UPDATE: 2/16/2002 - JUDAH BEATS ROBERT DAVIS TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED

Undefeated light heavyweight Daniel Judah, Zab's brother, (12-0-1, 6 KOs), posted a unanimous 8 round decision over Robert Davis, (5-12-3, 0 KO). Judah hit Davis with everything he threw, and although Davis was game Judah worked the body well to overcome his opponent's will. The final scores were 80-7 twice and 79-73.

Zab Judah's older brother Daniel is an up and coming light heavyweight prospect with a professional record of 13-0, 7 KO's. Daniel is also the young man who gave the Judah name a black eye back on August 26, 2000, the night Fernando Vargas met Ross Thompson in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During my visit with the Judahs, Daniel was nothing short of a gentleman. When Zab got ready to spar, it was Daniel who sat in a corner of the ring, very supportive and watchful of his sibling's every move. He shouted words of encouragement and approval, the remainder of the time, he just watched very intently.

Daniel Judah had no problems answering any of the questions put to him, he was straightforward in his responses and seemed comfortable with our exchanges. I wish to thank him for the time he shared with us, and also want to wish him well in the future. This is what Daniel and I talked about.

BRC: What was it like growing up in your family?

DJ: When you've grown up with your grandmother and your father, and our mother not being there, you're gonna do certain things, certain things are gonna occur. You can't always listen to them... some parts you can listen, but some parts you can't listen to them, 'cause then you wanna go out for yourself and you wanna find out how to deal with stuff yourself, you know what I'm saying? You're not gonna always say, ok, he said don't do that, I ain't gonna do that then... No, I'm gonna go and I'm gonna find out for myself.

We weren't really poor, we were lower middle class. My father had his own construction business, but you know, being that our mother wasn't there... my grandmother she was there, but sometimes she wasn't there, she had to take care of her own business; we grew up learning how to deal with one another, just helping each other out.

We are very tight, we have our little disputes, we have a lot of big arguments, that's how it is with family. We fought when we were little, like cats and dogs, but not now; we're grown now.

BRC: What is it like to be Zab Judah's older brother?

DJ: (Chuckling) I mean it's like, you know...(chuckling and struggling to find the words) you know what?....Me and Zab and my other brothers, we never thought it would come down like this, where we hit, we haven't hit stardom yet, but in New York, we are celebrities. Being his older brother, I don't look at it like that, I look at it like he's my brother, that's it. All the glitz, the glamour, I don't look at stuff like that; that's my little brother and he's gonna to do his job, he knows what he gotta to do out there, and I know what I gotta do. I just feel the same; we are just older and mature now, that's all.

BRC: Does Zab listen to you?

DJ: He listens to me, but at other times, he'll go and bump his own head. If I tell him don't do this, he'll go anyways... sometimes he'll listen, but other times, he'll have like, little doubts about doing some things I tell him, because he thinks what I'm telling him is wrong; but is not wrong, I'm older, I know what's gonna happen.

BRC: Do you listen to him?

DJ: I listen to him, oh yeah, of course. I mean, everybody say it's hard talking to me; no, it's not. People think I am not listening because the way I'd be looking, or my facial expressions or whatever, that's just for the simple fact to get the whole statement of the answer or the question, and take that and put it in your arsenal, that's what I do, and I just listen; I mean I'm not pig headed, I'm not real loud, I'm real humble. I'm a humble person, I'm gonna stay humble.

BRC: Would you care to address what happened in Vegas the night that Fernando Vargas fought Ross Thompson?

DJ: It was a misunderstanding, they, (the security personnel), didn't know that I had fought in the undercard of the Vargas-Ross Thompson fight. What happened was my brother Zab and (Mike) Tyson were leaving, I had gotten caught up with some friends, so I was the last guy leaving. They, (the security personnel), didn't know that I was a fighter, I wasn't wearing my ID bracelet; one thing lead to another, the dude put his hands on me and the girl too, they grabbed me, so I had to defend myself. It was like four security guards that grabbed me, so I had to defend myself.

That incident was kinda...I was more shocked than anything 'cause I went to jail that night too. It was like, me being from Brooklyn and Zab, he hangs around with celebrities and all that, they are going to throw all that in the mix, they're gonna do that, they are gonna wanna say I'm the bad guy, you know?

BRC: So you think that it has to do with you and Zab and your association with rappers?

DJ: I guess the way we dress up, they say we're gangsters or whatever...We are not gangsters, we're just, it's the way we've grown up. We hang around guys that are drug dealers or whatever, they are my friends, you know, I grew up with them or whatever. But it's like they want you to dress accordingly to how they want you to dress like, real sharp, with shoes and all that. I can do that. You all gonna see a new image, when Zab fights Kostya Tszyu, you all gonna see a new image of Daniel Judah. I'm gonna come out there all dressed up, shirt and tie, three piece suit, everything, shoes, you all gonna love Daniel Judah out there. But, I'm just doing it for my brother, other than that, I won't be doing it.

BRC: Do you have a message for the boxing world?

DJ: I have a message I wanna send out to Roy Jones and whoever else is out there. I'm just coming up and just be on the lookout. I'm humble, I'm coming up, I'm behind Zab and yo, I'm coming to take over what it's mine, that's it. The whole light heavyweight division is mine, every belt in there is mine. Whoever I fight, starting when I turned pro, whoever I fight, I'm gonna take them out, whatever I gotta do, box 'em, knock 'em out, whatever. If the knockout don't come, I'll box 'em.

BRC: Your thoughts on Zab's upcoming fight against Kostya Tszyu.

DJ: It's a big fight, that's why I'm here, to help Zab with his training, to push him. 'Cause I know this fight coming up it's going to mean a lot for him, it's going to mean a lot for me too when he do win; because if he wins, I win; so I'm doing what I gotta do with him, doing what I gotta do with myself, just staying basic, that's all.

When he fights Kostya Tszyu he's gonna be smart and the thing about boxing is this: to hit the person and not get hit; and when you see Daniel Judah and Zab Judah in the ring you're gonna see, most of the time, you're gonna see defense. D-E-F-E-N-S-E is the key, if you don't got no defense, you won't be boxing long.

BRC: As your career takes off, will you like to be considered a role model?

DJ: Of course, definitely. A role model is always going to be there, a role model you'll always look up to. A lot of kids in the ghetto are looking up to Zab, saying if he did this, I can do that; but it's hard work, you gotta understand that is hard work. We came from nothing to something now.

BRC: You have gotten some bad press in the past. I want to extend you this opportunity so you can tell the boxing fans who Daniel Judah really is.

DJ: Daniel is somebody that is real humble, real quiet and somebody that, if you wanna talk to me...see, a lot of guys, a lot of people don't wanna talk to me 'cause they think that I'm gonna say something horrible, or something bad about them, it's not even like that. Everybody in the boxing industry says I'm a bad guy because I don't smile, I take more after my father, he don't smile, he'll smile once in a blue moon, only ocassionally but other than that...

People say I'm a bad guy, 'cause like, in the ring, I'm vicious in the ring...Outside, I don't play, I don't mess around, and if something do happen they blow it up 'cause I'm Zab's brother, and I'm older. I mean, you know, you gotta take the good with the bad, and that's what I'm doing. I'm the bad guy, the good guy, whatever, don't matter to me, I'm gonna still be Daniel Judah.

BRC: Thank you Daniel, and we promise to monitor your professional progress. We wish you all the best and we thank you for keeping it real.

DJ: No problem, you're welcome. Thank you, too.