Boxing News 2015: Mayweather’s Sparring Partner Judah Responds To Roach's Statements, Says Pacquiao Trainer Doesn’t Belong In The Hall Of Fame
After reports that Zab Judah is being dominated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in recent sparring sessions, Freddie Roach burned the former calling him an “old man”. Judah retaliated in recent interview calling out the world-renowned trainer, who will handle Manny Pacquiao in the super fight roughly a month away.
“Super” Zab Judah, who has fought and lost to Mayweather Jr. back in 2006, was clearly pissed with Roach’s recent pronouncements. Judah lost to Mayweather Jr. via a 12-round unanimous decision with judges' scores of 119-109, 116-112 and 117-111 all in favour of Mayweather Jr.
“He’s going on record saying stuff [about me] that I’m old, I’m a bum. Zab’s this and Zab’s that. I am not afraid of Manny Pacquiao. I’m not even in this fight, you know what I’m saying. The guy he’s got to be worried about is Mayweather. But I understand that if you take a peak over the Mayweather’s camp and that makes them nervous,” Judah said in an interview with Dontae's Boxing Nation on YouTube.
“Let’s put in in the record, Freddie. You were a fighter yourself. You did nothing in boxing. You’re just like a heavy bag in the boxing world. You didn’t beat nobody. You did nothing, I’m a five-time champion of the world. I never in my life said anything negative towards you. But for you to keep opening your mouth, talking about me?”
Judah didn’t just burn Roach as a former fighter and also said that the trainer doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Judah stated that a Hall of Fame trainer should be someone who turns a nobody to becoming a boxing champion and not Roach’s way of tapping fighters in their prime like Miguel Cotto and Pacquiao.
“Who cares if Floyd knocks out an old man like Zab Judah,” Roach said when asked about the rumours that Mayweather Jr. has dominated his sparring partners, including Judah, in an interview posted on Facebook.
The Mayweather camp has tapped Judah as a sparring partner because of his likeness to Pacquiao’s style and form. Like Pacquiao, Judah is a southpaw and during his prime, was one of the more aggressive boxers in the sport— similar to Pacquiao’s all-out attack in most of his fights. Like Mayweather, Judah (42-9-0, 29 knockouts) is an American boxer and has won world titles in the light welterweight and welterweight divisions in his pro career.
Mayweather (47-0-0, 26 KOs) and Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) will finally meet on top of the ring after years of negotiations and are in the thick of things in their respective training camps. The highly-anticipated Mayweather-Pacquiao super fight is scheduled to happen on May 2, 2015 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.
To contact author of this article, email j.quizon@IBTimes.com.au.
