Southpaw former world champions, Zab Judah, and Joel Casamayor will return to the ring on Friday night at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas.Judah, a 32-year-old welterweight (147 pounds), will be ending a nearly 12-month layoff. The 38-year-old Casamayor will be ending a nearly 14-month ring absence when he enters the ring as a light weight (135).
Judah (37-6, 25 knockouts) will face 31-year-old Adailton De Jesus (23-4, 18 KOs) of Brazil, who has won four of his last five fights.
In his last outing on Oct. 24, De Jesus stopped Rudolfo Franz in three rounds to rebound from August's first-round knockout loss to Oscar Jesus Pereyra.
Judah has won three of his past four fights since June of 2007, when he was knocked out in the 11th round by Miguel Cotto.
A gifted left-hander, Judah is coming off of last November's 10-round, unanimous decision victory over Earnest Johnson, which helped him to bounce back from an August, 2008 ninth-round knockout loss to Joshua Clottey.
The Cuban-born Casamayor (36-4-1, 22 KOs) will meet 27-year-old Jason Davis (11-4-1, three KOs) a loser of his last three bouts -- including the last two by knockout.
Casamayor is 5-1-1 since losing a split decision to Jose Luis Castillo for the WBC lightweight title in December of 2004. Among the victories during Casamayor's run is a decision over former world champion, Diego Carrales.
Casamayor's last fight was in September of 2008 against Juan Manuel Marquez, when he was stopped for the first time in his career in the 11th-round of a tightly-contested, lightweight matchup.
Promoted by former world champion, Fernando Vargas, the card will also feature featherweight (126) Salvador Sanchez (16-3-2, eight KOs) of Mexico against Minnesota's Willshaun Boxley (5-2, three).
Judah earned his first world championship in February of 2002, when he stopped Jan Piet Bergman in four rounds to win the vacant IBF junior welterweight (140) title.
Judah defended that crown five times before being dethroned by Kostya Tszyu in November of 2001 -- the first loss of his career.
Judah rebounded with three straight wins at 140 pounds before rising to 147, where he lost a 12-round, unanimous decision to Cory Spinks.
That clash of southpaw fighters occurred during April, 2004, as Judah was unsuccessful in his bid to earn Spinks' WBA, WBC and IBF welterweight belts.
But Judah's ensuing, four-straight victories included a February, 2005 rematch with Spinks, whom he dethroned with a ninth-round knockout in the latter's hometown of St. Louis.
Judah then lost three of his next four 147-pound bouts, respectively, to Carlos Baldomir, Floyd Mayweather, and, Cotto.
Casamayor earned his first world title in May of 2000, when his WBA super featherweight (130) clash with Jong-Kwon Baek was stopped on cuts in the fifth round.
Casamayor defended that crown four times before being dethroned by a decision loss to Acelino Freitas in January of 2002.
Four wins later in October of 2003, Casamayor stopped Corrales in the sixth round of a battle that featured each fighter being floored.
Casamayor lost his March, 2004 rematch with Corrales by decision, and then was beaten by Castillo two fights later.
Sanchez is the nephew of former world champion, Salvador Sanchez Jr., who earned the WBC featherweight (126) title with a 13th-round knockout of Danny Lopez in February of 1980 and defended it nine times.
Salvador Sanchez Jr. died in a car accident shortly after stopping previously unbeaten Azumah Nelson in the 15th round of their July, 1982 matchup.
