Judah, Clottey to fight for IBF welterweight title at Palms
When it was announced in late May that Zab Judah would meet Josh Clottey for the vacant IBF welterweight title, the fight figured to take place back East because Judah is from Brooklyn and Clottey lives and trains in The Bronx.
The smart money was on New York. At worst, the fight figured to go to one of the Indian casinos in Connecticut.
On Friday, it was announced Judah will face Clottey on Aug. 2 in Las Vegas, inside the Palms' 2,600-seat Pearl showroom.
Tickets for the fight card, priced from $88 to $253, will go on sale at 11 a.m. today at the Palms and through Ticketmaster. The fight will be televised on HBO as part of its "Boxing After Dark" series.
"It's true, Judah's from Brooklyn, but he has lived in Las Vegas for quite some time now," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "And Judah being Judah, he's an edgy guy, which fits the Palms. And when George Maloof showed interest, we decided to go to the Palms."
Maloof, the president of the Palms, said he's excited to have boxing back on his property.
"We last did a fight two years ago, and we've been looking for the right opportunity to bring boxing back to the Palms," he said.
Judah (36-5, 25 knockouts) was scheduled to fight Shane Mosley on May 31. But the fight was canceled after Judah slipped in the bathroom at the Top Rank Gym in late April and put his right arm through a glass shower door, resulting in 50 stitches.
Judah last fought Nov. 11, 2007, gaining a 12-round unanimous decision over Ryan Davis.
"This is setting up really nice for Zab after what he's been through," said Judah's manager, Michael Shinefield. "To fight for the IBF title at the Palms, which is just three blocks from his house, he's really excited."
Clottey (34-2, 20 KOs) has won four straight fights since losing to Antonio Margarito in 2006. Clottey's latest win came April 3 when he scored a fifth-round technical knockout against Jose Luis Cruz.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
