MAYWEATHER JR., FLOYD-ZAB JUDAH CREDENTIAL (2006)

HISTORY: On April 8, 2006 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas IBF Welterweight champion Zab Judah defended his title against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather Jr. won a unanimous 12 round decision and the title.  Judah was the Undisputed World Welterweight Champion until he lost to Carlos Manuel Baldomir by a 12-round unanimous decision on January 7, 2006. Baldomir won the WBC title, but he didn't get the WBA and IBF titles because he didn't pay them their required sanctioning fees. The WBA title was declared vacant, and Judah was allowed to keep the IBF title.
When Judah fought Baldomir, he was already scheduled to face Mayweather on April 8. They went ahead with the fight, but their deals changed significantly. Mayweather had been scheduled to earn a minimum $6 million, and Judah was to earn $3 million plus a percentage of the profits. Under the new deal, Mayweather would earn a minimum $5 million while Judah was guaranteed $1 million plus a percentage of profits above $7 million. In addition, host casinos Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas reduced the amount of their promised ticket buy by $600,000. Promoter Bob Arum also reduced the top ticket price for the fight from $800 to $700. However, HBO kept the pay-per-view price at $44.95. There was a crowd of 15,170. The fight generated 374,000 pay-per-view buys and $16.8 million in pay-per-view revenue. Judah had success early in the fight, as his southpaw style and quickness gave Mayweather problems. Mayweather's glove touched the canvas in the second round after he was hit by a short right hook from Judah, but referee Richard Steele didn't rule it a knockdown. Mayweather turned the tide in the fifth round. He landed a strong right that backed up Judah and then got his body shots and hooks going. Mayweather wobbled Judah at the beginning of the seventh and Judah's nose was bleeding. By the ninth, Judah's right eye was swelling and Mayweather was in complete control, outlanding Judah 28-2 in power shots in the round. Late in the tenth round, Judah hit Mayweather with a blatant low blow followed by a punch to the back of the head. As the referee called timeout to give Mayweather a chance to recover, Mayweather's uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, entered the ring and went after Judah. He was restrained by the referee and a security guard. Yoel Judah, Zab's father and trainer, then entered the ring and threw a punch at Roger. The ring was soon filled with members of the fighter camps and security in a scary free-for-all that came close to sparking a full-scale riot. During the melee, Zab hit Mayweather cornerman Leonard Ellerbe in the back of the head. After several minutes, order was restored and the fight continued. Mayweather cruised in the final two rounds — even embracing Judah before the twelfth round rather than simply touching gloves — instead of continuing to lay punishment on Judah as he had been doing for the previous several rounds. At an April 13 hearing, the Nevada State Athletic Commission fined Roger Mayweather $200,000 and revoked his boxing license for one year. At a hearing on May 8, the commission disciplined the other offenders in the melee. Zab Judah was fined $350,000 and had his license revoked for one year, Yoel Judah was fined $100,000 and had his license revoked for one year, and Leonard Ellerbe was fined $50,000 and had his license suspended for four months. Marc Ratner, executive director of the commission, said Zab's previous history in Nevada worked against him. Zab was suspended for six months and fined $75,000 following a 2001 TKO loss to Kostya Tszyu. After that loss, Zab was so enraged by referee Jay Nady's stoppage that he threw a ring stool at Nady and shoved a gloved hand under Nady's chin. Offered here is an original Credential for this event.

FULL DESCRIPTION: This is an original Credential which names and pictures both fighters. Bold color an dprint. Bold, clear images. Clean front and back. Not creased or torn. Two holes atop for neck chain. 4 1/4" x 7 1/2."