David Malul Scheduled for October

Undefeated welterweight prospect "King" David Malul is scheduled to return to the ring on October 10 at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, New York, USA. This will be his fourth fight at the Paramount and his fourth on a Star Boxing card.

Malul, 5-0 (3 KOs), is a native of Queens, New York. The 23 year old last fought at the Tropicana in Atlantic City back in June. He stopped Julius Thomas in the second round.

A devastating puncher when he first turned pro in 2024, David has incorporated more boxing into his game of late. Typically shorter than his opponents, he has been jabbing more on the way inside. He sets up his concussive overhand right more, and his left hook has evolved into a real weapon.

The October 10 fight is slated to be Malul's fight six-rounder. No opponent has yet been announced.

Fat City

The third installment in writer Andrew Rihn's #HittingTheBooks series is Fat City by Leonard Gardner.

Ernie Munger, an up-and-coming boxer, and Billy Tully, a washed up veteran trying to hang on to his career, struggle through life in their own ways. Neither lives life; both seemingly exist in a dreary continuum. Their only agency comes in the form of self-sabotage. The fleeting moments of boxing triumph are quickly washed away by low-paying jobs, strained relationships, and low-rent living accommodations in Stockton, California. They are trapped in a perpetual rut.

Munger's career essentially begins when he out-spars a faded Tully. To save face, Tully vouches for Munger's talent. But the young prospect doesn't have Top Rank, Matchroom, the PBC, or Zuffa setting him up with patsies to pad his record. Trainer Ruben Luna gives his time and money to his fighters for nothing more than a dream at the big time. He's no power broker though, and puts Munger in fights that turn out to be losing propositions.

Both Tully and Munger begin to resent the women in their lives. Tully drinks to numb the pain, but his alcoholism only causes him more trouble. In many ways, boxing isn't much different; it provides a brief high, but in the end, it literally leaves Tully stranded in the desert at night.

After the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Miami Dolphins by a score of 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII, defensive end Carl Eller explained, "It seemed I could hear Scottish bagpipes in the distance, keeping time as they came after us, wave after wave, gaining ground so easily, they seemed to be floating in suspended animation. It was a weird surrealistic scene, as if we were on the sidelines watching our own struggle yet being powerless to do anything about it."

Munger, Tully, and Luna would have fit in well with the Purple People Eaters on that day. But instead of Jim Kiick, Larry Czonka, and Mercury Morris crashing down on them in waves, the main characters of Fat City faced something more existential.

The last book as part of this year's #HittingTheBooks is The Slip by Lucas Schaefer.

"King" David Blyumkin: Boxing and Caviar

"King" David Blyumkin had a brief two-fight career as a 19 year old in 2021. Following a notable amateur career, he took a hiatus before winning both of his professional fights, one by knockout.

Born to Alexander and Polina, David was a slick boxer from Beverley Hills, California.  At 5'11", he was very tall for the junior welterweight division. He used his plus hand speed to counter opponents.

In 2018, Blyumkin made the quarterfinals of two national youth tournaments, the US Junior Olympics and the Youth National Championships. The 15 year old fought as a lightweight.

After about 18 amateur fights, Blyumkin took a couple of years off before returning to boxing and turning pro. Coached by former Ukrainian light heavyweight contender Anatoliy Dudchenko, David was set to make his debut on April 22, 2021 on a Ring City card headlined by heavyweight Jermaine Franklin. Instead, he and his team changed course and traveled to Palmito, Sucre, Colombia for an April 23 fight against Franki Vides (4-8, 4 KOs).

Goading Vides to charge forward, Blyumkin countered with some quick left hooks off the pivot. He had no problem touching the Colombian's body with quick combinations. Fighting off the back foot, David connected with a quick right counter that stunned Vides. The Californian pushed Vides back to the ropes and unleashed a sustained flurry that forced referee Edgar Alvarez to stop the contest with two seconds left in the opening round.

On November 20, David traveled back to Colombia, this time to Tolu, Sucre. He fought Jader Esquivia (2-11-1, one KO), scoring a picture perfect knockdown off his patented check hook. Blyumkin won by unanimous decision with three scores of 40-34.

Five years later, David is in the Los Angeles area and running a caviar company called Golden Reserve Caviar, which he founded with a couple of his friends.