By Lem Satterfield
In 2006, Zab Judah's relationship with Floyd Mayweather Jr. took a disastrous turn. The close friends became bitter rivals when a deal was finalized for the two of them to fight in April of that year. The pre-fight hype was filled with trash talk on both sides. The fight, which took place at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, turned very ugly when an in-ring brawl broke out in the tenth round between both camps.
The brawl began when Judah landed a hard low blow on Mayweather. Trainer/uncle Roger Mayweather charged the ring and made an attempt to go after Judah, which led to both camps rushing the ring and punches being exchanged. The Nevada State Athletic Commission punished several of the involved parties with suspensions, including Zab, his father/trainer Yoel Judah and Mayweather's adviser and assistant trainer, Leonard Ellerbe.
Several years later, Judah moved from New York to Las Vegas, where Mayweather resides, and the two boxers began to slowly repair their relationship.
"With the fight that we had, you know, yeah, that put a little distance between us for a little while. But yeah, you know, I love his family, you know what I'm saying?" said Judah. "I know his children and his mother. I respect his family and he has the same respect for my family."
"We work out at the same 24-hour fitness gym. We don't fight in the same gym anymore, and we don't spar each other anymore. But we still see each other now and then, like when we are playing basketball with each other. You can sometimes catch us out together at 1 a.m. in Las Vegas playing basketball against each other. When we play ball, it's usually Team Judah against Team Mayweather."
At the present, the career of Mayweather has come to a pause as the former five division champion is battling domestic violence charges and other legal troubles. Judah, a recent convert from Judaism to Christianity, has reached out, spiritually, to Mayweather, to help him overcome his personal problems.
"The other night, I was talking to him about the Bible. We were just speaking about God, and he was just telling me his religion, and I was talking about my religion. He told me that he believed in God, and, you know, that he says his prayers and I was telling him that you have to find Jesus, you know what I'm saying?" said Judah.
"I think that I'm kind of like getting to him, you know what I'm saying? Hopefully, you know, the Lord will put the Holy Spirit on him and bring him over to Christ. Once he gets God in his life, I mean, he will be that much better off. Floyd's not a close- minded person. He's a very open-minded person, and I believe that, in time, he'll come around. I wish for him, and I pray for him, and God is good. When it's Floyd's time, then God will bring him over to him. I think that Floyd's looking into it, you know?"
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.
