Boxing: Zab Judah: now or never

Interview by Anthony Evans: On the way up, when he was effortlessly dominating top class opponents like Micky Ward in the late 1990s, Zab Judah was hailed as boxing's next big thing. Pernell Whitaker with a punch, they exclaimed, and while comparisons with one of the very best fighters of the last 25 years were unfair to the Brooklyn bomber Judah was perceived as the hot young thing destined for multiple title reigns.

Yet here we are in 2005 and 'Super' Judah, now 27, is no longer particularly young or hot and his only 'big three' title reign - with the IBF junior welterweight title - was brutally ended by a single Kostya Tszyu right hand in 2001. Since that calamitous night he has struggled to maintain career momentum, seldom producing two consecutive impressive performances.