Zab Judah vs. Jorge Luis Munguia: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and Prediction

Zab Judah makes his long-awaited return to the boxing ring on Saturday against Jorge Luis Munguia after a three-year absence from the sport. 

Thirty-nine-year-old Judah had a rough go of things at the end of his previous run. He lost three of his previous four fights, including a unanimous decision to Paul Malignaggi in December 2013 that led to his long sabbatical. 

Judah has tried to get back in the ring previously, notably in 2015, when his bout with Hevinson Herrera was canceled following an altercation between the two fighters at the weigh-in, but such a long layoff presents many challenges for an athlete his age. 

Date	Live Stream	Start Time (ET)
Saturday, Jan. 21	FightTyme.com	4:30 p.m.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Due to the amount of time Judah has been off, it's fair to think there will be some ring rust when he steps through the curtain at the Sun National Bank Center in New Jersey on Saturday. 

If you listen to Judah talk leading up to the bout against Munguia, he's been able to keep himself in top physical shape, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael:

"

I sparred with [Floyd] Mayweather when he was getting ready for the [Manny] Pacquiao fight [in 2015]. I got in tremendous shape.

A couple of fights fell through because of different difficulties, but I was always prepared, always in great shape. Still to this day, I've never been as heavy as 160 or 165. I have 20 years in the game, and I'm still at 140 pounds. I feel like I am a very disciplined fighter.

"

Despite Judah remaining at 140 pounds, that weight hasn't been kind to him lately. He lost to Amir Khan and Danny Garcia in light-welterweight bouts, while his match against Malignaggi was at welterweight. 

In addition to staying in great shape, Judah told Rafael there is another reason for his return to the ring. 

"The motivating factor is I want to put a stamp on my career and be a [seven]-time champion," Judah said.

Judah is taking on the right opponent to kickstart his comeback. Munguia is a journeyman with a 12-7 career record. The 28-year-old has lost four consecutive fights and six of his last eight overall, so he's desperate to right the ship against a known commodity. 

Despite Judah's recent struggles, he is no stranger to blocking out the past. He had a four-fight winless streak from January 2006-June 2007 before defeating Edwin Vasquez. That streak was against elite competition, including Mayweather and Miguel Cotto. 

This fight was designed for Judah to win and prove to other promoters he's got the skill to compete at a high level and draw enough to get back on major networks or possibly regular pay-per-view. 

A loss in this spot would essentially spell the end of Judah's relevance in the sport, so he better not waste this moment. 

Prediction: Judah wins by sixth-round TKO