spinks, whom he then beat in second leg. To the list of losers in the same year, he added Rafael Pineda and Wayne Martell.
Undisputed Welterweight Champion
In 2005, as a welterweight champion, he had only one fight with Cosme Rivera. His next fight was on January 7, 2006 at Madison Square Garden in New York against Carlos Baldomir. For Judah, the victory in this fight could lead to a fight with WBC light welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., which was tentatively scheduled for April. However, Judah was injured in the seventh round. right hand, and ultimately Baldomir won by unanimous decision in the tenth.
Although due to the loss, the fight with Mayweather was not supposed to take place, the promoters of both boxers were still able to agree. However, the terms of the deal had to be revised. Where previously Mayweather was required to earn a minimum of $6 million and Judah $3 million plus a percentage of the profits, but due to Judah's loss, Mayweather's earnings were now required to be a minimum of $5 million while Judah was guaranteed $1 million plus profit percentage above $7 million. The fight took place on April 8, 2006 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Mayweather won this fight by decision of the judges. The fight itself ended in a brawl between the boxers' trainers. As a result, both coaches were fined, their licenses were revoked for some time. Zab Judah also received a $350,000 fine and had his license revoked for a year.
Return
The first in 2007 was the fight against Ruben Galvan, but his result was not counted, because due to the cut, Galvan could not continue the fight, which lasted less than four rounds. On June 9, 2007, Judah lost by technical knockout for the WBA welterweight title.
IN next fight with Edwin Vasquez, despite the injury, the victory remained with Judah. On November 17, 2007, in Providenciales, the boxer defeated Ryan Davis. Judah was scheduled to fight Shane Mosley on May 31, 2008 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, but the fight was postponed after Zab needed 50 stitches in his right arm after he slipped in the bathroom and broke the glass door. shower cabin.
On August 2, 2008, Judah lost to Joshua Clottey by technical decision for the vacant IBF welterweight title. After losing in a fight with Clottey, the boxer fought Ernest Johnson on November 8, 2008. Despite two cuts, he won the fight via unanimous decision. In November 2009, he won the fight by technical knockout in the second round against Ubaldo Hernandez from Mexico.
On November 6, 2009, Judah accepted the fight at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The former undisputed welterweight champion won the battle via TKO in the second round. In June 2010, Judah decided to revitalize his career. His opponent was José Armando Santa Cruz of Mexico (28-4; 17 KOs). Zab won the fight via TKO in the third round.
Welterweight again
On November 6, 2010, he defeated the previously undefeated Lucas Matthiess for the vacant NABO Light Welterweight Championship. The former world champion fought at light welterweight for the first time in almost seven years.
After defeating Mattiss, negotiations began to fight against Kaiser Mabuse. Both sides eventually agreed to a fight on March 5 with the vacant IBF welterweight title on the line. The former champion joined Zab Judah's training to help him prepare for the match. On March 5, 2011, the hero of our article defeated Mabuza by TKO in the seventh round again, ten years later, claiming the IBF title.
The next fight with the WBA champion took place on July 23, 2011. It was the seventh defeat in his entire career. In March 2012, he won by technical knockout over Vernon Paris.
Another defeat in my career american boxer Zab Judah suffered in April 2013. In this fight, he lost to WBC world champion and WBA world super champion Danny Garcia. A few years later, Judah still won two more victories: in January 2017 over Jorge Luis Mungia and a year later over Noel Mejia Rincon.
Personal life
Judah has nine brothers and two sisters. Five of his brothers are also boxers. Father and coach Yoel Judah is a six-time world champion in kickboxing, has a black belt of the seventh degree. In July 2006, he was arrested after basketball game celebrities in Madison Square Garden on a family court order. In August 2007, Judah became involved in a brawl at the Stereo nightclub in New York City.
Zab Judah's tattoos are rather inconsistent: on one arm are quotes from the Bible, on the other - the inscription "Outlaw". The latter, according to him, means that he is following the path that he has chosen for himself.
Judah is one of the most talented young boxers. For him boxing not just a fight, he perceives boxing as a game, but he treats this game with all seriousness and does not allow underestimation of the enemy.
Judah was born in Brooklyn - a fairly well-known and dangerous area of America. Since the beginning of boxing Zaba It was evident that the boy had a serious talent.
