Isaac Chilemba to Fight on October 16

Isaac Chilemba is scheduled to fight on October 16 at the Carousel Casino in Hammanskraal, South Africa. The Malawi-born fighter has been based in South Africa throughout his career, but this will be his first fight in his adopted country in eleven and half years.

Chilemba (26-9-3, 10 KOs) has fought almost all of the best light heavyweights of his era. In his last two fights, he lost to two highly-touted super middleweight prospects. He last fought on May 27 against Osleys Iglesias in Poland. Since Chilemba last fought in South Africa, he has been a road warrior. In addition to Poland, Isaac has fought in the U.S., Canada, Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Greece.

Earlier in the month, Chilemba said he would fight one of two more times. He has opened a gym in South Africa as he eyes retirement. No opponent has yet been announced for October 16.

David Alaverdian to Face Artrimus Sartor

Super flyweight David Alaverdian is scheduled to face Artrimus "El Chapo" Sartor in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. This will be Alaverdian's first pro fight since his impressive showing against Jeno Tonte last April.

Alaverdian (6-0, 5 KOs) is a 29 year old from Israel. He's now based in the U.S. This fight will likely be a showcase for David's tremendous skills.

Sartor (4-3, [one NC] one KO) is a 36 year old from Cincinnati, Ohio and is now based in Houston, Texas. "El Chapo" has one major advantage over Alaverdian; he's naturally the bigger man. Sartor once weighed as heavy as 133 pounds for a fight back in 2015. The lightest he has weighed in for a fight is 117.3 pounds in 2019. Alaverdian's heaviest is 114.8 pounds and says he walks around at about 120.

Otherwise, Alaverdian has all of the advantages. He's faster, fresher, and far more skilled. Sartor hasn't fought since October 10, 2019; Alaverdian's pro career started in December that year. Sartor won his first three fights, but his three losses came against two novices and a journeyman.

Sartor said his best punch is the jab, and he prefers the stick-and-move style. In 2017, Sartor fought his toughest opponent to date, Jesse Angel Hernandez, who was 8-1 at the time and has fought some quality opponents since. Hernandez switches stances like Alaverdian, but that's where the similarities stop. Sartor moved and countered Hernandez, but too often Artrimus argued with referee Neal Young. In the second round, he became trapped in the corner as Hernandez unloaded until Young stopped the bout. The fight was later changed to a no-contest, but unlike the result, the punches absorbed by Sartor didn't disappear.

Sartor answered a Facebook ad posted last week by promoter, matchmaker, and active boxer Britton Norwood, who offered $3,000 to anyone who would fight Alaverdian. BoxRec says Sartor is currently suspended by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board. He has never fought in New Jersey, but was scheduled to fight Jeremy Adorno on January 11, 2020. Adorno fought someone else on that night. It's possible Sartor failed a physical. The Mississippi commission tends not to be as strict as New Jersey's.

This bout is scheduled for six rounds. Check out David Alaverdian's recent interview with The Jewish Boxing Blog.

Interview with Prospect David Alaverdian

David Alaverdian is scheduled to fight in Jackson, Mississippi, USA on October 8. The 6-0 prospect spoke with The Jewish Boxing Blog about a variety of topics including his start in boxing, his sparring partners, his coach, and his style of fighting.

Alaverdian started boxing when he was about eight years old growing up in Israel. His dad forced him to box because David was a small kid. David hated it and stopped after a while. When he was in eleventh grade, he saw a friend come back from a boxing tournament in Ukraine with a medal. That sparked a hunger to return to the sport, but his schedule was too hectic that year. He began training again in twelfth grade, saw the great Vasiliy Lomachenko box in the amateur championships in Baku, and started watching old fights. As a result, Alaverdian fell in love with boxing.

David faced many disappointments as an amateur but kept going. "That's my mentality," he told The JBB. "I don't let shit bother me. I'm not a quitter."

People in the know soon recognized Alaverdian's talent, and he's been brought in as a sparring partner for many top fighters. He's sparred with WBO super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. David was impressed with Ioka's patience. "After sparring with him for two rounds, I said, 'I can be a world champion right now!'" David exclaims. "But after ten rounds, I realized how good he is. In the fifth or sixth round, his experience showed."

