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Zab Judah Goes Brooklyn On Amir Khan At L.A. Presser…AVILA
LOS ANGELES- Zab “Super” Judah calls Las Vegas home now, but he “went Brooklyn” on Amir “King” Khan during their kickoff press conference on Wednesday to officially announce their junior welterweight showdown on July 23 in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Vegas.
Judah jawed at Khan during the face offs at the ESPN Zone at L.A. Live and kept going as photographers lit up the dark room of the popular eatery across the street from the Staples Center.
He just wouldn’t stop.
“Zab was basically saying it was his time,” said Khan (25-1, 17 KOs). “I’ll do my talking with my fists.”
WBA titleholder Khan is coming off his one-side win over Paul McCloskey and Judah stopped Kaizer Mabuza to win the IBF title. Their belts will both be at stake when they meet next month.
“Both fighters are coming in with their belts and putting them on the line,” said Kathy Duva, president of Main Events, which promotes Judah.
“I’ve been there before,” said Judah (41-6, 28 KOs) about being the younger, faster fighter considered the favorite to win. “That’s how I felt when I fought Kostya Tszyu. But I had to learn and he’s (Khan) young and he’ll learn too.”
Judah says the win doesn’t always go to the younger and faster guy but often favors the smarter veteran who knows how to take advantage of the situation of a big fight in the new Mecca of boxing Las Vegas.
“This is what world champions are made of, to be knocked down, knocked out, and come back,” said Judah, who is now trained by former great Pernell Whitaker.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said that he expects a large crowd coming from the United Kingdom along with the fans that back former New Yorker Judah.
“It’s clearly a great show,” Schaefer said.
HBO’s Tony Walker said the fight will be shown on regular HBO, which has had some successful viewings lately, like Bernard Hopkins’ rematch with Canada’s Jean Pascal last month.
“We’ve had a great run of fights,” said Walker. “The future looks great.”
The Las Vegas fight card is co-sponsored by Tecate Cerveza and A.T.&T. Tickets are priced at $50 to $200 and go on sale today.
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