Zab Judah and Promoter Suspended for Submitting Falsified Licensing Documentation

The day before his comeback fight, former world champion Zab Judah and his promotor Roy Englebrecht were suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for "providing the commission with false licensing documents."

Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s old adversary Judah was set to fight against Josh Torres, headlining CBS Sports Network's inaugural "Knockout Night at the D" show. With this development, the now 38-year-old American's future in professional boxing is up in the air as the NSAC will convene for a hearing on 23 March which could see both Judah and Englebrecht's boxing licenses revoked for this misdemeanour.

The commission has so far refused to clarify what the issue was regarding Judah's licensing documentation, but it would appear the NSAC believe the information to have been deliberately falsified.

However, Bob Bennett, the executive director of the commission, outright criticized the pair for committing "egregious acts." There appears to be no danger of a lifetime ban for both Judah and Englebrecht, but Bennett's official statement does suggest there is some gravity behind the accusations made of the duo.

The statement reads: "It's really too bad for the fans, for the network and for the sport of boxing. But, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has always prided itself on the health and safety of the fighters and having integrity be at the forefront of our rules and objectives and our mission statement. Once you see the findings that we have to date, I think it will be very evident in why we had to take this action."

A controversial figure in his own right, Judah's career is most renowned for his notorious contest against Mayweather—despite earning multiple world titles during his career including the IBF and WBO light welterweight crowns, the WBC welterweight belt and the WBA super welterweight championship. This event earned the ire of the NSAC at the time.

Judah's 2006 showdown against Mayweather saw an in-ring melee ensue in between the tenth and eleventh rounds. With seconds left of the tenth stanza, Judah hit Mayweather with a low blow before following up with a right hand to the back of his opponent's head. Roger Mayweather, Floyd's uncle and long-time trainer, clambered into the ring to confront Judah for what he deemed to be a deliberate foul while trailing behind on the scorecards. Judah's brother Yoel also entered the ring and threw a punch at Roger Mayweather which led to an all-out brawl between both boxers' camps inside the ring in between rounds. It took police officers to break up the fight and the contest soon resumed—without Roger Mayweather, who had been ejected from the building. Judah lost the contest by unanimous decision and was eventually fined by the NSAC for $350,000 and had his license revoked for a year.Ten years on, Judah's in trouble with the commission once again.

The southpaw hasn't fought since dropping a unanimous decision loss to Paulie Malignaggi back in 2013. "Super" Judah has since made three attempts at mounting an in-ring comeback—not counting his latest misdemeanour. He was set to face Hevinson Herrera in September but a pre-fight brawl at the weigh ins led to Herrera pulling out of the fight with injuries supposedly sustained in that scuffle. Judah was then set to fight in November, but no opponents could be found. A February fight against Virgil Green also failed to materialize with the unpredictable Judah falling out with former promoter Greg Cohen—who only became Judah's promoter following the Malignaggi loss and didn't see a single bout come to fruition under his management.

With two-and-a-half years of in-ring inactivity and the potential for more time away from the bright lights pending the NSAC's decision on 23rd March, it could be a while until we see Super Judah back competing in boxing—if ever.