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Thursday, June 29, 2023

Joshua Feldman to Debut in July

Southpaw junior middleweight Joshua Feldman is scheduled to make his professional debut on July 15 against fellow debutant, Potego Ntsoane. The bout will be on the undercard of a Deejay Kriel fight at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Feldman, a teenager, is trained by Colin Nathan, a well-respected Jewish coach and manager. Both Feldman and Nathan are from South Africa. Joshua had a fight scheduled for June 10, but it was cancelled.

Ntsoane is also from South Africa. He was scheduled to fight Obakeng Masithi on May 27, but that fight was cancelled. Both men are anxious to get their pro careers started after the disappointing cancellations.

For more on Feldman, click here.

Joshua Feldman (far right)


Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Cletus Seldin-Adrien Broner Won't Happen

Cletus Seldin and Adrien Broner were looking at a late summer clash against one another. Both sides had signed a contract, but the fight has now been called off. There were negotiations about two years ago for a Seldin-Broner bout, but obviously nothing materialized. It's a fight Seldin publicly said he wanted, but for the second time he comes away disappointed.

Seldin (26-1, 22 KOs), who separated from his longtime promoter Joe DeGuardia earlier this year, last fought in October of 2021. The 36 year old had hoped to get a big fight soon to put him right back into title contention.

Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) is a 33 year old former four-division world champion. Issues outside the ring have sent his career into a tailspin. A win over lightly-regarded Bill Hutchinson earlier this month was Broner's first fight in 28 months and only his second since a January 2019 loss to Manny Pacquiao.

This week, Broner went on a podcast while intoxicated, and it predictably turned into a disaster. His appearance on the podcast was one of the most talked about boxing stories over the past couple of days with many believing the interview signified rock-bottom for Broner. Many are questioning his team for allowing him to do an interview in that state.

It might be a blessing in disguise for Cletus. Broner is now promoted by 91 year old Don King. In the past King struck a menacing figure and garnered a reputation for cheating fighters. These days the nonagenarian isn't taken as seriously. He's now known for popping up here and there and staging bizarre shows. Broner also may not be in the right fame of mind to fight so soon, so it's better for Cletus to find out now rather than after weeks of training and cutting weight.

Hopefully, Seldin can land another fight quickly. 

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Kapuler Out of European Games

The International Boxing Association (IBA, formerly AIBA) was deemed to be so corrupt by the International Olympic Committee that it was barred from running the boxing tournament at the Olympics. The European Games have proven to be no better. As a result of some bizarre scoring, junior middleweight Miroslav Kapuler is out of the tournament.

Kapuler faced a fellow southpaw, Vakhid Abbasov of Serbia. Kapuler usually boxes, but he was the aggressor against Abbasov. Miroslav landed a hard overhand left early in the contest that wobbled Abbasov. The 26 year old Israeli had Abbasov off balance several times during the opening round.

Only one of the five judges gave Miroslav the first round. It's important not to make unfounded allegations, but it sure seemed as if Abbasov then knew the fix was in, because he ran the next two rounds. As long as he stood upright, he knew he was going to win. In the second, Abbasov tried to pot-shot from the outside with his hands down. It was a slow round, but Kapuler got the better of the few exchanges.

Tactics and infractions are supposed to be part of the scoring criteria in amateur boxing. Abbasov's tactics in the final round were to run and when Kapuler caught him, foul. Incredibly, all five judges gave both the second and the third rounds to Abbasov. Kapuler was composed after seeing the scores following each round, but it was hard to miss an undercurrent of frustration bubbling under the surface the rest of the way.

If there was a round to give Abbasov, it was the first, but Kapuler deserved to win the fight. Instead, three judges scored the bout 30-27, one had it 29-28, and another 30-26 all for Abbasov. One of the judges was from Algeria, which doesn't even recognize the state of Israel. Frankly, he should not have been allowed to judge the contest. In fact, an Algerian boxer even refused to compete against Kapuler during March's IBA World Championships because of politics. But the Algerian judge didn't even turn in the worst card. Mohamed Thowfeek Safrask of Sri Lanka somehow called the third round a 10-8 for Abbasov. He should not be allowed to judge boxing anymore.

Kapuler has a style suited for the amateur ranks, but the judges screw him regularly. A slick boxer, he showed some dog in him during this bout. He's 3-0 as a pro and can make a nice career as a prizefighter if he can find a good situation.

Saturday, June 24, 2023

Alaverdian Out of European Games

David Alaverdian lost by split decision to Attila Bernath of Hungary at the European Games in Krakow, Poland today. The close, competitive bout was marred by some curious judging.

