Zab Judah spoiled Cory Spinks's homecoming.
Judah claimed the undisputed welterweight title last night in St. Louis, beating Spinks with a ninth-round technical knockout and silencing a mostly partisan sellout crowd.
"I was hungry, I was determined," said Judah, of Brooklyn. "It's my time, it's my era."
Judah lost a unanimous decision to Spinks in April in Las Vegas. He knocked Spinks down in the 12th round of that fight and referred to the rematch as the 13th round, saying he simply ran out of time.
Judah was the aggressor throughout this fight, neutralizing the crowd of more than 20,000 that chanted for Spinks. .
Spinks got the star treatment during introductions, with rapper Nelly accompanying him into the ring and leading the crowd in a singalong. Before Saturday, Spinks had twice successfully defended the title.
On Friday, Judah said he thought fighting in St. Louis would be an advantage for him and not Spinks because of the potential distractions.
"I'm very disappointed," Spinks said. "I let a lot of people down, but I have to hold my head up. I have to take this like a man."
The fight was stopped at 2 minutes 49 seconds of the ninth round, after Spinks was knocked down for the second time by a big Judah left hand. Judah pressed the attack after the first knockdown and avoided Spinks's desperate efforts to tie him up.
Spinks said he had been "groggy" and his corner didn't agree with the decision to stop the fight.
"I had no problem, I was going up the steps to stop it myself," said Kevin Cunningham, Spinks's trainer and manager. "This just wasn't Cory's night."
All three judges had Judah (33-2, 24 knockouts) comfortably ahead when the bout was stopped.
Judah's victory was his third in a row since that April loss to Spinks.
Local Boxing
Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan of Capitol Heights remained perfect in his young professional boxing career at the Washington Convention Center, scoring a technical knockout of Kirk Douglas of St. Louis in the second round of their scheduled six-round bout.
