Zab Judah has been the slick southpaw in the room, so when he sits down with Mill City Boxing and starts breaking down the young slicksters, it’s worth listening. He had three fights to judge — and he only refused to pick one of them.
That one is Keyshawn Davis vs Richardson Hitchins, supposedly set for December 11 on the Fury vs Joshua card, per the show. Both men are Zab’s guys — Hitchins the Brooklyn fighter, Keyshawn on his team — and he describes a genuine clash of problems: Hitchins is a “hellified great boxer” whose movement and boxing Keyshawn has never seen, and Keyshawn is a counter-punching aggressive warrior Hitchins has never seen. Asked for a favorite, Zab wouldn’t bite: they’re kind of equal right now, both with good defense, offense, output and ring generalship, and the winner is simply whoever executes his game plan best. A bettor’s fight, he called it — the kind the odds-makers hate, because it can truly go either way. Fireworks either way: “we might get a Fourth of July early.”
The lightweight unification was easier for him. The show laid out the state of play: Abdullah Mason clapped back at Floyd Schofield — he’ll fight him in Texas, wear whatever colors Schofield wants — and Schofield answered that his side is down, just send the contract. Zab loves the situation. The Mason family, he said, reminds him of his own: not scared to go anywhere, pull up on anybody and handle business. And after watching Schofield fight, he leans Mason — because if that fight becomes a dog fight on the inside, that’s Mason’s fight. Mason has stood toe-to-toe with bangers and let it go, and Zab expects him to be the favorite. The host noted the resumes are very close, with maybe an edge to Schofield on competition — which is exactly why Zab’s timeline matters: he says this fight is brewing for next year, top of the year, and puts it at “100%” happening. Two young champions, both saying yes, a veteran co-signing the date. That’s how unifications are supposed to sound.
Then Saturday’s big one. Asked for Foster vs Navarrete, Zab leaned O’Shaquie Foster — and his reason was camp intelligence. Boxing is a big but small family, he explained: do something outstanding in the gym and the news crosses the country that fast. What he’s hearing out of Foster’s camp is top-notch — great sparring reports, a man handling his business, and Zab likes what Foster stands for right now. The host agreed, adding that Foster’s height and reach might pull it off down the stretch of a tough fight.
So the Zab Judah scorecard for the season: Keyshawn-Hitchins is a coin flip, Mason beats Schofield in a war early next year, and Foster takes Saturday night in San Antonio. Rnd5Media’s own pick has Foster dominating — Zab just gave it a second, very credible voice.
Video credit: Mill City Boxing.
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