Zab Judah tweeted today that he'll be fighting on the November 6 HBO card from the Prudential Center in Newark, headlining against Lucas Matthysse in a co-promotion between Main Events and Golden Boy.
Judah (39-6, 27 KO) returned in July with a blowout win over Jose Armando Santa Cruz on ESPN's Friday Night Fights, and was scheduled to face Michael Clark on October 2 in Newark. But a fight with Matthysse (27-0, 25 KO) is bigger money and far more exposure, and gets him right back into the mix on HBO in a very strong junior welterweight division.
The network is currently setting up for possible bouts on December 11 and January 29, with Amir Khan facing Marcos Maidana and Timothy Bradley taking on Devon Alexander. Victor Ortiz is also fighting on September 18 against Vivian Harris on the Mosley-Mora HBO PPV, so there is plenty of focus at the network on the division right now. A focused Judah is still a very good fighter, especially back down at 140 instead of 147.
Matthysse is a puncher from Argentina who scored a controversial win over Harris earlier this year. He would be taking a major step up in competition, but Judah would also be taking a risk against a guy with that much power, though Zab would have a mass advantage in speed and technique, and can also throw some hard leather at 140.
Word is that the card has yet to be finalized, but all signs point to a green light at the moment. The co-feature could be a fight between Robert Guerrero and Vicente Escobedo at 135 pounds, with James Kirkland making his anticipated return to boxing off TV.