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Saturday, April 30, 2022

Isaac Chilemba to Face Osleys Iglesias

Isaac Chilemba is scheduled to face Cuban amateur standout Osleys Iglesias on May 27 at Hala Globus in Lublin, Poland in what should be a very interesting match. Chilemba retired after his last fight in November but changed his mind in January after consulting his friends, family, and officials at the Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board.

Chilemba, a 34 year old from Malawi and based in South Africa, sports a 26-8-3 record with 10 KOs. Though he is just 2-6-1 in his last nine fights, Chilemba has faced extremely tough competition. Isaac is a superior defensive fighter with a great jab and an amazing ability to counter.

Iglesias, a 24 year old Cuban based in Germany, is 5-0 with 5 KOs. The southpaw was an excellent amateur. As a pro, Iglesias has fought as a super middleweight and light heavyweight against tougher than usual competition. In his second fight, he took on Rafael Bejaran, who sported a 26-4-1 record and in his last bout, Iglesias fought Robert Racz, who had a 25-2 mark. Neither Bejaran nor Racz is anywhere near the level of Chilemba, however.

Iglesias possesses impressive skills. He remains balanced while attacking, something he does from the opening bell. Incredibly calm, Osleys features a slicing right hook and whipping left. He varies his punch angles and positions himself to unleash the maximum amount of punishment at all times. In five fights, he has fought a grand total of 11 minutes and 23 seconds although much of that time has been spent waiting for his opponents to get up.

Three of his five fights ended weirdly. In the Cuban's debut, he landed a little right hook early that forced Malkhaz Sujashvili down. Sujashvili either didn't see it or he had endured enough punishment in the first minute of the fight and began searching for a way out. Facing Bernard Donfack, Iglesias's incidental right hook scored two knockdowns. Iglesias throws the right hook in order to land the straight left, and appears shocked when the opponent goes down from the right. In the next fight, Rafael Sosa Pintos may have been thumbed in the eye with a jab, because he fell immediately much to Iglesias's confusion. Pintos did have a cut below the left eye, which quickly swelled, but it didn't take much to get him out of there.

There were no flukes against Bejaran, who was knocked out cold, and Racz, who ate many flush shots and was knocked down three times. Racz managed to connect with a good right in a way that Chilemba could exploit. Iglesias throws many of his lefts from a lower angle, leaving himself open for a counter right over the top. Against a southpaw, righties typically want their lead foot to be outside the lead foot of their opponent. That gives an opening for the straight right. However, Chilemba might want to play with fire and circle into Iglesias's left which would expose the opening created by Iglesias's  lower punch-angle. It's risky and Iglesias will surely adjust, but it might sow some doubt in the undefeated Cuban's mind. Racz was able to land a right with this tactic although Iglesias barely blinked.

Chilemba has some advantages in height and experience. He has fought the far better competition in the pros. Iglesias is a younger and much fresher. He also has more of a hometown advantage. Lublin isn't in Cuba, but Iglesias has fought two of his five prizefights in Poland. We saw last month in the Igor Lazarev-Dominik Harwankowski decision that judging in Poland can be corrupt.

The weight limit and number of rounds cannot yet be confirmed. This will be updated when the information becomes available. My guess is a 12 round super middleweight affair.

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

The Boxing Ambitions of Carl Schayes

"My father was 6'4". He was a boxer. Well, he was not a boxer," recalled Dolph Schayes, perhaps the best Jewish basketball player in history.

A Hall of Famer, Schayes was voted all-NBA 12 times in 15 seasons. He played 14 with the Syracuse Nationals and one with Philadelphia when the franchise moved and became the 76ers. Standing 6'8", Dolph averaged 18.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in 996 career contests. His son Danny, at nearly 7', was an excellent role player for 1,138 NBA games over 18 years.

Dolph's dad, Carl, once dreamed of becoming heavyweight champion of the world. Carl loved boxing and took his three sons, Herman, Fred and, of course, Dolph to Madison Square Garden, the Polo Grounds, and Yankee Stadium to watch the great pugilists of the 1930s and 1940s.