The U.S.-based Israeli elaborated on Ioka's patience, "If I hit him with a good shot, he waited to get me back. Most fighters, when you hit them with a good shot, they want revenge immediately. He waited for the right moment."

Alaverdian has also sparred with the Moloney twins, Andrew and Jason, who he says are "very good people." He remembers, "It was such a great experience. The heavier one, Jason, hits harder." David calls 2012 Olympic silver medalist Tugstsogt Nyambayar "an awesome guy." He helped King Tug prepare for his fight with Gary Russell by offering light sparring and moving around the ring with him.

Alaverdian and two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez "were going pretty easy," David recalls. "At the end of the match, he unloads on me." Ramirez is four weight-classes above Alaverdian. "I got pissed off and started throwing hard shots back!" David says of Ramirez, "He's very, very good."

Floyd Mayweather Sr. has the highest profile of David's coaches, but Cedric Ferguson is his primary coach. Alaverdian praises Ferguson's calm and the sense of confidence he instills in the fighter. According to David, he has a good approach in the corner in between rounds and gives clear instructions. "I've had a lot of coaches, and he has the right style for me. There's good chemistry, and that's important."

As long as it works, Ferguson lets his 29 year old charge do what he wants, including switching to southpaw. "Many coaches don't want you to switch," David says. "They say you lose something on defense or you lose power. But as long as it works, he lets me do it."

Alaverdian spends half of his training as an orthodox fighter and the other half as a southpaw. He believes he has more power to the body as a righty, but he uses angles more effectively as a southpaw.

In the European amateur champions this past May, Alaverdian uncharacteristically stayed in the orthodox stance against Dmytro Zamotaev of Ukraine. When asked why, he responded, "I had the wrong mindset. I kept thinking, 'They're going to rob me.' So I came forward and tried to knock him out." That proved to be difficult with the poor quality gloves given to amateurs. "I hit him to the body in the third round, and I heard him [gasp]. If I had the gloves we wear in a professional fight, I don't know, I think I would have at least knocked him down." As it turned out, Zamotaev won a highly disputed decision.

Against Zamotaev, David kept his hands high as he came forward, but in his last pro fight, against Jeno Tonte, his hands were low. "If a person is fast, I keep my hands up, "Alaverdian says, "But as soon as the fight started against Tonte, I knew I was too fast for him.

"My job as a boxer is to entertain, and I was very entertaining in that fight. The crowd loved it. I stole the show." Alaverdian won by way of second round TKO to score his fifth knockout as a professional.

On October 8, he says there is a good, undefeated opponent lined up although it's not 100% confirmed yet. Regardless of the opponent, it'll be entertaining. David Alaverdian's fights always are.

Benny Leonard to Yuri Foreman, The Man Who Beat the Man

Yesterday, I posted a connection between Yuri Foreman and Benny Leonard through shared opponents. Starting with Foreman, I traced back common opponents until I reach Leonard. Today, starting with Leonard, I tried to see if I could get to Foreman a different way. The caveat for this exercise is that the fighter must have beaten the previous opponent and then lose to the next fighter.

After seven years out of the ring, Benny Leonard made a comeback. His final fight was a third round TKO loss against Jimmy McLarnin on October 7, 1932 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

On May 28, 1934, Jimmy McLarnin lost to Barney Ross by 15-round split decision at the Madison Square Garden Bowl in Queens, New York to relinquish the world welterweight championship. McLarnin won the rematch by split decision at the same venue four months later. Exactly a year after the first fight, at the Polo Grounds in New York, Ross won the title back in third fight by unanimous decision.

Barney Ross lost the welterweight world title to Henry Armstrong by brutal 15-round unanimous decision on May 31, 1938 at the Madison Square Garden Bowl. It would be Ross's last fight.

No longer champion, Henry Armstrong lost to John Thomas on July 4, 1944 by unanimous decision in a ten-rounder at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.

"Gentleman" John Thomas was stopped in the fourth round by Enrique Bolanos at the same venue on September 30, 1947. It was Thomas's last fight.

On January 4, 1952, Enrique Bolanos dropped a ten-rounder by unanimous decision to Chico Vejar. The fight took place at Madison Square Garden.

Chico Vejar lost to future Hall of Famer Luis Rodriguez on March 2, 1960 at the Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida. Rodriguez won a ten-round unanimous decision.

