Cory Spinks vs Zab Judah 2

On February 5, 2005, the Savvis Center in Saint Louis, Missouri, hosted a highly anticipated rematch between Cory Spinks and Zab Judah for the undisputed welterweight championship. Spinks, the defending WBC, WBA, and IBF titleholder, entered the ring with a record of 34-2-0, while challenger Judah boasted a 32-2-0 record. The bout, promoted by Don King Productions and televised on Showtime, was a homecoming for Spinks, a native of Saint Louis.

The fight was a rematch of their April 2004 encounter, in which Spinks emerged victorious via unanimous decision despite being knocked down in the final round. This time, however, the outcome would be different. Judah, weighing in at 146 lbs, employed an aggressive strategy from the outset, consistently pressing forward behind his jab and throwing hard left hands and body shots. At 147 lbs, Spinks attempted to counter this approach with lateral movement and his own jab, aiming to control the distance and set up counterpunches.

As the bout progressed, Judah's game plan proved more effective. By the end of the seventh round, he had seized control of the fight. The turning point came in the ninth round when Judah caught Spinks with a powerful shot that visibly hurt the champion. Sensing his opportunity, Judah pressed his advantage, scoring two knockdowns. After Spinks rose from the second knockdown, referee Armando Garcia intervened, stopping the fight at 2:49 of the ninth round.

With this victory, Judah claimed the WBC, WBA, and IBF welterweight titles and became the undisputed champion in the division, adding The Ring magazine title to his collection. The win marked Judah's second world championship in as many weight classes, having previously held the IBF and WBO titles at super-lightweight. For Spinks, the loss was a bitter disappointment in front of his hometown crowd, ending his reign as welterweight champion after three successful defences of the WBC and WBA titles and four of the IBF belt.