He did not lose this talent and brought it safely to the professional ring. To talent Zab Judah added hellish speed and a punch of great power.
With opponents in the ring Judah merciless and he dealt with many in the blink of an eye - for which he received the nickname "Super" from the people. Unfortunately Zab often flirts in the ring. As a result, he sometimes has quite unpleasant cases - missing a blow and knocking down. To my credit Jude I must say that not a single such knockdown allowed him to lose.
Youth Zaba- this is not only inattention, but unfortunately it is also a lack of experience, and in the ring experience plays a big role.
Lack of experience self-confidence and cock arrogance played with Zabom Judah bad joke against Bones Tszyu. Zab I went to this fight as to the duel of my life. Nothing more important in life Jude did not exist at that time. So much attention was riveted to the fight that from the locker room Zeb Judah came out accompanied by Mike Tyson himself. When the battle began, it became clear to everyone - Zab Judah much faster than Kostya Tszyu. And in the middle of the first round, he delivers an uppercut of terrible force. How Kostya Tszyu was able to stand on his feet and successfully recover is a mystery to everyone.
And it was here that youth and lack of experience affected Jude. Zab, feeling the approach of victory, simply went to Kostya Tszyu, forgetting about everything. He also forgot about Kostya's power style. There were a few seconds left before the end of the second round and Tszyu took the chance, which is typical of an experienced fighter - the blow turned out to be a feast for the eyes and Zab Judah was on the floor. In a state of shock, Zab jumps to his feet, but they do not obey him and he falls again. Referee Jay Nedy stops the fight. Judah is so frustrated by the stoppage that he lashes out at the referee. After this fight, there was a huge amount of controversy about whether the referee did the right thing or not, but it was clear to everyone that Zab Judah made a big mistake - he opened up too much and provided a chance to defeat him for the first time. For your disgusting unsportsmanlike behavior Zab was fined $70,000 and disqualified for several months.
After returning Judah easily dealt with the little-known Frankie Randall - a knockout in the first round. After that, Zab decides to climb a category higher and challenge the Absolute Champion - Corey Spinks.
In general, an equal duel was still held with a slight advantage of Spinks, which was reflected in the referee's notes - the victory remained with Corey.
Next opponent's name Jude not yet known.
Watch fights with Zaba Judah not easy. At least for the reason that his swift blows can not always be traced. Despite the fact that in his track record, unlike track record champions, enough defeats, Judah is now rightly considered one of the most gifted boxers of our time who compete in the middleweight division.
Boxing for Judah is a game. Tense, gambling, but still a game, which he tries to treat with due respect. True, he does not always succeed in this, and then inevitable defeats from more attentive and successful opponents follow, not always the strongest.
The beginning of the biography of Zab Judah, his homeland - Brooklyn - is one of the most dangerous areas not only in New York, but in all of America. Incredible speed and the force of the blow appeared already during the first trainings. Over time, these important qualities for a boxer only developed and improved.
Debuted on professional ring Zab Judah September 20, 1996. In his first fight, he defeated Michael Johnson by TKO in the 2nd round. Then rating battles follow one after another with an interval of a month and a half. And in almost every Zab Judah effortlessly defeats rivals ahead of schedule. It is enough to look at the table of results of the first 28 fights of the talented boxer, who competes in the 1st welterweight division. Victories by knockout and technical knockout follow one after another. On January 16, 1999, Zab Judah defeated Wilfredo Negron by TKO to become the Interim IBF Welterweight Champion. This was the first champion title in the biography of Zab Judah.
A year later followed championship fight for the vacant IBF 1st Welterweight title against Jan-Pit Bergman. Despite the constant attacks, Zab Judah was the first to be knocked down in the second round. But in the fourth, he managed to finish off the opponent, finishing the fight ahead of schedule.
First defeat in professional biography Zab Judah received from the Russian Kostya Ju. The titles of IBF champions (Zab Judah) and WBC and WBA champions (Kostya Dzyu) were at stake. The beginning of the fight was for Zab Judah, but he got carried away with his game, and Kostya Dzyu did not forgive him for his mistakes. Lost in the second round.
