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Revision as of 05:41, 6 February 2005 by 205.188.116.136 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Professional boxer in the jr. welterweight 140 lb (63.5 kg) and welterweight 147 lb (66.7 kg) divisions. Judah held a title at 140 lb (63.5 kg), and was considered by many to be an authentic claimant to boxing's pound-for-pound title at that time. In November of 2001 he met fellow titleholder Kostya Tszyu in a title unification fight and was knocked out in the 2nd round. In February of 2005 he became undisputed Welterweight Champion.
The knockout itself to Tszyu, and the subsequent melee in the ring, are now the stuff of legend among boxing's hardcore fanbase. Thought to have won the first round convincingly, Judah appeared somewhat hesitant to engage his opponent in the second round. With only seconds remaining in the round, Tszyu connected with a right handed blow to Judah's chin which spun his head violently to the side and caused him to retreat. Without missing a beat, Tszyu connected with a second right hand which knocked Judah down. Attempting to beat the referee's count, 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 to the canvas once more. Referee Jay Nady immediately halted the bout, as Judah rose yet again on unsteady legs, protesting the stoppage all the while. As both camps flooded the ring, Judah continued to protest Nady's decision, with his outrage increasing to catastrophic proportions as the cameras rolled on. At one point, Judah shoved his gloved fist into the throat of the much bigger Nady, and then returned to his corner, picked up the ring stool and threw it across the ring at Nady. Curiously enough, none of Judah's post-bout fury appeared to be directed at his opponent.
As a consequence of this action, Judah was suspended from boxing for a while. His stumbling attempt to beat Nady's count was converted into a six second long compressed digital clip, which predictably spread like wildfire across the internet on various boxing message boards. Dubbed "the Zab Dance", it has tarnished Judah's reputation ever since that encounter.
Since then, Zab Judah has returned to the ring and quietly worked his way back into the good graces of boxing's odd alliance of promoters, television networks and assorted characters. In 2004 he challenged reigning undisputed welterweight champion Cory Spinks, but lost a narrow decision on the scorecards. The fight had none of the attendant controversy of Judah's previous title fight against Tszyu.
Then in the rematch, in Spinks' hometown of St. Louis, Judah connected with several of his big left hook's, TKOing Spinks in the 9th round to become undisputed Welterweight Champion. He showed grace in victory, saying he did not want to hurt Spinks and that Spinks was a great fighter. Judah now as Welterweight Champion has a possibility of a rubber match with Spinks, a rematch with Tszyu, or a big money fight with Oscar De La Hoya.
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