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Newark - American southpaw Zab Judah captured the vacant International Boxing Federation junior welterweight title on Saturday with a seventh-round stoppage of South African Kaizer Mabuza.
Six years removed from his days as the undisputed world welterweight champion, Judah became a five-time world champion when referee Sammy Viruet halted the fight after 59 seconds of the seventh round.
Judah was backed into a corner but answered a right from Mabuza with a hard left to the chest that crumpled Mabuza, leaving him doubled over the middle rope as former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson cheered Judah on from ringside.
Mabuza staggered and stumbled, leaning on the ropes, but answered the count only to have Judah attack with a furious flurry that forced Viruet to stop the fight.
"In the past I was very anxious," Judah said. "I didn't want to worry about what he did to me early. I wanted to stay patient, use my jabs and take advantage of my opportunities.
"The game plan was to keep turning him, put combinations together. I wanted to hit him with the uppercut but I got him with the left hand straight."
Judah improved to 41-6 with his 28th early stoppage. He had lost his past four fights for a major world title, the most recent of those to Ghana's Josh Clottey in 2008.
Judah hadn't fought since dispatching previously unbeaten Lucas Matthysse of Argentina last November.
Mabuza fell to 23-7 with three drawn. He had not fought in a year but had won eight fights in a row since 2008 to set up his first world title bout.
Judah was trained by US boxing legend Pernell Whitaker and displayed defensive evasiveness worthy of the famed "Sweet Pea" in beating Mabuza.
"Wasn't the defence pretty?" Judah said. "I don't think there is anyone at 140 pounds who can hit me."
Mabuza began to press the attack in the fourth round but Judah answered in the fifth, landing aggressive combinations and dictating the tempo.
Judah was assessed a knockdown two minutes into the fifth round when Mabuza swung a weak left that connected as Judah lost his balance moving sideways and Judah touched his right glove to the canvas to steady himself.
Mabuza stung Judah in the sixth with a right to the chin but that only set the stage for the finishing blow in the next round.
England's Amir Khan, 24-1 with 17 knockouts, defends the World Boxing Association version of the division's crown next month at Manchester against undefeated Northern Irish southpaw Paul McCloskey.
American Tim Bradley, 27-0 with 11 knockouts, owns the World Boxing Council version of the junior welterweight crown and Khan said Saturday at a fight in California that he wants to face Bradley in a unification showdown.
"After Paul McCloskey, I'm ready to take on Timothy Bradley," Khan said. "We would have two world champions fighting each other. I think I'm the unified champion."