After that, Zab Judah more than once comes out as the winner of rating and championship fights, and today remains one of the real contenders for titles.
Zab Judah, nicknamed "Super", holds his recovery fight 1 year later, with the Argentinean Omar Gabriel Weiss, having gone the whole distance in a 10-round rating fight. Zab confidently wins this fight and again joins the fight for the championship title.
On July 12, 2003, Judah won the WBO title in a championship fight against American DeMarcus Corley, and in the same year he successfully defended in a fight with Colombian Jaime Rangel. On April 10, 2004, Judah faced Corey Spinks in a unification bout for the WBC, IBF, and WBA titles. The fight lasted all 12 rounds, and all the judges gave preference to Spinks.
After that, Judah had two successful rating fights, and already in February 2005, the second meeting with Corey Spinks took place.
The density of the fight was at the highest level, the speed and power of Zab's strikes affected each round and already in the 9th Spinks could not continue the fight, after a huge number of missed strikes the referee was forced to stop the fight. Judah becomes the new welterweight champion.
In 2006, Zab has two fights that end in losses. He lost to Carlos Manuel Baldomir, as well as world boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr., both were title fights and went the full 12-round distance.
In 2007, Super-Zab met with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto, the WBA champion title was at stake, but the American failed to win it, in the 11th round the referee stopped the fight early victory Cotto. Throughout his career, Judah did not avoid meeting with strong opponents, he was always confident in the speed of his hands, which he proved more than once in the ring. Zab ended 2007 with two victories over Edwin Vaskis and Ryan Davis.
On August 2, 2008, an American spent title fight for the IBF belt against Joshua Clottey, but due to a cut received after a headbutt, Judah could not continue the fight and get the championship belt. Over the next three years, he holds 5 victorious fights. He met with Lucas Matisse, who did not know defeat, Zab even got knocked down by the end of this fight, but was able to rehabilitate himself and, thanks to an excellent sense of distance, win this meeting.
In 2011, he had two fights, one of which lost to the Englishman Amir Khan, a blow to the body in the fifth round decided the outcome of the fight, many believe that the blow was delivered below the belt, but the result was not disputed by Judah's team. The following year, Super-Zab wins ahead of schedule in the 9th round of Werner Perez and becomes a contender for the championship fight, which took place on April 27, 2013 against compatriot Dany Garcia.
This fight was held at a high pace, both boxers showed skill top level, the intrigue persisted until the last second of the 12th round, Garcia became the winner. Another defeat in Zab's asset was the fight with Paul Malignaggi, when all the judges awarded the victory to Paul on points.
To date, 38-year-old Zab Judah has 53 fights behind him, of which 42 wins, he has not yet made an official statement about his resignation, but he has not appeared in the big ring for several years now.
Kostya Tszyu - Zab Judah. An exclusive article about the details of the famous knockout of the Russian champion.
Judah started pro in 1996. After two and a half years, he became " temporary"IBF world champion. And a year later, the promoter, Gary Shaw, organized for his ward a fight for a full-fledged IBF belt, which became vacant. The very title that Kostya once owned. Vince Phillips, after an unexpected victory over the Russian , defended the belt several times, but soon faced the talented Terron Millett. Millett knocked out Vince and became the new champion. However, Terron was injured and was deprived of the trophy. He was played by the first two numbers of the rating: Judah and Jan Bergman, with the condition that the winner must meet with Millett.
Zab defeated both Bergman and Millett. The incredible speed and mobility of this left-hander was amazing. But behind the scenes there were some moments that many experts looked through their fingers. Judah fell from both Bergman and Millett. He had an obscure fight with Mickey Ward. Ward pressed the whole fight, and who knows how the fight would have turned out if Mickey were in the place, say.
Even worse Zab opposed" slippery"Left-handed - Junior Witter. All this was attributed to the youth and ardor of an American from Brooklyn.