Carl Schayes was an imposing figure, even to his gigantic sons. "If you shook his hand, your hand was lost," remembered Herman, who at 6'3" played basketball for the Washington Generals, the eternal patsy of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Carl was born in Durohoi, Romania, in 1901 not far from the birthplace of his future wife Tina, who was born the same year and eventually would top out at just 4'11". Carl immigrated to the United States in 1920 and Tina followed the next year. They were married in 1923. Fred came first in 1927, then Dolph the year after. Herman was six years younger. The family paid $40 a month to rent a one bedroom apartment at 2275 Davidson Avenue in the Bronx.

"When he came to this country, he was very, very strong, " Dolph said of his dad. A boxing manager named John the Barber told Carl, "Boy, you are a real strong guy. I would like to make a boxer out of you."

Dolph explained, "My father told him that his feet were frostbitten during the First World War. John the Barber suggested that he get an operation on his feet so he could become more agile, because you had to be pretty agile in the ring.

"He got this operation. However, the operation was quite painful, and a cast was put on his feet. It became so painful that, with a cast on, it restricted his movement so much that he broke the cast by smashing his foot against something hard and this left his feet in bad shape. So because of that he never pursued a boxing career."

If he had not had the foot injury, Carl may have been a successful heavyweight. "My father was very strong and got into a lot of barroom brawls and came out victorious," Dolph said. "At least, he told me."

Instead of becoming heavyweight champion, Carl drove a laundry wagon. He was often bitter. "He got into a lot of scrapes," Dolph recalled. "As I said, he drank a little bit. He would get into a lot of fights in the local bar on Jerome Avenue."

Looking back, Dolph figured Carl's injured feet might have been responsible for his own athletic greatness. "This was the early twenties and Jack Dempsey was at his height, and had my father fought Jack Dempsey maybe I never would have been born."

By not fighting Dempsey, Carl lived to see his son Dolph's incredible Hall of Fame basketball career.


Sources
George, Justin. "He knows that losing isn't all that there is." Tampa Bay Times. Mar 15, 2004.
Stark, Douglas. When Basketball Was Jewish. 2017.
1930 U.S. Census.

Friday, April 22, 2022

Stefi Cohen to Fight on May 14

Dr. Stefanie Cohen is scheduled to return to the ring on May 14 in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. Cohen is a 2-0-1 with one KO.

Stefi, who is a world record breaking powerlifter, last fought in February. She has made great progress in the ring since picking up the sport less than two years ago. The 30 year old is a native of Venezuela.

The promotional company associated with the event, which is called "Action in Jackson," is Gamebred Fighting Championship. They are based in Miami, Florida- Cohen's adopted hometown- and have primarily promoted MMA shows. The event is tentatively slated to be aired on Fite.tv, but it is not yet on the streaming service's schedule.

No opponent for Cohen has yet been named.

Monday, April 18, 2022

The Different Types of Boxing Gloves

Boxing gloves are an important and yet overlooked aspect of the sport. Boxers must consider many different features of a glove in order to choose the right one for them. Wrist support, knuckle support, room in the hand compartment, and design are a few of the more important factors. One significant similarity, however, is the weight of the glove. Typically, welterweights and lighter fight with eight ounce gloves while junior middleweights and above wear ten ounce gloves.

Though most brands offer different types of gloves, they tend to get associated with a certain style. "Reyes is more of a puncher's glove, and Everlast is more of a boxer's glove," says former undisputed world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

Reyes was founded in Mexico City, Mexico in 1945. Its founder, Claudio Reyes, was an innovator. His product soon gained a reputation as a puncher's glove. “The Reyes boxing gloves are what you use if you want to knock people out,” claims  Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, whose most famous charge, Manny Pacquiao, wore Reyes gloves. 

Writer David Walker explains, "The Reyes glove is known as 'a puncher’s glove' because it has a lightweight feel, a slimmer profile and, most importantly, an inner layer of horsehair padding that tends to flatten down and harden over the course of a fight."

Floyd Mayweather Jr. used Reyes gloves early in his pro career but developed hand problems and switched brands. Hand injuries are a major concern for boxers as former pro Boyd Melson well knows.

"Personally, I liked having a good amount of padding on my knuckles. You’re going to hurt your knuckles, so it’s important to keep them as protected as you can!" says Melson, who wore Everlast gloves in the ring.
Manny Pacquiao wore Reyes gloves

Founded in the Bronx, New York in the early 1910s by Jacob Golomb, the Jewish son of an immigrant tailor, Everlast was initially devoted to swimwear. As the story goes, Golomb provided a down-and-out Jack Dempsey with boxing equipment. In return, Dempsey wore Everlast gloves when he destroyed Jess Willard to win the world heavyweight championship in 1919, and the brand took off.

