Doron Zinman Comes Up Short

Doron Zinman lost by a point on each of the three judges' scorecards against Thabang Mofula today at the Big Top Arena at Carnival City in Brakpan, South Africa. The judges preferred Mofula's sneaky counters rather than Zinman's aggression and harder shots.

Zinman pressed the action throughout the fight. His jab snapped back Mofula's head on several occasions. The 21 year old from Cape Town showed fluid foot movement and slippery upper-body movement but couldn't set up too many huge blows.

Mofula landed some classy combinations as Zinman came in. The man from Northwest province showed skill on the outside but constantly held when Zinman invaded his personal space. Mofula lost a point for the repeated infraction in the third round.

In the fourth round, Thabang connected with a sweet uppercut, but Doron came back with a clubbing right to the head. Mofula landed the eye-catching punches, but Zinman's clearly had more effect.

The two had a contentious face-off at the weigh-in, but they were very respectful towards one another after the fight. Both men showed the true spirit of the sweet science.

All three judges scored the bout 38-37 for Mofula. The Jewish Boxing Blog had it 38-37 for Zinman. Mofula is now 2-3. Zinman took his first loss and is now 3-1 with one KO.

This fight was a learning experience for Doron. It's unfortunate he was hung with a loss, but he wasn't hurt and wasn't outboxed. In a long fight, his pressure surely would've worn down the opponent. Instead, it's a chance to focus his energy on getting inside without getting picked off and once he gets there, to prevent the opponent from holding him. This loss has the potential to be no more than a slight hiccup in Doron's career. It could catapult him to great things if he learns from it.

Doron Zinman and Thabang Mofula Weigh In

Doron Zinman and Thabang Mofula both weighed in ahead of their clash tomorrow at the Big Top Arena at Carnival City in Brakpan, South Africa. The subsequent face-off quickly became contentious.

Zinman came in at 121 pounds, the lightest of his career. The 21 year old from Cape Town is 3-0 with one KO. Mofula was 121.3 pounds. He is 1-3. This ties his heaviest weight while his lightest was 119.5.

During the face-off, Mofula came right into Zinman's face. His kindergarten teacher evidently failed to teach him about the importance of personal space. Zinman kept his forehead pressed against Mofula's, but eventually used one hand to nudge him away. Before he could do so, Mofula attempted a two-hand push that moved him back more than it did Zinman. Mofula began yelling at Zinman, who calmly answered.

Fighters are often hangry during weigh-ins and the anticipation of the fight can lead to heightened emotions. Typically, these sort of altercations have no impact on the fight. Zinman said the disrespect Mofula showed will serve as additional motivation. Mofula's hot-headedness could have served a purpose if he was intending to bait Zinman into fighting on the inside. But Mofula is taller and should box on the outside. Zinman's plan is surely to come forward anyway.

The challenge for Zinman in this fight is to show improved in-fighting. He last fought nearly a year ago and allowed Ronaldo Sibisi to hold too much on the inside.

Carolina Duer and Yuri Foreman Elected to Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Carolina Duer and Yuri Foreman are two of the twenty inductees going into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026. Duer and Foreman are the last two Jewish world champions.

Both Duer and Foreman were born on August 5; Duer in '78 and Foreman two years later. Duer was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a descendent of Syrian Jews. Foreman was born in the Soviet Union, in what is now Belarus. He first immigrated to Israel and then on to Brooklyn, New York in the United States.

Foreman turned pro first, debuting in 2002. A pure boxer with fluid movement, Foreman won his first 28 fights. He beat the likes of Anthony Thompson, Jesus Soto Karass, Jamie Moore, Saul Roman, and Andrey Tsurkan. The later victory earned Foreman the NABF 154-pound title. On November 14, 2009, Foreman knocked down Daniel Santos twice to win the WBA junior middleweight championship. Santos had packed on the pounds after the weigh-in and hit like a light heavyweight, but Yuri thoroughly whupped the reigning champion to become the first and only male Israeli world champion.

Duer turned pro in 2007 and learned on the job. After five fights, she sported a losing record. Duer, nicknamed "La Turca," went 17-0-1 over her next 18 fights developing an all-action style. She won the South American junior featherweight title, the vacant WBO junior bantamweight world crown, the WBO bantamweight world title, and the IBF bantamweight interim world title during that span. Carolina has a win over the legend Marcela Eliana Acuña.

Foreman's career-defining fight came against Miguel Cotto at Yankee Stadium on June 5, 2010. After tearing up his knee, Foreman fought on, even after the referee refused to acknowledge Yuri's corner throwing in the towel. Yuri came out flat against Pawel Wolak in his comeback fight. He retired, but returned to notch six straight wins, all-the-while studying to become a rabbi. He was mentally unprepared when he entered the ring against pound-for-pound star Erislandy Lara. Yuri finished up with two fights this decade, going 1-1. His career record stands at 35-4 with 10 KOs.

Since 2017, Duer went just 1-4-1, but three of those losses were by split decision and three were for world titles. She lost by unanimous decision to legend Mariana Juarez in Juarez's hometown. Duer's last fight came in 2023, a disputed decision loss to Gabriella Bouvier. Her record is 20-7-2 with 6 KOs.

Yuri Foreman and Carolina Duer are the undisputed king and queen of Jewish boxing in the 21st century. Malissa Smith rated Duer as one of the five best Jewish women boxers of all-time. Evgheni Boico ranked Foreman as the best Jewish Israeli boxer ever, and Mike Silver had Foreman in the top ten Jewish boxers since 1960.

It is extremely fitting, that these two champions, sharing the same birthday, enter the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame together. Mazel tov to them both.