Gary Shaw decided to wait to see how it ends" disassembly"Two other world champions - Kostya Tszyu (WBC) and Sharmba Mitchell (WBA). Kostya defeated the American in February 2001, and became the owner of two belts. It was then that negotiations began between Gary Shaw and Vlad Wharton ( Promoter Bones). The decision was made " to warm"the audience in front of a megafight and put the fights of Kostya and Zab in the framework of one show. This moment became decisive in choosing the favorite. Until June 2001, the chances of the fighters were regarded as approximately equal. However, everything turned upside down on June 21, 2001. Judah, literally, destroyed Allan Vester, while Tszyu with great difficulty defeated the uncomfortable German, the silver medalist of the Olympics in Atlanta - Oktay Urkal. The fight turned out to be nervous and tense. Kostya won by unanimous decision, but immediately lowered his quotes before the duel with Zab. The chances of his success were: 1 to 2.5.
The escalation of the battle has begun. Judah unleashed a flurry of criticism on his future counterpart.
Kostya limited himself to compliments to the enemy and assured that he was ready for battle. However, much was not in favor of Kostya. First: age. Konstantin was 33 years old, while his young opponent was only 24. Secondly, the boxing world remembered Tszyu's defeat at the hands of Vince Phillips in May 1997. Third: the unintelligible fight with Oktay Urkal completely spoiled the picture.
For the first time, all three main belts of this division were at stake. For the first time, the American public will see firsthand the absolute world champion in this category. Everyone understood that the winner would forever go down in boxing history and stand on a par with such names as: Antonio Cervantes and.
A funny episode happened at the weigh-in. Judah, with all his appearance, showed disdain for the enemy. Kostya, suddenly, friendly touched him and said something to Zab. After these words, Judah looked confused.
Vlad Wharton lost to Gary Shaw in terms of the question: who will enter the ring first. Two champions. As a rule, it is the title holder and the favorite who enters the ring second. They became Judah. The referee is Jay Nedy, whose candidacy, oddly enough, was insisted on by Gary Shaw. Jay will always remember that evening.
The duel began cautiously. Judah, contrary to the usual tactics, did not rush into the attack, realizing the danger emanating from the right hand of the Russian. " Crown"Zaba was a bottom left punch, between the gloves. The American punched this punch in response form, taking the opponent's attack on the right shoulder, twisting the body, and firing from a comfortable swing position for a left punch. His repeated jab hit the target, and Judah caught Konstantin on his favorite technique. He " planted"The left fist was exactly in the chin. Tszyu stood on his feet with great difficulty. Zab gained momentum. He began to develop success on medium distance. Konstantin missed the threads of the fight and no longer controlled the distance with his front hand. The round has come to an end.
There was no panic in Tszyu's corner during the break. Johnny Lewis, the permanent coach of the Russian, calmly spoke about the plan for the fight.
In the second round, Tszyu began to push the American. To hit hard What did Judah do in the first round?) you need to rest your foot in the ring for a moment. Stay. Kostya knocked Zab out of position. Jude didn't care too much. He believed that he had already done most of the task. Moving along the perimeter of the ring, Zab, without suspecting it, a trap came in. Tszyu practically did not hit the right hand. He acted only with his front hand, but a few seconds before the end of the round he threw a deuce: left - right. She reached the goal, but the final blow was at the end. Judah shifted, but Kostya already felt the distance with his right. She " found a purpose". In the next moment, he again threw the right, after the left, and sent the enemy to the floor. Zab got up too quickly and he was led to the side. Jay Nedy stopped the fight. It was a shock.
Jay didn't break any rules. The fighter was shocked and he only fulfilled his destiny.
Zab was so annoyed that he jabbed his left glove in Nedy's face, for which he was fined $75,000 and suspended for six months. Judah apologized to Jay.
Judah kept his word. He returned and won the WBO super lightweight title. He became the undisputed world welterweight champion by knocking out Corey Spinks in a rematch.
Disputes about the stop did not subside for a long time. The fight caused a huge resonance in the press. Most of all I liked the words of one American journalist. He called this knockout, literally translated: " natural accident". This can be perceived in different ways, but the winner and the man who entered the history of boxing as the first absolute champion world - was and remains Kostya Tszyu.
Watch fights with Zaba Judah not easy. At least for the reason that his swift blows can not always be traced. Despite the fact that in his track record, in contrast to the track record of champions, there are enough defeats, Judah today is rightly considered one of the most gifted middleweight boxers of our time.
Boxing for Judah is a game. Tense, gambling, but still a game, which he tries to treat with due respect. True, he does not always succeed in this, and then inevitable defeats from more attentive and successful opponents follow, not always the strongest.
