New and Improved Judah Is Back!

Everyone who wrote off Zab Judah better pay attention.

Judah said the "bad boy" image is behind him, and he's ready to climb that mountain again.

The junior welterweight fighter is on the way back to respectablilty, something he lost about three years ago.

He's comfortable at his natural weight of 140 pounds and ready to gain the respect back.

Boxing fans lost confidence in Judah after his suspension in 2006 after scrapping in the ring with Roger Mayweather, the uncle of Floyd, Jr., after Judah hit Floyd, Jr. below the belt in their fight during the 10th round.  Judah lost that fight.

Judah was bloodied by Miguel Cotto in an 11th-round knockout loss in 2007.  Joshua Clottey beat Judah by technical decision in 2008.

In the first 28 fights of Judah's professional career, he was undefeated before losing to a lesser-skilled Carlos Baldomir.

So what did all this mean for Judah?

Apparently, he turned over a new leaf. Judah is trying to silence the critics, and it was showcased Friday.

In a 10-round junior welterweight fight on ESPN against Jose Armando Santa Cruz, he flashed images of his old self.

Entering the matchup in Newark, NJ at 38-6 with 26 knockouts, Judah, the undisputed champion in 2005, continued to work on his transformation from bad boy to good boy. Santa Cruz was a safe and tough opponent for Judah, who predicted it would be an easy day at the office, if the game plan worked.

Judah worked the body of Santa Cruz early in the fight. He noticed that Santa Cruz was reaching in and left his face open.

In the third round, when Santa Cruz reached in again, Judah caught him slipping and dropped Santa Cruz with a left uppercut. After Santa Cruz took a standing eight count, Judah rushed Santa Cruz, knocking him down, and the referee stopped the fight.

Now Judah is 39-6 with 27 knockouts.

For Judah, don't call it a comeback but a rebound from a setback. 

At this point, it doesn't matter to Judah who's next. A confident Judah is ready for Timothy Bradley, Devin Alexander or Amir Khan, and in no particular order.

So, out of those three fighters, who will step up and take a loss to Judah?

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