​Another remarkable story emerging out of the junior welterweight division that is receiving massive attention involves a longtime resident of the junior welterweight division, Zab” Super” Judah.  Since his last defeat at the hands of Joshua Clottey, it looks as if Judah seems fixed on returning to his roots, to rekindle the success of his yesteryears. First and foremost, Judah has decided to campaign back in the junior welterweight class where he is comfortable and purely the most effective. He has established the city of Newark, New Jersey, which neighbors his native town of Brooklyn, New York, as the landmark for his recent climb back into the title picture. By Judah fighting in these demographics, it clearly gives a home court advantage and psychological edge.

The only concern regarding hosting the venue in Newark instead of a major entertainment district, of which Judah doesn’t show the slightest sign of worry, is the financial limitations. Instead, Judah is determined to prosper the old-fashioned way, by building from the ground up.Judah has united with someone who shares the same philosophy, Kathy Duva of Main Events Promotions. Duva has aspirations of developing a local fan base that will sell out arenas for each fight card she promotes. This will eliminate Main Events financial dependency on pay-per-view and cable.The marriage between Judah and Main Events has worked well so far. In for their most recent event, broadcast live on HBO, the team hosted a world title fight which showcased Judah against undefeated knockout artist Lucas Martin Matthysse.The whole evening was a major success. Along with the feature bout there was an explosive undercard featuring the lights of up and coming stars Sadam Ali and Adrien Broner, whom would both add victories to their win columns.The star bout saw Judah walk away with a razor thin decision over the rugged Matthysse. The match up was very competitive; it saw Judah control the pace early to mid-rounds but going on to experience difficulties in the later rounds, even hitting deck in the tenth.

The end saw both finish strong, but due to the knockdown some ringside observers questioned the judges’ final decisions.Controversial or not, Judah’s recent victory and journey back to the top of the junior welterweight division should be commended. For years, members of the press have portrayed Judah as a fighter that never lived up to his full potential and has choked in the face of adversity.  If you apply a magnifying glass to Judah’s career, you will clearly see a different perspective.Judah experienced success at a very early age and like dozens of other young athletes, this gave him a feeling of invincibility, which showed in the manner of his conduct. The problem is that these perceptions of Judah were created early on in his career and have shadowed over him till this day. Unfortunately for Judah, along with many others, today’s media doesn’t spend much time analyzing the positive progressions of these athletes after they’ve been labeled.As one of the few journalists that monitors the development of these athletes on an in-depth basis, I would like to offer my researched analysis on the career of Zab Judah. I believe signs of maturity began to show for Judah as early as his loss to Miguel Cotto. This was pointed out to me years back by hall-of-fame trainer Emanuel Steward. In his confrontation against Cotto, Judah reverted to seek and destroy style instead of relying on his boxing ability. He valiantly fought a toe-to-toe war until the referee felt that the punishment was unbearable. Steward felt Judah showed more signs of credibility in this defeat than in any of his previous wins.Judah’s recent crusade is not his first attempt at a comeback. In previous endeavors, Judah showed signs of advancement in the beginning but only to see it end in heartbreaking defeat.In a sport where your body and mind has a limit on the impact it can absorb it, takes extraordinary resolve to stay in the race. Even with Judah’s rollercoaster ride of a career, one thing is for certain…he has   remained determined.I recently picked up on a new ingredient that has been added to Judah’s arsenal during his ring entrance for his last fight against Matthysse. Instead of Judah’s usual music, hymns of Gospel were blaring from the loudspeakers. From there I witnessed Judah walk with a swagger unlike any I’ve seen on him throughout his career. It was good old faith!!!

At the post-fight presser against Mathese, Judah enlightened the media of his new-found relationship with his Lord, and the positive impact it’s had on his life and career.
​Whatever the case may be, it has ascended Judah once again to the top of the junior welterweight ladder. Along with this incredible aura of spirit Judah attests is surrounding him, there is a new mentoring and training figure that has been added to his camp, a man who resembles Judah both inside and out of the ring, the legendary Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker. Whitaker, one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the last fifty years, was a slick outspoken southpaw. Like Judah, Whitaker’s confidence was consistently mistaken for arrogance. With Judah and Whitaker sharing such common denominators, what is it that Sweet Pea can teach him? The answer is simple, wisdom. Whitaker is a fighter who managed to carry his success into the twilight of his career where the rest of the big names of his generation seemed to fade. This accomplishment has established Whitaker a place in boxing history and unquestionably shows he lived up to his full potential.It’s no secret Judah is in the twilight of his career, so it is now or never. The question is if Judah, like Whitaker, will live up to his full potential. Whitaker can only preach, but Judah has to perform. Everything appears to be in a positive direction for Judah. He seems very content with himself in his personal and professional life. A win in this next fight on March 5th against Kaizer Mabuza will position him into a showdown with other elites of the junior welterweight division. It’s been a long, windy road up this mountain for Judah, and by the looks of it, he’s showing no signs of coming down. Boxing fans should stay tuned for the conclusion of this tale.