In his second to last fight, Luis Rodriguez dropped a ten-round split decision to Mike Lankester on March 16, 1970 at the Seattle Center Arena, in Seattle, Washington.

On October 21, 1975, Mike Lankester lost by second round KO to 1972 Olympic gold medalist Sugar Ray Seales at the same venue. 

Sugar Ray Seales lost to Dwight Davison by tenth round TKO on May 23, 1980 at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan.

On April 4, 1986, Dwight Davison lost a six-rounder on points to Alphonso Bailey at Caesars Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Alphonso Bailey lost his final fight by TKO in the first round to Julio Cesar Vasquez on November 24, 1990 at Torrequebrada Hotel & Casino in Benalmadena Spain.

Julio Cesar Vasquez was disqualified in the sixth round of his fight against Verno Phillips on June 13, 1991 in Campo Universitario de Desportes in Santa Fe, Argentina.

On September 7, 2001, Verno Phillips dropped a unanimous decision in a ten-rounder at the Dakota Magic Casino in North Dakota.

Kassim Ouma, who has fought twice this year, lost a split decision in a ten-round affair against Saul Roman at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California on November 2, 2007.

On April 3, 2008 at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York, Saul Roman lost a ten-rounder by unanimous decision to Yuri Foreman. Foreman retained his NABF super welterweight belt.
Saul Roman
Yuri Foreman

From Yuri Foreman to Benny Leonard, Down the BoxRec Rabbit Hole

Many of you may know what going down the BoxRec rabbit hole means. For those who don't, check out a fighter's ledger and click on an interesting or vaguely familiar looking opponent. Repeat for the next hour or so, and you're firmly inside the BoxRec rabbit hole.

While burrowing one day, a question occurred to me: Is there a link between Yuri Foreman, the most recent Jewish male world champ who last fought in 2021, and Benny Leonard, often regarded as the best Jewish boxer ever? In other words, if I click on a Yuri Foreman opponent- say Anthony Ivory- and then an opponent of  Ivory's and so on, will I eventually reach Benny Leonard?

The answer is yes. In fact, while it's not exactly easy, there are many ways to get from Foreman to Leonard, which shows how connected boxers are through the ages. Below is one way they're linked. This one features many club fighters in the Midwest of the U.S., a brief stop in Canada, and a trip down south during Jim Crow. I tried one line that included Jewish boxers Saoul Mamby and Felix Said Brami (they both fought the Guyanese Ghanaian, Ivelaw Eastman), but I wound up in Spain during Benny Leonard's era with no way to get back to the States.

Below are the fights that link Yuri Foreman and Benny Leonard. The date (U.S. form), the records at the time of the fight, the result, the weight class, and the location are listed. Below the fight is a brief summary of the opponent with years active, final record, and some notes about them. At the very bottom is a list of all the fights included.

01-16-2004, Yuri Foreman (12-0) vs. Anthony Ivory (29-65-5), Foreman UD 6 (60-54 x3), (jr middle) Minneapolis, MN.
Anthony Ivory: 1989-2006 (32-78-6) From Chicago and nicknamed Poison, Ivory fought many notable opponents including: Simon Brown, Winky Wright (twice), Mikkel Kessler, and Kelly Pavlik to name a few.

11-29-1991, Anthony Ivory (8-7-1) vs. Jake Torrance (21-49-1), Ivory Pts 6, (middle) New Munster, WS.
Jake Torrance: 1980-2000 (22-79-2) From Indiana, he fought Ivory again in 1994 and lost by SD. He was later the referee for two of Ivory's fights. Torrance fought Buddy McGirt, Julian Jackson, Donald Curry

09-22-1980, Jake Torrance (0-0) vs. Warren Thunder (9-6-1), Torrance TKO 3, (jr middle) Chicago, Il.
Warren Thunder: 1977-1980 (9-7-1) A Native American boxer from Chicago.

05-22-1978, Warren Thunder (2-2) vs. Bobby Crawford (5-30-2), Thunder TKO 3, (jr middle) Chicago, Il.
Bobby Crawford: 1968-1982 (5-33-2) From Chicago, he lost to Floyd Mayweather Sr. after the Thunder fight.

