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.

David Malul to Fight Justin Spalding Next Month

Welterweight prospect "King" David Malul is set to return to the ring against Justin "War Time" Spalding at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA on June 13.The event is promoted by Larry Goldberg's Boxing Insider Promotions.

Malul is a hard-punching 23 year old from Queens, New York. His record stands at 4-0 with 2 KOs. After  a quick start to his career, Malul has fought only once in fourteen months. That was a dominant decision victory against Colin Huntington last November.

Spalding, a 27 year old with a record of 1-4-1 (1 KO) is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. A game fighter who constantly throws punches, he has the guts of a burglar. Ten years ago, he was charged with stealing bows and arrows from an archery store and selling the loot on Craigslist.

Spalding has since turned his life around. He has been drug free for over seven years and just got off parole after serving time. Recently engaged, he is gainfully employed. He turned pro in 2024 and fought all of his six career bouts that year. His willingness to trade leaves Spalding open for counters. Defensively, he relies on a good chin, but it's more limestone than granite as he's been stopped three times.

Spalding is listed as 5'9", but if he is that tall, he doesn't fight like it. He appeared shorter than 5'9" Justin Lacey-Pierce and a similar height as 5'6" Ramsey Vesey Jr. in their contests. After the Lacey-Pierce fight, Spalding was suspended for 90 days and fined $400 by the Michigan commission for an undisclosed violation. Boxing is so decentralized that he fought twice in other states within that span.

Because of his punch output, Spalding has a chance early in the fight, but Malul should find openings. Spalding's right doesn't protect his chin when he throws the left. Though Malul's best punch is an overhand right, the left hook could be the key here, particularly when set up by a right to the body.

This bout is scheduled for four rounds.

Scrap The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Celebrating great Jewish fighters has been part of the mission of The Jewish Boxing Blog for over sixteen years. The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, based at the Suffolk (NY) JCC, purports to do the same. The organization claims, "It is dedicated to honoring American Jewish figures who have distinguished themselves in sports. Its objective is to foster Jewish identity through athletics and to commemorate sports heroes who have emerged from people not commonly associated with sports." However, it misses the mark with those it chooses to include and not include. A more appropriate name for it would be A Random Collection of Jewish Athletes.

The Hall first began inducting a menagerie of Jewish athletes in 1993. It's outside the purview of this site to explain why the Hall elected Art Shamsky (1994) before Hank Greenberg (1995) or Art Heyman (1993) before Dolph Schayes (1995). Maybe the voters were a group of guys all named Art? The boxers chosen make less sense. For those outraged at Arturo Gatti's and Vinny Pazienza's places in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, wait until you see this list.  

Logically, Benny Leonard (1996) and Barney Ross (1997) were the first two boxers inducted into the NJSHoF. It would be hard to find anyone who would argue with their inclusions. The famed trainer Ray Arcel (1999) was the next boxing person elected. So far, so good.

You could have a hundred guesses and not come up with the next fighter unless you knew the answer. As a hint, think something like the thirtieth best Jewish heavyweight of all-time. Claiming to have thrown a bout against Rocky Marciano, Harry Haft (2007) finished his career with a record of 10-7. A Holocaust survivor, he is one of many boxers affected by that horrific tragedy.

Al "Bummy" Davis (2011), the popular contender from the 1940s who died tragically, came next. You could have a hundred more guesses and not get the next boxer. Boyd Melson was in the middle of his six year career when he was inducted in 2013.

The problem isn't that Haft and Melson are in the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame; it's that nearly all of the great Jewish champions and contenders are not. Haft and Melson deserve recognition, but not as two of the five most significant Jewish American boxers ever.

The Hall didn't nominate anyone from 2016-2022, which was a good decision based on its track record.

Then, in 2023, the Munich Eleven were inducted. The eleven Israeli Olympic athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich Games should be commemorated, but it would be more appropriate elsewhere. After all, the nation in the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame is the United States of America. And then why hasn't Victor "Young" Perez been nominated if nationality has no bearing on entry into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame? A world champion, he was murdered during the tragedy of the Holocaust.

Four boxers were inducted last weekend and the bizarre selections continue. "Slapsie" Maxie Rosenbloom is generally renowned as a top five Jewish boxer of all-time, so better late than never. Rabbi Yuri Foreman is at least the best male Jewish boxer of the twenty-first century so far and a former world titlist.

The Hall missed the memo on the other two. Cletus Seldin has had a very fine career, but he reportedly had to pull out of a fight in December for testing positive for elevated testosterone levels. Sadly, it wasn't his first time. It's awkward timing at best, particularly since 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun has not been honored, likely due to a positive test for a banned substance in 2013.

The other entrant is Max Baer, a Christian who wore a Star of David for a couple of his fights. Genealogist Catherine Johnson shows convincing evidence of Baer's religion in her book Then the World Moved On. The Hall might as well honor James Toney and Bennie Briscoe at this rate.

Abe Attell, who held the featherweight championship for six years and is generally regarded as one of the four best Jewish boxers of all-time, hasn't been inducted. There's no Battling Levinsky, Joe Choynski, Jackie Fields, Kid Kaplan, Abe Goldstein, Al Singer, Izzy Schwartz, Charley Phil Rosenberg, Lew Tendler, Sid Terris, Charley White, Jill Matthews, Bob Olin, Yale Okun, or Mike Rossman among many many deserving others. It's unfortunate that the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame celebrates boxing, a sport that embodies the Jewish experience of the last 150 years, so haphazardly. Might be time to scrap the Hall and start over.