By Jake Donovan

Zab Judah refuses go away quietly, dominating previously unbeaten Vernon Paris en route to a ninth round stoppage in their 140 lb. title eliminator Saturday evening at the Aviator Sports & Events Center in Brooklyn, NY.

The matchup was a virtual pick-‘em on paper, but Judah proved to have far more in the tank than was expected by most experts. Paris did his best to keep the fight at close quarters, but was no match for Judah’s hand speed, which is still impressive even if not quite in vintage form from his earlier championship days. 

Judah landed with conviction in the opening round and continued to serve as the aggressor in his best effort to impress his fellow Brooklynites in the crowd. Paris was rocked late in the fourth round, though not quite a threat to hit the canvas.

Paris woke up in the fifth, but still struggled to take the lead. Judah continued to score with the uppercut, one of the many weapons to which Paris had no response.

A stoppage seemed inevitable and Judah ultimately delivered early in the ninth round. The former two-division champ – Brooklyn-born but now based out of Las Vegas – came out humming, catching Paris flush and never stopped throwing as his opponent lay defenseless on the ropes. Referee intervention finally put an end to the massacre.

The official time was 0:33 of round nine (though announced backwards as 2:27).

Judah improves to 42-7 (28KO) with the win and now awaits the outcome of the Lamont Peterson-Amir Khan rematch to determine his next opponent.

Paris falls for the first time as a pro as his record drops to 26-1 (15KO).

Tomasz Adamek emerged victorious in the evening's co-feature, scoring a virtual shutout over Nagy Aguilera (17-7, 12KO) in their 10-round heavyweight scrap. 

The bout was the first for Adamek since falling way short in his failed title bid against Vitali Klitshcko last September. He improves to 45-2 (28KO) and will headline a June 16 telecast of NBC Sports Network Fight Night at the Prudential Center in Newark, where the Polish heavyweight has developed as a huge attraction. 

Opening the broadcast was unbeaten Bryant Jennings, who now has two televised win on the NBC Sports Network Fight Night series. The Philly-based heavyweight scored the biggest win of his young career, forcing a stoppage of former heavyweight titlist Siarhei Liakhovich after nine rounds.

Jennings (13-0, 6KO) dominated from the opening bell, rocking Liakhovich on several occasions and causing visible damage under and around his left eye. A brutal eighth round saw Liakhovich (25-5, 16KO) at the mercy of the referee who allowed the action to continue. The corner wasn't quite as kind, opting to keep the ex-champ on his ring stool prior to the start of the 10th round.

The official time was 3:00 of round nine.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of krikya360.com. Follow Jake on Twitter: @JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com