Steve Marcus

Welterweight boxer Zab Judah, left, speaks during a news conference at the Palms as opponent Josh Clottey, right, waits for his turn Thursday, July 31, 2008. The boxers will fight for the vacant IBF welterweight title at the Pearl at the Palms on Saturday.

By Andy Samuelson (contact)

Thu, Jul 31, 2008 (11:11 p.m.)

On one side of the podium Thursday afternoon sat four-time boxing champ Zab Judah. Behind him was a loudmouth, hype-machine nicknamed “Crocodile," whose endless verbal barbs were blaring enough that anyone’s ears had to be ringing within 1,000 feet of the Lounge bar inside the Palms.

Rounding out the posse was Judah’s dad, Yoel Judah; undercard fighter Anthony Peterson; a 6-year-old boxing phenom who goes by the name “Bam-Bam” and — in an ironic twist — the group’s quietest character, former champ Mike Tyson.

Things on the other side of the stage were far more subdued as No. 1-ranked International Boxing Federation welterweight Joshua Clottey sat and smiled next to his silent, T-Shirt-wearing manager, Vinny Scolpino.

But the day’s biggest outburst actually came from the quieter camp: “I’m gonna make him cry,” said a straight-faced Clottey during the boxers’ news conference promoting Saturday’s IBF welterweight title fight at the Palms.

As the cackles of laughter and one-liners (“You’re a fighter, not a comedian,” one crowd member yelled) let up, Clottey continued with his promise of beating Judah for the vacant IBF belt.

“Whatever he’s been saying, whatever he’s been shouting, he’s not the guy I’m going to fight,” Clottey said in response to the camo-wearing Steve “Crocodile” Fitch — Tyson’s former instigator who was back preaching to any patron who would listen: “One day, they’ll wake up! … Zab Judah will go down in the history books as one of the great champions … Has he (Clottey) even been a champ before?”

“Zab is the guy I’m going to fight,” Clottey said. “I will tackle Zab. I will take him down. Trust me.”

Now it was Judah’s turn to smile.

“When you’re nervous, when you’re jittery and scared, you come up with funny things to say,” said Judah, the third-ranked IBF welterweight who owns a 36-5 career record with 25 knockouts.

“When he says those things that makes him feel a little bit at ease. I don’t have to do that.”

Indeed, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native has had a stronger pedigree in the sport. He’s won a handful of world titles — most recently losing the same IBF title to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas in 2006. He lost to the previously unbeaten Miguel Cotto last summer.

“The only reason this fight is taking place is because the belt is vacant,” said Judah, downplaying Clottey’s 34-2 mark (despite one of those losses coming in a 12-round decision to current WBA champ Antonio Margarito two years ago when Clottey broke both his hands). “I’ve fought the Mayweathers and Cottos. You think this guy can stand up with guys like that? No. We all know that.

“When they mention guys like that, they don’t even mention Joshua Clottey’s name. Come Saturday night, I’m gonna keep it like that — no one’s gonna remember him.”

But there is a certain memory that makes the normally low-key Clottey cringe. The boxer from Ghana says an incident that occurred outside the ring four years ago in New York, has fueled the intense rivalry with Judah inside the ropes.

“There’s a score to settle. He pushed my trainer,” said Clottey, who says Judah challenged him to spar for money in Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn. When Clottey refused, Judah and his entourage kept talking and created chaos.

“I said I don’t have time to spar with you. If you want us to fight, let’s fight in the ring. Finally we’re here. I’m going in there with everything, trust me everything. This is my time, my era. This is what I have to do to be a champion.”

Judah downplayed the incident, and said he respects the Bronx-based Clottey.

“Whatever happened, if I did anything wrong — I apologize for it,” Judah said. “On Saturday night we are going to fight like gentleman. At the end of the fight I’m gonna have great sportsmanship and that’s it. I’m gonna move on with my championship to the next fight.”

But Clottey said not so fast with all the championship talk. He even suggested that the two fighters make an interesting side bet. Earlier in the news conference Judah introduced his new line of signature Lexani wheels. So Clottey pressed Judah to “give him a set if he wins” on Saturday night.

The always-confident Judah said not only would he provide Clottey a set of 24-inch chrome rims, but “if he knocks me out and makes me cry, too, I will buy him a car to put rims on.”

On a day when words were being lobbed like first-round jabs, it was the former champ (and surprisingly not “Crocodile”) who got in the final say.

“We all know I’ve fought better opposition than him,” said Judah, flashing a big grin that revealed his diamond-encrusted grill. “Cry? Never. I’m from Brooklyn.”