04-11-1973, Bobby Crawford (1-9) vs. Billy Goodwin (3-11-2), Goodwin Pts 6, (jr. middle) Chicago, Il.
Billy Goodwin: 1970-1982 (13-35-2) From Milwaukee, Goodwin beat Crawford three times, all in 1973, the last two by KO. During his career, Goodwin lost to Tommy Hearns and Jewish boxer Bruce "The Mouse" Strauss.

04-14-1970, Billy Goodwin (0-0) vs. Columbus Lloyd (5-7-1), Lloyd Pts 4, (middle) Milwaukee, WS.
Columbus Lloyd: 1968-1983 (8-13-2) From Indianapolis, Lloyd was 6'2" and had a six-year layoff from '75-'81.

04-20-1970, Columbus Lloyd (6-7-1) vs. Garry Broughton (11-18-2), Broughton UD 8, (lght hvy) Windsor, ON, CA.
Garry Broughton: 1964-1980 (30-45-5) Born in England and based in Canada, Broughton once fought Boogaloo Watts in Philly.

01-17-1966, Garry Broughton (2-2-1) vs. Carl Jordan (9-16-2), Broughton UD 6, (middle) Toronto, ON, CA.
Carl Jordan: 1958-1968 (13-27-4) From Pittsburgh, Jordan fought and lost to Broughton twice. Jordan once drew with Jewish boxer, promoter, and matchmaker Don Elbaum.

04-28-1958, Carl Jordan (1-0) vs. Willie Epps (5-12), Jordan Pts 4, (middle) Glassport, PA.
Willie Epps: 1951-1960 (7-20) From Ohio.

01-03-1957, Willie Epps vs. Al Marotti (31-21-8), Marotti UD 10, (welter) Steubenville, OH.
Al Marotti: 1945-1958 (32-24-8) From Salt Lake City.

09-02-1946 Al Marotti vs. Jackie Armitage (19-12-3), Armitage KO 3, (welter) Aliquippa, PA.
Jackie Armitage: 1942-1949 (33-22-3) From Pennsylvania.

06-08-1942 Jackie Armitage (0-0) vs. Marcus Lockman (10-8-1), Lockman SD 4, (welter) Millvale, PA.
Marcus Lockman: 1941-1946 (31-12-3) Nicknamed "Kid Chicken," Lockman was born in Virginia and based in Pittsburgh.

02-20-1941 Marcus Lockman (0-1) vs. Jimmy Harper (5-16), Harper Pts 6, (welter) Pittsburgh, PA.
Jimmy Harper: 1935-1941 (6-16) From Detroit.

11-08-1937 Jimmy Harper (4-5) vs. Young Ford Munger (29-6-6), Harper TKO 3, (welter) Detroit, MI
Young Ford Munger: 1929-1937 (29-7-6) Born in Michigan and based in Florida, his dad was also a pro boxer.

12-17-1929 Young Ford Munger (1-0) vs. Norman Moran (5-18-2), Munger Pts 4, (welter) St. Petersburg, FL.
Norman Moran: 1924-1929, (5-19-2), From Mississippi.

04-01-1926 Norman Moran vs. Tut Seymour (16-9-4), Tut Pts 10, (middle) Gulfport, MS.
Tut Seymour: 1923-1931 (25-34-12), From Mississippi, Seymour fought Moran three times, losing the first two. He became a criminal after his pro career was over.

05-12-1925 Tut Seymour (11-5-2) vs. Battling Budd (37-26-30), Tut Pts 10, (welter) Biloxi, MS.
Battling Budd: 1914-1929 (37-28-31) From Atlanta, later became a ref and a judge. Budd fought Hall of Famer Young Stribling six times and went 2-1-3 including one win by way of unofficial newspaper decision.

10-13-1922 Battling Budd (31-9-18) vs. Sailor Friedman (41-15-8), Friedman Pts 8, (welter) Nashville, TN.
Sailor Friedman: 1916-1928 (50-43-6) A Jewish boxer born in Brooklyn and based in Philadelphia, Friedman fought man of the top lightweights of his era including Joe Dundee, Charley White, Ray Mitchell, and Lew Tendler (five times). On November 22, 1921, he faced world lightweight world champion Benny Leonard in an over-the-weight no-decision bout in Philadelphia, PA. Leonard was 138.8 pounds and Friedman was 140. The papers felt Benny Leonard deserved the victory in the eight 


