Despite many rumors that Zab Judah was in a coma, he is in fact awake and in a Syracuse area hospital following a brain bleed following his 11th round stoppage loss to Cletus Seldin this past Friday night at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.
“[Judah is] awake, communicating with his family and doctors and making progress,” Star Boxing promoter Joe DeGuardia told ESPN. “Beyond that his family is requesting privacy at this time about his medical condition.”
DeGuardia said because it had been such a brutal fight “we had Zab go the hospital to get checked. It was a high-volume fight, not a minute to breath kind of fight. Cletus was all over Zab for almost the entire fight. Zab really dug down and showed his champion’s heart.”
“I saw him at about 2:30 in the morning. He was with his family having food at the diner in the hotel and I was with my staff there. I talked to Zab for about 10 or 15 minutes. We talked about the fight, how he had a great career and how it’s time [to retire]. He agreed. He said he had a good career and accomplished a lot and that he was proud of the fight he fought against Cletus. He seemed fine. I went upstairs, but later at the diner he wasn’t good and went back to the hospital.
“We’re all pulling for him. In boxing it’s all a fraternity but with Judah and his father (and trainer Yoel Judah) I go back 30 years with them so it hits home.”
