By: Sean Crose
Looking to prove that age is just a number, Zab “Super” Judah will return to the ring to face Cletus Seldin on June 7th. Judah, 41, has held major titles in two weight divisions, but hasn’t fought in well over a year, and has only fought sparingly since his heyday as a major force in boxing. The fight with Seldin will go down at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in upstate New York. It’s being promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing Promotions and is being intentionally scheduled to occur during the nearby International Boxing Hall of Fame’s inductee weekend.
Judah, a 44-9 native of Brooklyn, was one of the top names in boxing during the first decade of the 21st century. Although he frequently lost his biggest matches, the fighter has faced a laundry list of some of the sport’s marquee names throughout this career. Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather, Danny Garcia, Miguel Cotto, Paulie Malignaggi, Amir Khan, and Lucas Matthysse have all shared the ring with Judah. In his prime, the man held titles at junior welterweight and also earned the undisputed and lineal welterweight championship of the world.
Although the 23-1 Seldin doesn’t represent the high level fare Judah is known for having faced, the Long Islander is a colorful and exciting foe. Known as the “Hebrew Hammer,” Seldin is a popular, come forward brawler who came to the public through notable wins on ESPNs now defunct Friday Night Fights, and HBOs now defunct boxing programming. Given the colorful personalities and pedigrees of both fighters (especially the pedigree of Judah), the fight should at least generate some interest. The Judah-Seldin match is to be fought at junior welterweight. Whether it will be a scheduled ten or twelve round bout is reportedly yet to be determined.
Also to appear on the June 7th Turning Stone card is middleweight James “Buddy” McGirt Jr, son of the famous fighter turned trainer James “Buddy” McGirt, who will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of fame that very weekend. McGirt Jr. is scheduled to face David Papot in what will be the night’s co-main event. The entire card is expected to blend nicely with Hall of Fame weekend. “Boxing fans will…have an opportunity to socialize with Boxing Hall of Fame VIPs and inductees during Friday night’s title fight at Turning Stone,” reads a press release.