2004 Yuri Foreman-Anthony Ivory
1991 Anthony Ivory-Jake Torrance
1978 Warren Thunder-Bobby Crawford
1973 Bobby Crawford-Billy Goodwin (three)
1970 Billy Goodwin-Columbus Lloyd
1970 Columbus Lloyd-Garry Broughton
1966 Garry Broughton-Carl Jordan
1958 Carl Jordan-Willie Epps
1957 Willie Epps-Al Marotti
1946 Al Marotti-Jackie Armitage
1942 Jackie Armitage-Marcus Lockman
1941 Marcus-Lockman-Jimmy Harper
1937 Jimmy Harper-Young Ford
1929 Young Ford-Norman Moran
1926 Norman Moran-Tut Seymour
1925 Tut Seymour-Battling Budd
1922 Battling Budd-Sailor Friedman
1921 Sailor Friedman-Benny Leonard

David Alaverdian Scheduled to Fight Next Month

David Alaverdian is scheduled to fight on October 8 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA, according to BoxRec. The bout is scheduled for six rounds in the super flyweight division. Guatemalan super middleweight prospect Lester Martinez is slated to headline the card.

Alaverdian (6-0, 5 KOs) is an athletic and skilled switch-hitter. His last pro fight was on April 2, an impressive second round stoppage over veteran Jeno Tonte. The 29 year old U.S.-based Israeli fought twice in the European amateur championships in May.

Tonte held a height advantage over David. On dealing with a taller opponent, Alaverdian has said, "You can break distance with explosive movements. For myself, it has always been easier to fight taller guys on the outside and counter rather than walking them down."

David eats his last meal four hours before a fight, but doesn't have a set menu. He just tries to load up on carbohydrates. Before the Tonte fight, he ate fruit, oats, steak, and a ton of rice. It seemed to work as he was light on his feet and quick with his hands in scoring the stoppage victory.

For this upcoming bout, no opponent has been announced.

Gershon's Debut Impressive, Mishaev and Ismailov Win

Itay Gershon began his professional boxing career in impressive fashion. In Ashdod, Israel today with the crowd chanting his name, Gershon stopped Armi Kovaci in the second round of a scheduled four-round super middleweight affair.

Both men began the fight as southpaws. Gershon, the shorter man, jabbed effectively to the body. He also threw combinations, landing the overhand left off the jab. Kovaci spent much of the round trying to measure distance with his tentative jab. Gershon landing the much harder blows.

In the second round, Gershon came out firing, but Kovaci exhibited quality defense. But when the Albanian threw a slow jab, Gershon countered. He then connected with an overhand left, right uppercut combination.

Kovaci finally opened up, which proved to be his undoing. Gershon clobbered Armi with a massive overhand left, and Kovaci hit the canvas hard. When he arose, Gershon switched to the orthodox stance and smashed the groggy Kovaci with an overhand right. Kovaci fell back to the ropes and the fight was stopped. Gershon is now 1-0 with one. KO while Kovaci is 1-7 with one KO.

Gershon prepares to counter Kovaci's jab

Sagiv Ismailov defeated Nikita Basin by unanimous decision in their four-round light heavyweight contest. The 20 year old Ismailov boxed in the first and his superior hand-speed allowed him to take control of the fight. At the end of the round, Sagiv found himself on the ropes with Basin charging ferociously. Ismailov unleashed a right hand that hurt Basin, who fell into the ropes and then went down.

Ismailov spent much of the second round loading up with overhand rights and left hooks that often missed. Basin retaliated with short rights to the body. The heavy attempts and the sustained body attack wore down Ismailov. Sagiv started the third jabbing effectively but soon went back to loading up on overhand rights. His speed diminished, and Basin finished strong although not enough to take the round.

While Basin's chin can be vulnerable, his heart cannot be questioned. He pressed forward the entire time and continued to throw punches. Ismailov tired further in the fourth. He held a lot and found himself trapped on the ropes at other points. But he landed a big counter early in the round and connected with a combination featuring a left hook and a right hand at the end.

Two judges scored the bout 40-35 and the other had it 40-36. Perhaps Basin deserved the fourth round. Ismailov is now 3-0 with two KOs. Basin is 4-3 with 4 KOs.

