Filed under: Boxing
Zab Judah's claim that he is a reformed character from the man who once threw a stool across a ring after a loss makes the American more of a danger to Britain's Amir Khan when the pair face each other this weekend.Judah has 49 fights under his belt but also two lengthy suspensions after his clashes with Kostya Tszyu and Floyd Mayweather Jr ended in controversial fashion.
The 33-year-old has been professional since 1996 - at that time a nine-year-old Khan would have been too young to even have had an official amateur bout - and quickly became a young sensation in the sport.
Judah was on course to be one of the greats of the ring until he lost control in 2001 after he was stopped against Tsyzu in a unification match.
Tsyzu floored the American in the second round and a stunned Judah tried to get back to his feet, but after stumbling and falling back down, referee Jay Nady rightly called an end to the fight which sparked ugly scenes.
Judah was livid at picking up his first defeat and chucked a stool across the ring before having to be restrained by his corner as he pushed his hand into the face of Nady and that led to a six-month ban from the ring.
The American hit another low in 2006 when he suffered three defeats, a no contest and a suspension all in the space of 18 months.
One of those was a points loss to Mayweather but Judah had sparked a 10th-round brawl in the ring after a succession of low-blows and was handed a year ban for his troubles.
However, Judah has rebuilt his image somewhat after stepping back down to light-welterweight last year and got back on track as he claimed the IBF strap in his last outing.
Now, in his first defence, he is looking to emerge from his dark days and prove his doubters wrong with a win over Khan - and that can only be a danger for the British fighter.
Even during his bad times in the sport, Judah showed flashes of real class and possesses one of the best left uppercuts in the business which will be the biggest threat to WBA champion Khan's ambitions to unify the light-welterweight division.
The 33-year-old broke his self-imposed ban on talking to the British media yesterday to warn his opponent he has found a new appetite for the sport and has put his troubled days behind him.
He told the written press at the media workout: "To know me is to love me. If you Google Zab Judah, you get lots of street fights and brawls.
"That happens when you are young. I'm sorry for those situations but as a man moving forward, I can never look back. I make things positive from here on."
And with former ring great Pernell Whitaker in his corner, Judah believes he has also shored up a once leaky defence that will help him overcome Khan.
"To have him as my coach is a great thing. It took one call to reach out to him and let him know that my focus was 100 per cent.
"He has put together a great strategy. He is a scientist and I am just a student in one of his classes. He has done great things for my defence.
"Amir Khan's career is nowhere near as great as mine. I've got more knockouts than he has had fights. I respect him as a young guy coming in who has the heart and the brilliance to put up his title and step into a major fight like this, but it's a gamble for him and Golden Boy Promotions.
"I've studied everything Amir Khan does. He does some great things, but with him being young and green he makes a lot of mistakes. And when he makes those mistakes, I will capitalise."
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