Zab Judah – Kaizer Mabuza Press Comments
Zab “Super” Judah and Kaizer Mabuza faced off today in advance of their IBF junior welterweight title clash on Saturday night at the Prudential Center’s AmeriHealth Pavilion in Newark, NJ.
Zab Judah: “Pernell has been a great influence. I think we are going to Def Comedy Jam after this! Not only has Pernell Whitaker brought great skills to me, but he tweaked my whole world. He also brought humor, entertainment and kept the camp happy. He brought a lot of excitement, joy and fun. We had a great training camp in Las Vegas. We trained very, very hard for this fight. He came in for a six weeks of training camp, but I’d been training myself long before that. I kind of skipped Christmas and New Years and focused on Kaizer Mabuza. I kept my mind focused on the plan. I mean, I’m ready.”
“In the past I have predicted rounds, knockouts, etc, etc. This fight I prepared myself for twelve rounds. I’ve prepared myself for 100%. You know there’s a myth about Zab’s gonna fade and all that. For this fight, I went to the master right here (Pernell Whitaker). He’s known for going 12 rounds; he’s known for being the best fighter out there. His defensive skills are phenomenal, his offensive skills are phenomenal. I took what he’s got and put it with what I’ve got and ya’ll know what that’s gonna bring. It’s gonna be magic.”
“As a young kid I mimicked and idolized Pernell Whitaker coming up, and watched him and Mike Tyson. Those two styles are different. You got one deep to the body, you got one aggressive fighter, so I mixed the both of them in and I got Zab Judah.”
“I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for bringing me here. I respect Kaizer Mabuza for what he’s done and his climb to the top. Me and my trainers, we’ve prepared ourselves well for this opportunity. He’s a young man here (Mabuza), he has a lot of time to come back and try to do this again, but this Saturday night is not his time. I respect him for coming over and taking this opportunity, but Saturday night you will see a five time champion of the world!”
“Americans are missing one thing – they’re missing an American hero, and I’m here to take over that spot.”
Kaizer Mabuza: “I’m glad to be back in America. It’s an honor to me to fight a person like Zab Judah. I think he had his time; he’s a former world champion. I think this is my time, because I’m still hungry for success. And I promise him, when I take the ring I change, I become a new man. I’m hungry for success so you have to expect that it will be like fireworks!”
Pernell Whitaker: “First of all I’m not here to talk about strategy. I think I’ve given Zab enough, that he has enough in his toolkit for this particular fight. He’s done everything I’ve asked him to do; he’s done a little more. Whatever Zab used to do in the past, is in the past, and now he has a new direction, a great direction. He’s one of boxing’s best. So I expect to see that.”
“The name of the sport is called boxing. You don’t call it knockout. You can go get that on video. He’s got all the finesse, and finesse and speed brings power. All the old habits Zab once had are no longer there. He’s listening. You guys are gonna see, defense makes offense.”
Promoter Kathy Duva: “Since Zab came back to Main Events in July, he has done everything we have asked, gone above and beyond. He is taking all the steps he needs to take to regain that Jr welterweight title that he first won so many years ago, coincidentally against a South African. Before he can succeed he has to deal with this gentleman, Kaizer Mabuza, who has the same idea. Kaizer Mabuza has come here all the way from South Africa. I am sure he has worked his entire life to get to the same place. They both have the same goal.
“Some of you may have seen Kaizer Mabuza when he first came to NJ and scored an upset against Kendall Holt. We know what he can do; we know what Zab can do. There are so many fights that people talk about lately and the results are a foregone conclusion. This is not the case here. We have a very explosive combination of styles that is going to make for an amazing event. We are not just going through the motions here, this is about do or die for both of them.”