With a display of speed, defensive prowess and power - with the emphasis on power - Zab Judah turned back the clock and scored a stunning TKO at 59 seconds of the seventh round against Kaizer Mabuza to win the IBF junior welterweight title before a small, but vocal crowd Saturday night at the AmeriHealth Pavilion at the Rock in Newark.

Mabuza had rocked Judah with a left to the jaw near the end of the sixth round. But he was merely planting the seeds of his own demise. Judah came out more determined in the seventh round and landed a straight left that bent Mabuza over at the waist and sent him lurching between the top and second rope. Referee Sammy Viruet gave Mabuza a standing-eight count, but Mabuza wasn't clear.

Judah rushed in and started to pummel Mabuza with a barrage of rights and lefts, leaving him helpless against the corner ringpost. Viruet stepped in and stopped it. The official end was at 59 seconds of the seventh round.

"Mabuza was a tough guy. I don't want to disrespect him at all. He was doing some tricky stuff," Judah said. "I could have gotten wild a little sooner and gone after him. I told Pernell (Whitaker) that I was going to get to the eighth with my jab. I was going to stay composed and use my defense to make an opening for my offense."

The victory launched a jubilant celebration in the ring as Judah (41-6, 28 KOs) was mobbed and hugged by his promoter Kathy Duva of Main Events and his new trainer, Whitaker, one of his idols growing up. Judah, who has converted from Judaism to Christianity, wore a T-shirt that said, "I was saved to serve" as he danced around the ring for several minutes after the fight, savoring the moment.

Even though this was a title fight, the stage was not as big as it had been for Judah's title eliminator against Lucas Matthysse last Nov. 6. That fight was inside the Rock and was broadcast on HBO. This fight was at the the Devils' practice ice rink and was available on pay-per-view, but not handled by any of the major cable networks. That won't be a problem for the next one.

One of Judah's other idols, Mike Tyson, sat ringside to watch Judah regain his form and return to the championship ranks for the first time since he lost his undisputed welterweight crown to Carlos Baldomir in 2006. Judah, 33, last held a title at 140 pounds in 2003 when he defeated Jaime Rangel for the WBO championship.

Whitaker's presence was immediately noticeable in Judah's game plan. It was a defensive strategy that called for Judah to avoid taking full-on shots from Mabuza, who had overwhelmed Kendall Holt in February 2010 via a sixth-round TKO to become the No. 1 contender for the IBF title.

It wasn't until Mabuza (23-7-3, 14 KOs) buzzed Judah in the sixth round that Judah turned on his offense and displayed the kind of power that he is capable of.

Mabuza said that he was thrown off by Judah's defensive style of bending low to avoid punches. He thought he was in control until the end.

"He caught me with a punch that I really didn't see," Mabuza said. "I believe I was winning before that punch because I caught him with more nice punches and more rounds. I would be very glad if he gave me the opportunity for a rematch."

There is no chance. With a stunning KO victory like this, Judah has set his sights on the top tier of the 140-pound division - Timothy Bradley, Amir Khan and Devon Alexander.

UNDERWEAR UNDERCARD
One of the more bizarre incidents of the night occurred following the first fight on the card. Chris Crosby of Brooklyn (6-1, 1 KO) scored a four-round unanimous decision over Greg Hackett (2-6), but Hackett didn't take the loss well. After the decision was announced, Hackett took off his trunks and cup and stormed out of the ring in just his underwear.

The New Jersey commission immediately revoked Hackett's license for his actions and held up 20% of his purse. The promoters would not say what Hackett's purse was. When he received that news, Hackett tried to confront members of the commission at ringside. After a brief scuffle, Hackett was removed by security.