ATTENTION on the light-welterweight division centres on Tim Bradley?s
unification of the WBC and WBO titles, with the WBA?s champion Amir Khan waiting in the wings. But Zab Judah has set his sights on the fourth significant portion of the crown.
On March 5 the American fights for the vacant IBF title and Judah is happy for his progress to go under the radar. ?I prefer them not to recognise,? reasoned Zab, ?I prefer them not to look at me. I prefer them not to even know me. But they will. I?m coming. I like to sneak up.?
Between Judah and his next ?world? title stands Kaizer Mabuza, the South African who shocked Kendall Holt last year. While Zab has shared a ring with the sport?s elite, from Kostya Tszyu to Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto, Mabuza cannot claim to have mingled in such company.
But Zab insisted, ?I have total respect for him. He?s coming to win. He comes with a very strong offence. He?s trying to get his total game going.?
Judah though has an ace up his sleeve. The legendary Pernell Whitaker has entered the camp as his trainer ahead of this fight. ?Training?s going great. I picked up the master,? the 33-year-old enthused. ?When Pernell Whitaker joined team Judah, he started a class called the masterclass. After this fight, when I get good grades, I?ll probably change my name to Dr Zab Judah because I know I should have a PhD after this is over.?
He added, ?I?m expecting a hard 12-round fight, a hard, tough 12-round fight, but I?m just looking forward to going in there and displaying my talent, showing the world what I?ve learned.?
If he does defeat the South African then fans will hope the trend for unification duels among the light-welters continues. With the IBF belt strapped round his waist, contests against Khan or Bradley would become major events. But Judah refuses to indulge in such speculation.
?Kaizer Mabuza is everything that I?m looking for right now. Once that fight is taken care of and we?ve surpassed that, then we?ll make a judgement about who we?re going to talk to next,? Zab declared.
It?s surely a shrewd policy. Famously he was believed to have one eye on a Floyd Mayweather clash only to suffer his surprise defeat to Carlos Baldomir. But rallying from a string of reverses at welter, Judah has returned, successfully so far, to the weight class below.
With the Prudential Center in Newark hosting his recent fights, Zab is delighted with how Main Events have been promoting him, saying, ?They stuck to everything they said. ?We?ve got the rocket ship, you?ve just got to drive it to the moon.?
