David Malul Back in the Ring Next Month

David Malul is scheduled to get in the ring for his second pro fight on November 23 at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, New York, USA. The card is promoted by Star Boxing.

Malul was knocked down twice in the first round of his pro debut against Lucien Hannah. back on September 14. Amazingly, Malul came back to score two knockdowns of his own in that same round to earn a stoppage victory. In an interview with The Jewish Boxing Blog, David acknowledged he made some mistakes and promised they would be corrected.

"King" David contends he wasn't nervous before his first prizefight, but he resembled a deer in headlights during the opening minute of his bout. It takes a special fighter to make the necessary adjustments of mind, body, and spirit to change the course of the fight in the middle of the first round.

The next fight for the 21 year old from Queens, New York is scheduled for four rounds in the welterweight division. No opponent has been announced.

Daniel Ivanovski to Fight in December

After a successful professional debut in September, cruiserweight Daniel Ivanovski is now scheduled to fight on December 7 in Louisville, Kentucky. The promotor of the show is Future Promotions.

The 23 year old Israeli looked impressive against an overmatched opponent on September 9 in Louisville. He showed poise and power. He was defensively responsible. Though Ivanovski is a novice as a prizefighter, hopefully he fights someone with a little more experience than his last opponent, Wondon Alonso Hughes, who exhibited far more courage than ability.

Ivanovski stopped Hughes two minutes and 41 seconds into the first round, but the fight could have been stopped even sooner. Ivanovski's next fight is scheduled for four rounds. No opponent has been named yet.

Joshua Feldman Stops Muyaya in the First

"I'm going to take over this division. I'm going to be the next junior middleweight world champion from South Africa," declared Joshua Feldman after his first round TKO victory over the hapless Henry Muyaya today at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa. Feldman was clearly several classes above Muyaya, who attempted to quit twice complaining of a hand injury.

Both men came out of the starting blocks looking for a quick knockout. Muyaya, the Malawian whose midsection resembled the laughing Buddha's rather than that of a finely tuned professional athlete, hoped to catch lightning in a bottle. Catching Feldman cold was his only hope. Feldman was a rabid caged animal who hadn't been tossed fresh meat to devour since March.

Muyaya's punches were slow and his follow-through knocked him off balance. Feldman landed a sharp counter left to persuade Muyaya to stop throwing. The two clinched and Feldman landed a hard right hook to Muyaya's soft belly.

Muyaya's mouthpiece partially popped out and he walked away as if quitting. Referee Toto Shweni allowed the fight to proceed and Feldman jumped on Muyaya. Muyaya managed to break free from Feldman's assault, and stuck his mouthpiece out again. Feldman attacked again until Shweni jumped in and waved off the bout, a minute and 41 seconds into the fight. Muyaya shook his left hand and his trainer gingerly unwrapped his glove to examine it.

Feldman, who debuted the nickname "the Maccabee," didn't celebrate. Instead, he looked full of disdain for the way Muyaya quit. Josh had prepared for months, had one opponent drop out minutes before a fight in July, and now did not get the satisfying ending he clearly craved. After the fight, he told the crowd, "I was fighting with mean intentions," and it showed throughout the brief bout and immediately after it was halted.

Joshua Feldman is now 4-0 with 2 KOs while Henry Muyaya is 1-7 and should retire from the ring. He has been stopped four times in a row.

Feldman Makes Weight, Muyaya Misses

Even though Joshua Feldman (3-0) weighed in a tad bit under the 154-pound junior middleweight limit, he'll be fighting at middleweight+ at Box Camp Booysens tomorrow in Johannesburg, South Africa. His opponent Henry Muyaya badly missed weight.

"I was a little annoyed," Feldman told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "because I thought once again there would be a problem with the fight happening." Feldman has been no stranger to opponents trying to pull out of fights against him at the last moment.

Last March, Feldman's opponent Sibosiso Muteleni came in drastically underweight and had to be convinced to stay in the fight. He put on a few pounds, got in the ring, and was blasted out of there within two rounds. Then in July, Welcome Malumbu hit weight, but withdrew moments before he and Feldman were scheduled to enter the ring.

