Former Two-Division World Champion Zab "Super" Judahworked out for the media on Tuesday in preparation for his fight against Unified Super Lightweight W orld Champion Danny Garcia this Saturday, April 27, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT) from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Joining Judah at Judah Brothers Boxing Gym in Brooklyn on Thursday were top middleweight contender Danny Jacobs (24-1, 21 KO's), of Brooklyn and 2012 U.S. Olympian Marcus Browne (3-0, 3 KO's), of Staten Island, both of whom will be featured in non-televised undercard bouts.
One of New York's most accomplished boxers of all time, Brooklyn's Judah (42-7, 29 KO's) has faced some of the biggest names in boxing including Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Cory Spinks. The southpaw will look to dethrone the defending champ with his signature blazing speed and one-punch knockout power in his hometown of Brooklyn.
Philadelphia's Danny "Swift" Garcia (25-0, 16 KO's) was boxing's breakout star of 2012, registering two convincing and impressive victories over legendary Mexican Erik Morales and a stunning fourth round knockout win over British superstar former Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Amir "King" Khan.
Immediately following Saturday's SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will be a same-day-delayed telecast of SHOWTIME Boxing: Special Edition featuring Khan's first fight in England in nearly two years against former World Champion Julio "The Kidd" Diaz. Khan (27-3, 19 KO's), of Bolton, England, will face Diaz (40-7-1, 29 KO's), of Coachella, Calif., in a 12-round 143-pound catch-weight bout.
Here's what Judah, Jacobs and Browne had to say on Tuesday:
ZAB JUDAH, Former Two-Division World Champion
"First and foremost the most important thing is Saturday night. It's not just about winning. This is New York. This is Brooklyn. New York fans are very tough. They don't want you to just win by one point. They want to see you really win.
How much did the fight postponement affect him: "Actually I think it was a blessing in disguise. God is the best planner of everybody. We think that we have plans, but apparently he plans better than us. I took training camp very seriously from November all the way up until now. I think the extra preparation is the icing on the cake.
On defeating Danny Garcia to silence Angel Garcia: "It's called killing two birds with one stone. Angel Garcia's a trainer. He's a father. He's the older man. I respect my elders. At the same time, I can't get in the ring and fight Angel Garcia. What do I do? I fight. I knock people out. I can't do that with Angel. I am going to knock Danny Garcia out and watch Angel come in there and pick him up.
On having his relationship with his dad: "It's going great. My dad has a business here in New York City. I live in Las Vegas. I've got businesses in Las Vegas, so we had to split up. He's still my dad. He calls me. He even Skyped during my [camp] workout. It's all great. We're Team Judah today.
How he grades himself going into the fight: "Mentally and physically, I give myself an A plus. I feel very calm, very at ease, very comfortable in this environment. Everything seems to be working out the way that it should work out. We ready for it.
On Danny Garcia: "There's no excuses. We don't want to hear any excuses. We gave him his two months to let his rib heal up. His rib, neck, thumb, back, elbow, toe, whatever he hurt. It's all fixed up now in hopes that Saturday night we just get moving and put on a good fight.
"Saturday night, may the best man win."
DANNY JACOBS, Top Middleweight Contender
On fighting again at Barclays Center: "It feels good, a little bit more pressure is off of me now. The first time around was kind of special, so I was a little nervous, but I feel good now. I feel confident. My opponent is a last minute replacement, but at the same time we're going to go in there and do our job.
On how he'll top his last performance at Barclays: "I'm just going to go in there and not even think about it. I'm just going to do what I was trained to do. I have a job and my job is to go in there and get the victory by any means necessary.
On how he feels going into the fight: "Physically, I feel amazing. I was training for February 9, so when that fell out, I took a week, maybe two weeks off and then I got back into the gym. I've been ready for about two months.
On his future after the fight: "I'm looking to step up [my level of opposition]. I feel good. I feel like the rush is out. I feel like stepping up. The only way to get experience is to step up.
On his son coming to the fight: "Oh he's definitely going to be there in the front row screaming, 'Go Daddy, go.' He's my biggest fan and he loves boxing. He's just a fan of the sport and I love it.
On his four-month layoff: "Mentally, it messes with you just a little bit. Once you train so hard, you have an eight-week camp and then that fight is off, it's tough because you have time away from your family. I'm a professional, so this comes with the territory and I know I have a job to do on Saturday night."
MARCUS BROWNE, 2012 U.S. Olympian
On his relationship with Danny Jacobs: "Danny is like a big brother to me. I love Danny. Being in the gym with him and working right next to him means a lot. He showed me the way. It's a beautiful thing."
On which fighter he's looking forward to seeing on Saturday night: "It's crazy, butthere's a whole bunch. I've seen Danny Jacobs come up and watched him in the gym. I came up in the gym watching Zab. He's the first lefty I knew about when I got first got into boxing. He was one of my favorite fighters. When I was coming up he [Zab] knocked out Spinks for the title.
"Don't forget about the people suffering from Hurricane Sandy. Just because it's not in the news, it doesn't mean people are not still homeless."
ABOUT "GARCIA VS. JUDAH":
Garcia vs. Judah, a 12-round bout for Garcia's Unified Super Lightweight World Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and supported by Golden Boy Promotions sponsors Corona and AT&T. In the co-featured attraction, WBO Middleweight World Champion Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin puts his title on the line against hard-hitting Fernando Guerrero in a 12-round fight. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP).
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