Ismailov wins by decision against Basin

Aki Mishaev stopped Eugeniu Bat in the second round. It looked dicey for Mishaev in the first when he was basically knocked down. Aki came out of the gate firing wildly with wide shots while Bat stayed contained and tried to counter. Mishaev's best punch was a counter left hook, a tight missile that landed over a Bat jab. Bat landed his own counter right on the chin midway through the opening round that caused Mishaev's knees to buckle.  His right glove grabbed the ropes to keep himself up. It was not scored an official knockdown, but probably should've been.

Upon getting tagged, Mishaev immediately let his hands go. He soon landed another strong counter left hook. At the end of the round, he had Bat trapped in the corner. Mishaev started the second round with wide shots, exposing his chin, but he bullied Bat into a corner. Bat ducked and covered, but without any attack coming back, Mishaev was free to wail away. He caught Bat with a left hook to the body and Bat collapsed. He rose in time to beat the count, but didn't put his gloves up at the referee's request and the fight was stopped.

Mishaev moves his record to 2-0 with two KOs. Bat is now 1-2.

Mishaev lands against Bat

Also on the card, Ahmad Shtewe was explosive in scoring a first round stoppage over Nicolae Galben.

Many Jewish boxing luminaries- including Shlomo Niazov, Tony Milch, Igor Lazarev, and Mor Oknin among others- attended the the event promoted by Evgheni Boico's Arena Boxing - Israel. David Berlin, the former executive director of the New York State Athletic Commission, was also in attendance.
(Photos courtesy of Boico) 

Weights for Big Fight Night in Ashdod

The card featuring four professional Jewish boxers- and promoted in part by Arena Boxing Israel- will take place tomorrow, September 15, in Ashdod, Israel. The eight fighters weighed in today.

Itay Gershon, a kickboxing star, will make his pro debut tomorrow. He weighed in a bit over the super middleweight limit at 168.7 pounds.  As a kickboxer, the 29 year old has typically weighed in around the mid-150s, so this is about ten pounds more than his kickboxing weight.

His opponent, Armi Kovaci, came in at 168 pounds. Kovaci is from Albania and sports a record of 1-6 with 1 KO. The lightest he ever weighed in for a fight came in his debut when he was 153 pounds. Since then, he has primarily fought as a super middleweight going as high as 170.8. So Kovaci is the naturally bigger man. Despite Kovaci's record, a convincing win by Gershon will be impressive. More likely, it will be competitive.

For more on Gershon-Kovaci, see The Jewish Boxing Blog's preview.

Kovaci and Gershon at the weigh-in

In an all-Jewish battle, Sagiv Ismailov takes on Nikita Basin. Ismailov, 2-0 with 2 KOs, came in at 171 pounds. This is the heaviest of Sagiv's career, but he's only 20 year old. His lightest weight came in his last fight nearly two years ago when he was 163.5 pounds. He weighed 166 for his debut.

Basin, 4-2 with 4 KOs, weighed in at 171.5 pounds.  In his last fight, he weighed the lightest of his pro career at 169 pounds. He was his heaviest in his debut in 2019 when he weighed 179.5. These are good weights for both guys; they're in fighting shape.

For more on Ismailov-Basin, see The Jewish Boxing Blog's preview.

Basin and Ismailov at the weigh-in

Aki Mishaev weighed in at 151.7 pounds for his fight against Eugeniu Bat. The 36 year old Mishaev is 1-0. He came in at 149.3 pounds for his debut almost three years ago. Bat is 1-1. The 23 year old is from Chisinau, Moldova. He weighed in at 150.8 pounds, his heaviest by about four pounds. For his debut, he was 146.5 pounds and for his last contest, he weighed 143.

For more on Mishaev-Bat, see The Jewish Boxing Blog's preview.

Mishaev and Bat at the weigh-in

Popular Arab Israeli Ahmad Shtewe (4-0, 2 KOs) will also appear on the card. The welterweight came in at 145.6 pounds. His opponent, Nicolae Galben (1-0) was 142.4 pounds, seven pounds heavier than he was for his debut.

All fights are scheduled for four rounds.
(All photos courtesy of Arena Boxing Israel's IG page)

Dr. Stefi Cohen Scheduled to Fight On October 22

Dr. Stefi Cohen is scheduled to fight on October 22. BoxRec claims the event will take place at the California Education and Performance Arts Center in Ontario, California, United States. Incidentally, BoxRec misspelled "Performance" as "Preformance." The center has been renamed the Lumcolor-Phoenix Center.