The great Jewish world lightweight champion Benny Leonard not only wore Everlast, but played an advisory role in the company. More recent Jewish fighters (former WBA world junior middleweight champion) Yuri Foreman and (WBF world junior welterweight champion) Dmitriy Salita wore Everlast gloves, too. While Dempsey was more of a brawler, Leonard, Foreman, and Salita were technically sound boxers to varying degrees.

Everlast is known as a boxer's glove because of the foam padding on the knuckles which is meant to protect them at the expense of power. However, Everlast does sell a puncher's glove called the MX, which uses horsehair as padding.

Cletus Seldin, a massive puncher, has also worn Everlast in several of his fights. Clearly, the gloves have not hindered his knockout power. The Hebrew Hammer has also worn Grant gloves, going back-and-forth between the two types during his career.

Benny Leonard wore Everlast gloves

Grant was founded in 1995 in New York and the gloves are made in Mexico. They are know for their high quality materials. After using Reyes gloves, Floyd Mayweather Jr. moved over to Grant and helped the popularity of the company soar.  Gennady "GGG" is another popular figure who punches with Grant.

Grant gloves are known to protect a boxer's hands but don't take away as much power as some brands. The gloves fit snug and lock in the hand and wrist in a straight line offering wrist protection. Padding around the wrist only enhances the protection. "Every fighter should be fighting in Grant boxing gloves," says Mayweather. "The gloves are extremely comfortable."

Floyd Mayweather Jr. switched to Grant gloves midcareer

Over in the United Kingdom, Lonsdale, founded in 1960 in London, soon developed a
positive reputation. Celebrities hoped to be seen in their clothing. Former pro boxer Tony Milch remembers going with his stepdad to the Lonsdale store on Beak Street in London's shopping hub known as Covent Gardens when he just started boxing. "It was a real old school boxing shop," he recalls fondly. "The original Lonsdale was the best."

In the early 2000s, neo-Nazis throughout Europe began proudly displaying Lonsdale gear. The term "Lonsdale youth" became synonymous with teens who espoused extreme right wing views. These neo-Nazis wore bomber jackets over their Lonsdale shirts, which coincidentally have the letters "nsda" which almost amounts to the initials of Adolph Hitler's Nazi party (NSDAP). Bizarre as that might be, it signified a major problem for Lonsdale, who actively combatted the unwitting association with neo-Nazis by initiating an anti-racist campaign.

Around the same time, in 2002, Sports Direct, now known as the Frasers Group, bought out Lonsdale, just as they would acquire Everlast five years later. The quality of the gloves have worsened since. Tony Milch blames the gloves for a broken right hand and bursitis early in his pro career. "They are not the best quality," Milch says of Lonsdale, "The brand changed and sold out."

Milch, the head of the Gloves and Doves initiative which promotes peace in the Middle East through boxing, prefers Reyes and Winning gloves.

Tony Milch soured on Lonsdale gloves (Marc Morris)

Reyes and Winning are on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of style, but both are known for superior quality. While Reyes are puncher's gloves, Winning gloves are often refer to as pillows.

Winning was founded in 1937 in Japan, around the height of its empire. The gloves are of high quality and very expensive. They are protective of a boxer's knuckles and wrists. Some argue that the hand compartment is too snug.

Many boxers, including Floyd Mayweather Jr., train with Winning gloves. They're usually not used in competition because it's difficult to generate power due to the high-level of synthetic padding. However, "The Monster," Naoya Inoue, the most feared bantamweight in the world and a top ten pound-for-pound fighter with 19 KOs in his 22 bouts, fights with Winning gloves. It's a testament to Inoue's punching power that he's able to score so many knockouts with such pillowy gloves.

Naoya Inoue uses Winning gloves

While Winning is generally regarded as the best gloves to protect one's hands, Rival gloves are usually thought of as the coolest looking. Former trainer and current cutman Russ Anber founded the company in Montreal, Canada in 2003. He initiated several design changes, including creating a shorter body of the glove and longer cuff so that the laces are tied on the boxer's wrist. The gloves also have an angular lace track to promote increased wrist support.

