Zab Judah spoke slowly and comfortably, seemingly at ease with his situation.
Judah had just fought 12 bloody rounds against a young Philly fighter named Danny Garcia on Saturday, losing a competitive decision at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Though he was out-pointed, Judah acquitted himself well, winning the final three rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, with one judge giving Judah the final four rounds. It was a proud performance for the ring veteran, who was battered for the first eight rounds before mounting a stunning comeback when he seemed to hurt Garcia, 25, several times down the stretch of the junior welterweight bout for Garcia’s WBA and WBC titles.
After a nearly 20-year career filled with highs and lows, Judah, 35, looked relaxed after the fight, despite wearing sunglasses to hide a nasty cut below his left eye that had to be stitched up. Judah was asked if this was the type of performance he could hang his career on, an occasion to leave on a high note. Frequently criticized for weakening down the stretch of fights, Judah, a former champion in two weight divisions, had quieted those critics with a brave, courageous effort. Was it finally time for Judah to give up the sport and retire? It was a justifiable question, given his time in boxing. But Judah, who was born and raised in Brooklyn and now resides in Las Vegas, furrowed his brow and smiled.
“Bow out? Never that,” Judah said. “I’m from Brooklyn. I mean the 10th, 11th, 12th, round, those were my strongest rounds.”
Somehow, at the age of 35, after taking on virtually every big-name fighter of his generation (and losing for the most part when he stepped up), Judah has managed to breathe new life into his career with his latest effort.
Judah (42-8) talked about facing the winner of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Robert Guerrero on May 4 ? a once unthinkable proposition ? and nobody seemed to snicker. Judah also said he’d like an immediate rematch with Garcia, though no such clause exists in Judah’s contract (there was one in Garcia’s contract if he had lost). And Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes Garcia (26-0), seemed to hint that a rematch wasn’t in the cards for either fighter. But De La Hoya did say what everyone in the room already knew: that Judah was a player again in the talent-rich junior welterweight division.
“There is no loser,” De La Hoya said. “Zab is in the mix. He’s right there. He can face any other fighter. He didn’t lose anything. He actually gained because of the way he fought. OK, he didn’t get the win, but it was a very impressive performance. Zab will go his way and Danny will go his way. But both are still on the championship level. Zab proved it once again.”
