By Mark Vester
According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, the IBF have ordered an immediate rematch between IBF welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather and Zab Judah. The rematch can take place no later than August 8 and the Mayweather champ has 5 days to officially respond.
Top Rank, the promoters for Mayweather, stated after the April 8 meeting between the two fighters that there is no reason to see Mayweather and Judah clash again. Bob Arum has been very vocal about putting together a clash between Mayweather and WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito. The plan of putting together an August Mayweather-Margarito clash appears to still be the number one priority of Bob Arum.
Insiders speculate that Mayweather will vacate the IBF welterweight title, and in the process Judah may have the title handed back to him or face another top contender for the vacant belt. Should the IBF return the belt to Judah, it would make it the second time this year that Judah has lost his title, only to have the belt handed back to him for one reason or another.
In January, Judah lost a decision to Carlos Baldomir and regained his IBF welterweight crown after Baldomir refused to pay the IBF's sanctioning fee.