Vasiliy Lomachenko and Olexandr Usyk, two of the ten best boxers in the world, wear Rival in the ring. Anber serves as cutman to both fighters. Isaac Chilemba, a contender at super middleweight and light heavyweight for many years, often wears Rival gloves. In fact, his first fight against Tony Bellew on March 30, 2013 was the first time two competing boxers wore Rival gloves
 in a professional fight outside of Canada.
Isaac Chilemba wears Rival gloves

These are just a few of the more noteworthy brands that sell boxing gloves. In addition to Leone (from Italy), Venum (from France), Title, and Hayabusa, there are many more, each with their own unique makeup. For fans who don't already, be sure to note the boxers' gloves. They can give a window into a fighter's mentality.

Friday, April 15, 2022

Igor Lazarev Stopped in Action-Packed Fight

Igor Lazarev was stopped following the second round of his fight against Angelo Peña at Stadttheater Bern in Bern, Switzerland tonight. After two exciting rounds in which Lazarev was outclassed, his corner asked the referee to stop the fight.

Lazarev, a 35 year old from Israel, strutted to the ring wearing white trunks with red trim to the song "Live and Let Die" by Guns N' Roses. His dark hair trimmed short, Lazarev sported his familiar thin goatee.

When the opening bell rang, Peña rushed forward in his southpaw stance whipping his fast hands at Igor. His right hooks damaged Lazarev's body from the outset and would prove to be one of the 26 year old Swiss fighter's most potent weapons. Halfway through what would turn out to be a disastrous round for Lazarev, Peña smacked Igor's body with yet another right hook which forced Lazarev to bend over in agony.

Lazarev quickly righted himself and continued to fight back. He landed some of his own blows to the body, but they didn't have the intensity of Peña's punches. Two minutes and eleven seconds into the fight, Peña connected with yet another right hook to the body. Lazarev paused a moment and then fell.

Igor beat the count and used his veteran guile to stay in the fight. He held and moved and threw back just enough. The Israeli displayed guts in the second round. He landed a straight right to open the period. Then a jab stung Peña's face. He did well in the pocket, which helped negate Peña's hand speed advantage. Lazarev even had some good moments fighting off the ropes. But Peña landed two vicious left uppercuts and continued with the body assault. The left uppercut was the other punishing weapon in Peña's arsenal, and he unleashed it brilliantly.

Though Igor had a better second round than first, his corner grabbed the referee's attention to stop the fight after the round. The referee asked Lazarev for confirmation, and he nodded. Peña, whose bloody lip was receiving attention from his cutman, was informed of the stoppage and ran to a neutral corner before leaping onto the ropes with his hands raised in victory.

Lazarev, who is now 8-4 with 3 KOs, did not repeat his incredible performance of last month, when he thoroughly beat undefeated prospect Dominik Harwankowski only to have the decision stolen from him by allegedly corrupt judging. But he was valiant against a classy opponent. Peña showed real skill. He cut the ring off effectively, maintained balance, possessed fast hands, attacked the body, and exhibited a high boxing IQ. Peña, who is now 2-0 with 2 KOs, looks like a prospect to watch.

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Igor Lazarev and Angelo Peña Weigh In

Lightweight Igor Lazarev is scheduled to face Angelo Peña tomorrow at Stadttheater Bern in Bern, Switzerland. Lazarev is 8-3 with 3 KOs and Peña is 1-0 with one KO.

Lazarev came in the lightest of his pro career at 131 pounds today. Peña was 130.5 pounds when he stepped on the scale. Igor had weighed in between 131.5 and 135.3 pounds during his nearly four years as a pro. Lazarev averages 4.5 rounds a fight. Peña, a 27 year old based in Switzerland, weighed 133.8 pounds for his lone prizefight which lasted a minute and 35 seconds into the second round.

Lazarev, a 35 year old from Israel, fought brilliantly against undefeated prospect Dominik Harwankowski less than a month ago on March 19. The Jewish Boxing Blog scored the bout 59-55 for Lazarev. As it turned out, Harwankowski's mentor was one of the judges who gifted the Polish fighter a unanimous decision victory in the worst decision The JBB has ever covered.

Lazarev hopes to repeat his stellar performance from last month. He also hopes the judging in Switzerland will be fairer. This bout is slated for six rounds and can be viewed via Fite.tvHere is The JBB's preview of the fight.


