RENO, Nev. -- Former junior welterweight champion Zab Judah was fined $75,000 and suspended six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Friday for throwing a stool and putting a glove to a referee's chin after losing a match last month.

"It's fair," Judah said after pleading his case before the commission, which approved the sanctions 5-0.

"It cost me a couple bucks but in six months, I'll be back in the title hunt," the Brooklyn native told reporters.

Judah, 24, apologized for putting a glove to the chin of referee Jay Nady and throwing a stool in anger after Nady stopped his fight with Kostya Tszyu at the end of the second round Nov. 3 in Las Vegas.

"We're letting the world know we're not going to stand for violations that take place in the ring," Commissioner Glenn Carano said.

Commissioner Tony Alamo said Judah would be held to a higher scrutiny in the future as a result of the violent outburst.

"You probably won't be given a second chance after this," he said.

The loss was the first for Judah, the former IBF 140-pound champion who was fighting a unification bout with Tszyu, the WBA and WBC champion.

"It was more or less the biggest fight of my life. Emotions took over," Judah said.

Judah put his glove to the chin of Nady and had to be restrained by Las Vegas police officers and others on several occasions from going after the referee. Judah was infuriated that Nady stopped the fight after he was knocked down with one second left in the round.

Judah said later he was sorry for his actions. Judah went down from a right hand, then got up and went sprawling to the canvas again, prompting Nady to stop the bout.

Tszyu said after the fight that Judah should be fined and be stripped from the rankings for going after Nady, who spoke at the hearing Friday.

"Boxing is the victim here. Our sport is diminished by this action," Nady said.

The $75,000 fine will be deducted from Judah's $885,000 purse, which had been held up pending commission action.

Gary Shaw, Judah's promoter and a former member of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission, said the suspension would cause Judah to miss at least one fight worth about $1 million.

"The penalty is not $75,000, it's a lot more," he said.

Shaw, Judah's father Yoel, his manager Shelly Finkel and lawyer Patrick English all spoke on Judah's behalf during the 90-minute hearing in a ballroom at the Reno Hilton hotel-casino.

Judah and his backers watched a videotape of the national television cablecast of the event with the commissioners before initiating the series of apologies.

"I was wrong," Judah said. "I had no intent to put my hands on Jay Nady and no intent to throw the chair. I will swear on a stack of Bibles it will never happen again."

Yoel Judah, who restrained his son in the ring after the fight, told commissioners he raised Zab and his six other sons in a disciplined home where they were taught respect for authority.

"To this day, when he comes to my house, he still washes the dishes and takes out the garbage and walks the dog," his father said.

"I think he just sort of lost it because he saw his dreams go down the road."

English described Judah as a quiet, friendly young man who gives back to his community by helping at-risk students at a Brooklyn junior high and contributes to the homeless.

"The snapshot you saw on that film is not the Zab Judah that is here before you today," English said.

Shaw said Judah "is the guy who goes to Lennox Lewis' training camp and rides his skateboard through the dining room with a big smile, that's Zab Judah."

Commissioner Amy Ayoub took exception to several of Judah's backers referring to him as a "kid."

"I do not view you as a kid. You are a 24-year-old father. A professional fighter," she said.

"Uncontrollable violent behavior is something we need to look at very carefully always but especially with professional fighters," Ayoub said.

"It is pure luck someone wasn't seriously hurt. ... that the stool did not hit someone."

Commission Chairman Luther Mack was at ringside and helped Judah's father restrain the fighter.

"I was scared. I was really afraid of the referee getting hurt," Mack said.