Cohen is 2-1-1 with one KO. She is coming off of a loss last July. Devany Cuevas Torres outboxed Stefi on route to a unanimous decision victory. Cohen, a 30 year old from Venezuela who had no amateur career, has been matched relatively tough during her pro career. Cuevas had a nice amateur career and was 1-0 in the pros before taking on Stefi. In her draw, Cohen faced Marcela Nieto, an experienced MMA fighter who was 2-0 as a pro boxer.

Cohen, a powerlifting superstar, entrepreneur, and PhD in physical therapy and exercise physiologist, has been going through a difficult period in her life over the past few months. On social media she has shared her experience with anxiety and revealed other personal issues, including the end of a long-term relationship and a falling out with a close friend.

Though Stefi doesn't sport a sparkling record, her boxing skills continue to improve. She's added more to her game with each fight. Against Cuevas, Cohen used upper-body movement and added a left hook to her repertoire. Slippery and crafty, Cuevas's style posed problems for Cohen, whose technique quickly loosened as she tried to figure it out.

The October 22 bout is scheduled for four rounds. No opponent has yet been announced.

Sagiv Ismailov-Nikita Basin Preview

One hundred years ago, Jews regularly fought one another in the ring. As the century progressed, fights between two Jews became exceedingly rare. A few Israeli Jews battled each other during the first decade of the common era's new century, but Ismailov-Basin, which will take place on September 15 in Ashdod, Israel, is the first all-Jewish professional boxing match The Jewish Boxing Blog, which began in 2010, has covered.

On what should be an exciting night of boxing including a total of four Jewish pro boxers and many other Jewish amateurs, Sagiv Ismailov and Nikita Basin may just steal the show. Both men are power punchers with a come-forward style. They're both willing to let their hands go and focus more on offense than defense. It should be fun.

Ismailov (2-0, 2 KOs) is a 20 year old who last fought professionally 21 months ago. He has the faster hand-speed and the better defense. He uses his fleet feet and good upper-body movement to avoid the opponent's punches. Sagiv switches to southpaw on occasion and is a vicious body puncher. Having only fought a total of eight minutes and 42 seconds in his pro career, his punches have sometimes been a bit wide, and he occasionally was too squared up within the opposition's punching range. He sparred with kickboxing star Itay Gershon for this fight.

Basin is a 35 year old with a 4-2 record (4 KOs). Nikita has been more active, fighting twice in 2021. He fought fellow Jewish boxer Mikhael Ostroumov in an exhibition bout this summer. Basin's the naturally bigger man. In half of his fights he's been over the light heavyweight limit; Ismailov has fought under the super middleweight limit in his two fights. Basin, who sparred with retired former world title challenger Ran Nakash for this bout, has also fought the better competition. While his four victims didn't have good records, his two conquerors, Joel McIntyre and Kyle Lomotey, were quality opponents.

Against Lomotey, Basin kept a tight guard: elbows in, gloves protecting the chin. That posture will negate Ismailov's body assault, but it'll leave his temple exposed. Basin has power, but he sometimes lunges with his punches, and his hands move like tortoises.

Basin signifies a tough test for Ismailov's third fight, but the younger man should be considered the favorite in this one.

Chilemba to Continue Career, Opens Gym

Isaac Chilemba plans to continue his boxing career while opening a gym in South Africa. As reported by Twimepoki Mangani of The Atlas Malawi, Chilemba announced, "I will do one or two more fights. After the next fight which might be in November, I will see if I feel like doing a few more."

Chilemba (26-9-3) has come up the hard way, facing all comers and holding his own. But the Golden Boy is 2-7-1 in his last ten fights. They've come against many of the best fighters in the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions and include a debatable loss to Eleider Alvarez and an unfair draw against Fedor Chudinov; Chilemba deserved to win. He had also faced Dmitry Bivol and Sergei Kovalev.

Recently, Chilemba has been a tough test for wunderkinds Pavel Silyagin and Osleys Iglesias. After a decade in the light heavyweight division, Chilemba actually moved down in weight in his 30s to face Chudinov, Silyagin, and Iglesias in his last three fights.

Isaac has shared pictures of his gym on social media in recent days. A master of the jab and an amazing defense fighter, Chilemba possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the technical aspects of the sport. His charges will be lucky to call him coach.