Saturday, April 9, 2022

BoxRec Changes Mor Oknin's Name and Says He Lost

BoxRec has changed Mor Oknin's name to More Vaknine. His full name is listed as More Refael Vaknine, and his age is recorded as 36 years old. A BoxRec editor told The Jewish Boxing Blog that the organization was sent a copy of Oknin's passport information which prompted the change.

Countless boxers have fought under pseudonyms rather than their legal names including Sugar Ray Robinson, Benny Leonard, Archie Moore, Barney Ross, and more recently, Dmitriy Salita, just to name a few.

BoxRec claims Oknin lost his last fight, held on February 26 in Terraza Sport Bar in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico to Jose Cariaga Yanez by third round TKO. Vaknine's record is posted as 1-1.

Oknin, the name he uses on his trunks and on Instagram, shared two videos on the social media site with highlights of the fight. At the end of the second video, the referee raises Oknin's hand after the result is announced. Oknin gives a salute and then smilingly shakes the hand of the referee. He does not appear to be a man who had been stopped moments before.

The editor said BoxRec still has "lots of problems with wrong reports" out of many countries, including Mexico. BoxRec only records what the commissions in charge tell them. In this case, Comision de Box Agua Prieta is in charge. If the result should be changed, Oknin's team will need the commission to send a correction to BoxRec.

This site will continue to refer to him as Mor Oknin but mention his legal name when appropriate. The JBB will follow up on any additional information about this story should it become available.

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Review of The Cambridge Companion to Boxing

The Cambridge Companion to Boxing
Edited by Gerald Early
Cambridge University Press, 2019.

The Cambridge Companion to Boxing, edited by Gerald Early, covers a wide range of topics about pugilism, beginning in the ancient world, through the bare-knuckle era, and then examining the sport's modern stars such as Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali. Featuring articles from great boxing intellectuals, this book also looks at women's boxing, the history of Latinos in boxing, and the issue of race in the sport. This review will focus on the two chapters about Jews in boxing.

Professor Steven A. Riess contributes a chapter called "Jews in Twentieth Century Boxing." Reiss is a retired history professor from Northeastern Illinois University and has published numerous books about sports including editing and contributing to the book Sports and the American Jew. A respected scholar, Riess is right on the mark with "Jews in Twentieth Century Boxing."

Riess hits the highlights in tracing the history of Jews in boxing. By mentioning Daniel Mendoza and Joe Choynski, he gives important context. Brief overviews of Abe Attell, Benny Leonard, and Barney Ross, and Maxie Rosenbloom show that Jews consistently reached the top of the sport during the first forty years of the twentieth century. Riess notes the percentage of Jewish world champions and top rated fighters at a given time to show how prominent they were in the sport. He shows the decline of Jews in boxing during the latter portion of the twentieth century. Even Jewish nonparticipants are covered.

The only issue I have with the chapter is the line, "Today there are virtually no Jewish boxers." While the line is technically correct, the mission of The Jewish Boxing Blog is to show that the story of Jewish boxers is still being written. But Riess is right, boxing will almost certainly never be as significant to Jews as it once was. For those who don't know much about the history of Jews in boxing, "Jews in Twentieth Century Boxing" is an excellent overview. The writing is accessible, and it's a great starting point to learn more about the topic.

Tony Gee's chapter "A Surprising Dearth of Top English-Born Jewish Fighters in the Bare-Knuckle Era" is misplaced here. Gee, a former kickboxer with decades of experience researching bare-knuckle boxing, is clearly an expert on the subject, but the chapter belongs in a book on bare-knuckle boxing and not in a general boxing anthology.

The title suggests you thought there were a lot of top English-born Jewish fighters in the bare-knuckle era. I don't know you, but I bet you didn't. I'm not an expert, but I have studied the subject a bit and must admit I was not at all surprised by the small numbers of top English-born Jewish fighters during this era. I'd bet most Jews would find it surprising that there were any Jewish bare-knuckle fighters, let alone top English-born ones. The title implies the chapter was written for a very specific and quite narrow readership.

Given the title, you might expect to read about the cultural factors that limited the number of top English-born Jewish fighters in the bare-knuckle era or about the role of anti-Semitism in preventing English-born Jewish fighters from reaching the top. Neither is covered.

Instead, this chapter focuses on technical reasons as to why there is a surprising dearth of top English-born Jewish fighters in the bare-knuckle era. They might have been born elsewhere, their mothers might have had a questionable link to Judaism, they might have had success in Australia instead of England, or there isn't enough documentation to determine if they were top level. As a result, there is very little interesting information here.

