Zab Judah

Zabdiel "Zab" Judah (born October 27, 1977) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2019, renowned for his southpaw stance, exceptional hand speed, and power punching.

He achieved world championship success in two weight divisions, capturing the vacant IBF light welterweight title in 2000 by knocking out Jan Piet Bergman in the fourth round, and becoming the undisputed welterweight champion in 2005 after a ninth-round technical knockout of Cory Spinks to claim the IBF, WBA, and WBC titles.

Zabdiel "Zab" Judah was born on October 27, 1977, in Brooklyn, New York, to Yoel Judah, a former kickboxing champion and his lifelong trainer. The Judah family has Jewish heritage, identifying as Hebrew Israelites with biblical names given to the children by their father.

Raised in Brooklyn's Black Hebrew Israelite community, the family adhered to practices of the Israelite faith, including strict observance of Shabbat from Friday sundown to Saturday night and adherence to kosher dietary laws, which influenced daily life and instilled values of discipline and spiritual focus. These traditions, drawn from the community's belief in descent from ancient Israelites, shaped Judah's early worldview, though he later underwent a personal transformation toward born-again Christianity around 2009, crediting faith for reshaping his approach to family and life.