The beginning of the biography of Zab Judah, his homeland - Brooklyn - is one of the most dangerous areas not only in New York, but in all of America. Incredible speed and power of impact appeared already during the first trainings. Over time, these important qualities for a boxer only developed and improved.
He made his debut in the professional ring Zab Judah on September 20, 1996. In his first fight, he defeated Michael Johnson by TKO in the 2nd round. Then rating battles follow one after another with an interval of a month and a half. And in almost every Zab Judah effortlessly defeats rivals ahead of schedule. It is enough to look at the table of results of the first 28 fights of the talented boxer, who competes in the 1st welterweight division. Victories by knockout and technical knockout follow one after another. On January 16, 1999, Zab Judah defeated Wilfredo Negron by TKO to become the Interim IBF Welterweight Champion. This was the first champion title in the biography of Zab Judah.
A year later, a championship fight for the vacant IBF 1st welterweight title against Jan-Pit Bergman followed. Despite the constant attacks, Zab Judah was the first to be knocked down in the second round. But in the fourth, he managed to finish off the opponent, finishing the fight ahead of schedule.
Zab Judah received his first defeat in his professional biography from the Russian Kostya Dzyu. The titles of IBF champions (Zab Judah) and WBC and WBA champions (Kostya Dzyu) were at stake. The beginning of the fight was for Zab Judah, but he got carried away with his game, and Kostya Dzyu did not forgive him for his mistakes. Lost in the second round.
After that, Zab Judah more than once comes out as the winner of rating and championship fights, and today remains one of the real contenders for titles.
Zab Judah, nicknamed "Super", holds his recovery fight 1 year later, with the Argentinean Omar Gabriel Weiss, having gone the whole distance in a 10-round rating fight. Zab confidently wins this fight and again joins the fight for the championship title.
On July 12, 2003, Judah won the WBO title in a championship fight against American DeMarcus Corley, and in the same year he successfully defended in a fight with Colombian Jaime Rangel. On April 10, 2004, Judah faced Corey Spinks in a unification bout for the WBC, IBF, and WBA titles. The fight lasted all 12 rounds, and all the judges gave preference to Spinks.
After that, Judah had two successful rating fights, and already in February 2005, the second meeting with Corey Spinks took place.
The density of the fight was at the highest level, the speed and power of Zab's strikes affected each round and already in the 9th Spinks could not continue the fight, after a huge number of missed strikes the referee was forced to stop the fight. Judah becomes the new welterweight champion.
In 2006, Zab has two fights that end in losses. He lost to Carlos Manuel Baldomir, as well as world boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr., both were title fights and went the full 12-round distance.
In 2007, Super-Zab met with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto, the WBA champion title was at stake, but the American failed to win it, in the 11th round the referee stopped the fight with an early victory for Cotto. Throughout his career, Judah did not avoid meeting with strong opponents, he was always confident in the speed of his hands, which he proved more than once in the ring. Zab ended 2007 with two victories over Edwin Vaskis and Ryan Davis.
On August 2, 2008, the American held an IBF title fight against Joshua Clottey, but due to a cut received after a head clash, Judah could not continue the fight and get the championship belt. Over the next three years, he holds 5 victorious fights. He met with Lucas Matisse, who did not know defeat, Zab even got knocked down by the end of this fight, but was able to rehabilitate himself and, thanks to an excellent sense of distance, win this meeting.
In 2011, he had two fights, one of which lost to the Englishman Amir Khan, a blow to the body in the fifth round decided the outcome of the fight, many believe that the blow was delivered below the belt, but the result was not disputed by Judah's team. The following year, Super-Zab wins ahead of schedule in the 9th round of Werner Perez and becomes a contender for the championship fight, which took place on April 27, 2013 against compatriot Dany Garcia.
This fight went at a high pace, both boxers showed top-level skills, the intrigue persisted until the last second of the 12th round, Garcia became the winner. Another defeat in Zab's asset was the fight with Paul Malignaggi, when all the judges awarded the victory to Paul on points.
To date, 38-year-old Zab Judah has 53 fights behind him, of which 42 wins, he has not yet made an official statement about his resignation, but he has not appeared in the big ring for several years now.
