Cory Spinks vs. Zab Judah II, billed as Arch Rivals...Meet Me in St. Louis, was a professional boxing match contested on 5 February 2005, for the Undisputed welterweight championship.[1]
| Date | 5 February 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Savvis Center, St Louis, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring undisputed welterweight championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Judah defeated Spinks by 9th round TKO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
editSince winning the undisputed welterweight championship against Ricardo Mayorga in December 2003, Cory Spinks had made two successful defences of the title, the first of which saw him survive a 12th round knockdown to defeat former Light welterweight champion Zab Judah by unanimous decision.
On 4 January 2005, promoter Don King announced the rematch, to take place in Spinks' hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.[2]
The fight was the first major bout in St. Louis in more than 40 years, and it was a 22,000+ sell-out.[3] Rapper Nelly accompanying Spinks into the ring and lead the crowd in a singalong.
The fight
editJudah was the aggressor throughout the fight, coming forward behind the Jab, throwing left hands and body punches. Spinks meanwhile used his Jab and lateral movement to try and control the distance and set up counter punches to edge out the rounds. Late in the seventh round, a right left combination from Judah hurt Spinks causing the champion's knee hit the canvas just as the bell rang, which wasn't ruled a knockdown by the referee. Spinks started the ninth strongly, landing some of his most effective blows of the fight as the Judah started to get wide with his punches. As the round progressed however a left hand hurt Spinks, with the follow-up putting him on the canvas. Spinks beat the count, but Judah would land a series of hard punches left Spinks defenceless on the ropes. Another right left combination sent Spinks into the ropes at which point the referee stepped to wave it off with 11 seconds left in the round.[4][5][6][7]
Aftermath
editSpeaking after the bout Judah said "I was hungry, I was determined, it's my time, it's my era." Spinks meanwhile said "I'm very disappointed, I let a lot of people down, but I have to hold my head up. I have to take this like a man."[8]
Undercard
editConfirmed bouts:[9]
Broadcasting
edit| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 United States |
Showtime |
References
edit- ^ "Cory Spinks vs. Zab Judah (2nd meeting)". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ Glenn McBrady (6 January 2005). "Las Vegas in the Lou". urbanstl.com. St. Louis American. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ Alvin A. Reid (3 February 2005). "Spinks-Judah II historic sellout". St. Louis American. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ "Judah Takes Spinks's Title To Ruin His Homecoming". The New York Times. February 6, 2005. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
- ^ "Sellout crowd leaves disappointed". espn.com. ESPN. 5 February 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ Rick Reeno (5 February 2005). "Zab Judah-Cory Spinks; Round By Round Coverage". boxingscene.com. Boxing Scene. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ "Judah takes welterweight spoils". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 6 February 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ Associated Press (5 February 2005). "Judah TKOs Spinks, Nets Welterweight Title". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ "BoxRec - event".