Muyaya (1-6) originally weighed in at 162 pounds. He was made to run off some excess poundage and finally tipped the scales at 160.5 pounds, which is still a half pound over the middleweight limit. This will be the fifth fight in a row he has had a significant weight disparity with his opponent. Sometimes he's much heavier, like his ten-pound advantage over his last opponent, Pieter de Klerk, and sometimes he gives up weight, like the six pounds he gave to Dylan Prosser.

Once Feldman was confident the fight would be on, his annoyance dissipated. About Muyaya's weight advantage, Josh said, "I don't really care. I'll fight him regardless of his weight. I know I'll win."

While Muyaya was forced to run, Feldman refueled with a bowl of Coco Pops in milk, fruit, French toast, and an almond croissant.

This bout is scheduled for four rounds and can be watched on DAZN and Vision View TV. The JBB's preview can be found here.

courtesy of Boxing5 Promotions

Heart of a Lion: An Interview with David Malul

David Malul fell to the canvas for the second time in the first round of his pro debut. "This is the ultimate test," he told himself as he rose to his feet. "I didn't think for a second it was over. I just thought the win would be sweeter," he told The Jewish Boxing Blog in a phone interview two days after his stunning first round knockout victory over Lucien Hannah.

The game plan, fashioned by Mike Stellate of Main Street Gym in the Bronx, was the right one against a much taller opponent. David planned to take his time and find his way inside using double and triple jabs, and then rip to the body. He intended to control the tempo.

Malul had watched Hannah's pro debut a couple times and knew he was a tall, long guy with good power. "His speed caught me off guard," David admitted. "Practice can only get so close to the actual fight."

He was adamant that he didn't underestimate Hannah, his warm-up was normal, and nerves weren't a factor. Instead, David acknowledged there were errors in his technique in just his eleventh fight, amateurs included. He "over-extended" his punches dropping his hands too low, and believes he was over-zealous. "I made mistakes; I will fix those mistakes," he declared.

"I learned what a high guard is. I thought my guard was tight enough. It wasn't." Those mistakes resulted in a quick trip to the canvas. David felt it was a flash knockdown and didn't change course. His failure to adjust resulted in a second knockdown. "He caught me," he said.

At first, David took stock of the situation. "I'm not hurt, not shaken up, there was no pain, my head wasn't spinning." He figured he could no longer win on the cards after suffering two knockdowns and decided to take the fight into his own hands. He told himself, "Even though we get knocked down, we're not defined by how we fall, but by how we get up and overcome."

David said he finally implemented the game plan. He got inside and attacked the body. After receiving Malul's body shots, Hannah reacted to a feint downstairs and became susceptible to a monstrous overhand right up top, which improbably changed the fight. "I was not there to put on a show, it just happened," David said.

"I got greedy trying to get a third knockdown," Hannah told The JBB, "and he caught me."

The crowd erupted as David willed himself back into the fight. "There's something burning inside me, in my hands and my heart. My vision is stronger than my doubt. I have the heart of a lion," he explained. David had mentally prepared for the noise of his fans. "I know my people and my people are loud. I prepared to block them out as much as I could, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't hear them."

Malul then described the profound transformation he experienced. "I pulled out a different version of myself. I had to stop him." Faith in G-d was a driving force in his comeback.

As much as he tried to box, at the end of the day it's a fight. "It's the most brutal sport in the world," said David, and his overhand right that stopped Hannah two minutes and thirty-eight seconds into fight provided ample evidence.

"It was a great fight," Hannah said afterwards. "My respect to David."

David showed the same respect for Hannah. "He's super-fast, has significant height and reach, and great power. Getting off the canvas is a decision you have to make and he got up." The two have quickly become teammates as Hannah has moved over to the Main Street Gym.

David, who was back in the gym on Monday, is determined to improve. "Everything's gotta get better," he said. "I won't recognize myself in a few years."

He has mixed feelings about Saturday night's debut. He's proud he got to discover the dog inside of him, but he acknowledged his performance was far from perfect.

"It's how it was written and what a beautiful story."