Writing preference is subjective, and this chapter is for those who prefer winding sentences that include many clauses. Awkward and outdated terms such as "Jewess" do not help matters. Editor Gerald Early should have recognized the shortcomings of this entry. An overview of bare-knuckle fighters with Jewish heritage would have been better suited for this book.

Despite this missed opportunity, Early, who possesses one of the most important voices on American sports and culture, includes many renown authors such as Randy Roberts, Colleen Aycock, and Kasia Boddy- just to name a few- that makes this collection a worthy read.

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

David Kaminsky's Fight Postponed

Middleweight David Kaminsky's fight has been postponed. It is now scheduled for June 24 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Kaminsky had been scheduled to comeback on May 14 in Los Angeles, California.

Kaminsky, a 21 year old southpaw from Israel, last fought on June 18, 2020. On that date, he suffered his lone career loss, dropping a split decision to Clay Collard. Sporting a record of 6-1 with 3 KOs, Kaminsky is slick boxer with fast hands.

During the layoff, Kaminsky took time to recover from a torn ACL. He trained rapper Blueface for a celebrity boxing match last year. David also parted ways with his promoter, Top Rank.

No opponent has been announced yet.

Sunday, April 3, 2022

David Alaverdian Scores Another KO

Super flyweight David Alaverdian stopped Jeno Tonte in the second round of their bout tonight at the Ford Community Theater in Dearborn, Michigan as part of Salita Promotions' Detroit Brawl. The bout was halted a minute and 15 seconds into the second.

Alaverdian, a 28 year old from Israel, dominated the action. After arriving to the ring to "Pushing P" by Future, Gunna, and Young Thug, David landed numerous lead rights from the orthodox stance and lead lefts as a southpaw. His eye-catching one-twos left the crowd in awe. Tonte's one moment of success, a left hook in the first, was immediately answered with the same shot.

Alaverdian didn't jab as much as usual. Though both men are listed as 5'5", Tonte held a height advantage of at least a couple of inches. Yet, it was Alaverdian who used footwork to measure the distance from the outside. He spent some of the opening moments of the fight feinting to see what Tonte would do. David figured out the 26 year old veteran very quickly and demolished him the rest of the way. For the most part, Tonte could only try to block or hold.

The Israeli was in such control, he toyed with Tonte. David squared up, stutter-stepped toward the befuddled Hungarian, and snapped back Tonte's head with a sneaky right hand before Jeno knew what had happened. In the second round, Alaverdian landed a lead left hook-straight right combo that let Tonte know this round wouldn't be any easier for him.

The most impressive moment came when Alaverdian was a southpaw. He stepped back, inviting Tonte in, and then sniped the Hungarian with a perfect left. Tonte fell to the canvas. To his credit, Jeno fired several shots at David after the knockdown, but Alaverdian made him miss badly. David feinted and then landed a crunching right. Alaverdian then attacked the body. After being warned for a rabbit punch, the Israeli landed two left hooks to the body and referee Gerald White jumped in to stop the fight. Jeno appeared relieved.

Alaverdian is now 6-0 with 5 KOs. Tonte falls to 9-10 with 8 KOs. This is the eighth time Tonte has been stopped.

Friday, April 1, 2022

David Alaverdian Makes Weight

Super flyweight David Alaverdian is scheduled to fight Jeno Tonte tomorrow night at the Ford Community Center in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. This will be Alaverdian's first prizefight in the United States.

Alaverdian, a 28 year old Israeli who is based in the U.S., is 5-0 with four KOs. Trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr., Alaverdian is a vicious body puncher. He weighed in at 114.2 pounds. David has been between 112 and 114.8 pounds for his first five fights, all of which were in Mexico. He averages 2.2 rounds per fight.

Tonte, also known as Tonté Jenő Ficak, is a 26 year old from Hungary with a 9-9 record. He has won eight by KO and has been stopped seven times. Tonte weighed in at 114 pounds, the lightest of his career. He has been as heavy as 123. He averages 2.4 rounds per fight.

This will be Alaverdian's first scheduled six-rounder. Half of Tonte's 18 fights have been scheduled for at least six rounds although none have gone the distance. The longest either man has fought in a pro bout is four full rounds. Dmitriy Salita is the promoter of record.