NEW YORK (AP)—Zab Judah has been a champion before, in multiple weight divisions, so those gaudy title belts don’t mean a whole lot to him these days.
He’d rather be recognized as the best in the world, then go after the trinkets to prove it.
The former welterweight and junior welterweight champion returns to the ring Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., where he’ll face unbeaten Argentine contender Lucas Matthysse on HBO. It’s an important fight, an IBF title eliminator, but perhaps most importantly could set up Judah for an even more high-profile fight early next year.
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“I left this weight class a champion and I’ll come back to get the championship,” said Judah, who has won three straight on his comeback trail. “Everyone knows it’s just a matter of time before I’m looking at one of the titles or all of the titles.”
The winner of Saturday night’s fight will face South Africa’s Kaiser Mabuza for the belt recently stripped from Devon Alexander, and opens him up to boxing’s hottest division.
Alexander, the flashy undefeated titleholder from St. Louis, is scheduled to face fellow unbeaten Tim Bradley in January in what could determine the king of 140 pounds. Amir Khan is slated for a showdown against Marcos Maidana in December, while Victor Ortiz continues his own comeback against Lamont Peterson on the same card from Las Vegas.
Judah wants to start lining ‘em up.
“Zab Judah has made it clear that it is his intention to take back the 140-pound division,” said his promoter, Kathy Duva of Main Events.
Judah went through a rocky patch before his recent winning streak, but promises he’s matured and is more focused than perhaps any time since turning pro at 18 years old.
That was evident in the lead-up to his fight against Matthysse, when he lavished praise on the dangerous and unbeaten—yet virtually untested—fighter from Argentina.
“Lucas Matthysse is a great fighter, I’ve watched him,” Judah said. “He has great hand speed. He has good combinations, he’s very aggressive, but we are very well prepared for Lucas. This is going to be a great fight.”
Matthysse likewise offered plenty of praise for Judah, but said he won’t be stepping into the ring against a reputation—just another fighter intent on winning.
“It’s only Zab and myself come Saturday night,” he said. “No one can help him.”
Matthysse has been working out with middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, another fighter from Argentina, who defends his title in two weeks in Atlantic City. Matthysse said he’s “never seen a fighter like Sergio” and that the speed he encountered while sparring compares well with what he’ll see against Judah.
“We worked really hard and I know I’m going to take this win back to Argentina,” he said.
The televised undercard features former two-division champion Robert Guerrero against former U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo in a lightweight bout that could send the winner into bigger fights against the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez or Michael Katsidis.
Guerrero will be fighting for the second time since giving up his junior lightweight title earlier this year to care for his wife Casey, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2007. She is doing much better now, which has allowed Guerrero to once again concentrate on his career.
“I want to thank God for the opportunity because with everything that I’ve been through with my family, I would never be here without God,” Guerrero said. “The training and hard work is done. Now it’s time to fight. Vicente and I have known each other since the amateurs and now we are fighting in the pros and I’m excited to get in there and handle my business.”
Yo what about ole ass Glen Johson ko'ing Allan Green? That shit was funny as hell.