Columnist Dean Juipe: Judah makes quick turnaround between bouts

Dean Juipe

Thursday, May 13, 2004 | 9:34 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

A mere 35 days after losing a major fight, Zab Judah is back in Las Vegas and back in a tough fight.

A former world champion at 140 pounds, Judah lost his first fight at 146 pounds when he dropped a decision to undisputed welterweight champion Cory Spinks April 10 at Mandalay Bay.

Saturday at the same site, he'll take on Rafael Pineda in a fight that's anything but a walkover.

"A lot of boxers lose and get depressed, but that's not me," Judah said of bouncing back to fight again as quickly as he was medically allowed. "My goal is to show the world that even after a loss I can keep my head up high."

He questions the loss to Spinks, saying "I thought it was a horrible decision." Yet when presented with the opportunity to fight Pineda, he took it without hesitation.

"He's got 100 percent grown-man strength," Judah said of Pineda. "He's got status and he's been around a long time."

Pineda, 38, is 38-5 with 31 knockouts. He, too, has lost to Spinks, but he has won three of his last four bouts.

Pineda's best wins came against Roger Mayweather and Oba Carr, and he has also lost to such notables as Mark Breland, Pernell Whitaker, Emmett Linton and Michele Piccirillo.

Judah, 27, is 30-2 with 22 KOs and is renowned for his slick, compact style.

"I could taste it," he said of facing Spinks with all three of the major welterweight titles on the line. "It was like having something good in your mouth and then someone grabs it out."