Yan Zak and Adamu Barnaba Make Weight

Yan Zak and Adamu Barnaba both made weight for their cruiserweight+ bout at the Meydan Gallery in Dubai, United Arab Emirates tomorrow. The contract weight for this clash of unbeatens was 203 pounds.

Zak, a 26 year old, came in at 202.4 pounds. The resident of Ashdod, Israel is 7-0 with 5 KOs. His heaviest weight thus far during his pro career was 202.8 pounds while the lightest was 190. Zak and his team arrived in Dubai yesterday. This will be the fourth fight in the emirate for the "Terminator."

Barnaba came in at 198.2 pounds. He was a junior middleweight until he moved up to cruiserweight last year. Since moving up to cruiserweight, his lightest weight has been 186.3 pounds and his heaviest has been 200.5. A 26 year old from the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Barnaba has a record of 10-0-1 with 8 KOs.

Zak-Barnaba is scheduled for ten rounds. For a preview of the fight, visit here.

Lev Jackson to Face Ian Abbott on June 27

Lev "Gutsy" Jackson is scheduled to face "Mr. Wonderful" Ian Abbott on June 27 at the Lions Club in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. Despite Abbott's upside down record, he poses a challenge to Jackson.

Jackson is a 33 year old from Vancouver, Canada with a record of 5-1-1 (3 KOs). This will be his first fight since he got married. A southpaw, Lev boxed more in his last two fights in Mexico, a shift from the all-action fighter he was before.

Abbott, who also goes by Ian Masuskapoe, is a 32 year old from Debden in Saskatchewan. A member of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, Abbott has a record of 1-8-1 and hasn't won in over ten years. But he is an experienced fighter with experience in MMA and karate. Tough and durable, Abbott has only been stopped once.

Abbott is a better fighter than his record suggests. A competent boxer, he flicks out the jab but doesn't work off of it much. He's mostly looking to counter and get into exchanges. The Saskie typically does enough to lose as punch-output has been a problem for him in the past. He doesn't have a lot of wrinkles in his game, and there's not a lot of variety in his attack. But he is a game guy.

Jackson is the naturally bigger man, fighting primarily as a lightweight. Abbott has mostly been a featherweight. This four-rounder is scheduled for junior lightweight.

Daniel Ivanovski to Face Najm Khan on Saturday

Cruiserweight Daniel Ivanovski is scheduled to face Najm "The Brave" Khan at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA this Saturday. This is a battle of undefeated fighters with extensive combat experience.

Ivanovski is a Russian-born Israeli with a record of 5-0 (4 KOs). After a decorated amateur career, the 25 year old has fought all of his pro bouts in the United States. Daniel is a skilled technician who can vary his shots and put together combinations. He has shown a propensity to get hit with overhand rights, however.

Khan is a 38 year old from Pakistan, who is based in Los Angeles. He has a positive MMA record and a black belt in karate. Muscle-bound with long hair, Khan participated in one professional boxing match back in 2022.

The fight was against Muhammad Abbas on a PBC card. Instead of bikini-clad ring girls, the Pakistan Boxing Commission used young boys wearing shalwar kameez to notify the crowd of the round. Khan switched stances and rarely led, preferring to counter when the crude Abbas launched his wild right hand. When Khan did fire first, particularly as a righty, he ran at his opponent instead of keeping his stance. Khan also circled left the entire fight, which would be a mistake against Ivanovski, who will cut off the ring and land an overhand right.

Though Khan is a strong, tough guy with plenty of fighting experience, Ivanovski's youth and boxing technique make him the favorite Saturday night.

David Malul's New Opponent is Julius Thomas Jr.

"King" David Malul is now scheduled to fight Julius "June Bug" Thomas Jr. at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. BoxRec had previously listed Justin Spalding as Malul's opponent for the Boxing Insider show.

Thomas is a 36 year old from Youngstown, Ohio and possesses a record of 1-3-1 with one KO. He fought in the Cleveland Golden Gloves in 2011. Thomas is a true fighter with a better defense than Malul's previously scheduled opponent. In 2019, he fought a security guard at a bar and when police were called, he fought them, too. In 2023, an unidentified man charged at Thomas, who was on his front porch. Thomas allegedly shot his rifle, and a stray bullet entered a neighbor's house and struck her Pitbull. Only the Pitbull suffered injuries.

Thomas, who runs a cleaning business and trains kids in boxing, turned pro in 2024 at the age of 34. He had been training for a year and lost a significant amount of weight as a result. Standing at 5'6", Thomas dropped his first fight by split decision. He defeated Kameeko Hall on August 10, 2024 when a right to the body in the second round caused Hall to projectile vomit. The fight was quickly stopped, and Thomas was awarded a TKO victory.

Since then, Thomas has dropped two fights by decision and fought to one draw. His last fight was a little bit over a year ago. He poses a tough test for Malul, a 23 year old from Queens, New York. This four-rounder should be an exciting one.