Two very different fighters enjoyed success last night, with the young prospect Saul Alvarez and veteran Zab Judah both now wearing championship gold after comfortable victories.
Thirty-three year old Zab Judah knocked out Kaizer Mabuza in the seventh to claim the IBF light-welterweight title, a title that he first held a decade ago. This is the first time the former undisputed welterweight kingpin has held the gold since his defeat to Floyd Mayweather in 2006 cost him his IBF Title at 147Ibs, having already lost his WBC crown in his preceeding fight against Carlos Baldomir. Before Saturday’s fight against Mabuza he had failed in two prior attempts to get back on top with Miguel Cotto beating him for the WBA Welterweight Title and Joshua Clottey defeating him for the IBF Welterweight Title.
Meanwhile twenty-year old prospect Saul Alvarez clearly outpointed European Welterweight Champion Matthew Hatton to win the WBC Light Middleweight Title in the main event of HBO’s Boxing After Dark. Alvarez twice dropped Hatton and won every round on all three judges scorecards, with the score of 119-108 the result of a point deduction for an illegal punch in the seventh. With this victory the unbeaten Alvarez improves to 35-0-1 (26KO).