Two days before his 30th birthday, Alaverdian (8-0-1 as a pro) was not given a fair shake against the 23 year old Bernath. Both guys switched stances as Alaverdian fought the first round at range. Bernath proved to be a good clever fighter who landed a number of sneaky shots on the inside in the first round. Four of the five judges scored the swing round for the Hungarian.

Bernath started the second round touching Alaverdian as the Israeli came forward. David finished the round connecting with big shots to the head. He also landed some hard left hooks to the body in the round. If this had been a pro fight, Alaverdian would've won the round on the judges' cards because he landed all of the harder blows. But Bernath won the round on each of the five judges' cards because he landed more clean punches, even though they were far less damaging.

Both competitors knew the score heading into the third, so Alaverdian stalked and fired away while Bernath literally ran to the far side of the ring on a couple of occasions. Bernath landed a few shots early, but Alaverdian managed to catch the Hungarian and repeatedly whack him with huge punches. Bernath was beaten up pretty badly in that last round.

Two judges gave the fight to Bernath 29-28 while one gave it to Alaverdian by the same score. The two other judges failed at their job. Maximo Abalos of the Philippines scored the third round for Bernath and gave the Hungarian the fight 30-27, which is an inconceivable score. He wasn't the worst offender, though.

Nagy Ismail Hamed Osman of Egypt should not only never judge another boxing match, he shouldn't even judge the prettiest Pomeranian at the Westminster Kennel Club. He turned in the worst scorecard in the history of The Jewish Boxing Blog's coverage, scoring the bout 30-25(!) for Bernath giving two(!) 10-8 rounds to the Hungarian. No other judge even had one round 10-8. After incomprehensibly calling the first two rounds 10-8, he somehow saw fit to give Bernath the third. Even if you had it 29-28 for Bernath, Osman was four points off in a three round fight! People this incompetent need to be thrown out of all levels of boxing.


Note: Israeli amateurs Daniel Ilyushonok and Yan Zan both advanced the round of 16. Twenty year old light heavyweight southpaw Ilyushonok punctuated an ugly fight with a beautiful right uppercut to score a third round KO over Altin Shala of Kosovo. In a big upset, Zak, a 23 year old heavyweight, beat Loren Alfonso Dominguez of Azerbaijan by spilt decision, 4-1. Alfonso Dominguez, a gold medalist at the '21 World Championships and bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, was deducted two points in the second round for infractions, which ultimately cost him the bout. Ilyushonok and Zak fight on Monday in separate matches.

Friday, June 23, 2023

Kapuler Advances in European Games

Miroslav Kapuler Ishchenko advanced to the round of 32 in the junior middleweight division at the European Games in Krakow, Poland. The European Games are a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In many cases, reaching the semifinals is good enough to qualify.

Kapuler, a 26 year old who is 3-0 as a pro, won by unanimous decision against Milos Bartl of the Czech Republic. Bartl, a native of Prague, is two years older and 2-0 as a pro. Both are southpaw boxers who use in-an-out styles, but Kapuler was more effective.

Miroslav was clever and elusive the entire bout. His timing was better partly because Bartl bounced, a bad habit because the Czech fighter had to set his feet to throw a punch. Kapuler used good upper-body movement and punched off angles. Bartl was more one-dimensional, coming straight in-and-out. Kapuler's timing forced Bartle to be the aggressor, and Kapuler took advantage with sneaky counters.

Three judges called it a shutout, 30-27, while two others scored it 29-27, all for Kapuler. He faces Vakhid Abbasov of Serbia on Sunday. A fellow southpaw, Abbasov is 6-0 as a pro and won gold at last year's European Amateur Championships in the welterweight division.


Note: Fellow Israeli Ahmad Shwiti (8-0 as a pro), who isn't Jewish, lost to Narek Hovhannisyan of Armenia 3-2. Junior welterweight Shtiwi boxed well, but Hovhannisyan's volume carried the day.

Thursday, June 22, 2023

The Journey of Ovadia Hochman

A courageous man, Ovadia Hochman possessed an independent streak. As an amateur boxer in prepubescent Israel during the 1950s and early 1960s, he blended unmistakable talent with the occasional lapse in judgement. Hochman later reinvented himself, assuming a new name and new disposition in a new land.

*****

Reuven Hochman and his wife Chava lived in David-Horodok, a shtetl located in Poland during the interwar period but now part of Belarus. Reuven was a teacher at Tarbus, a well-regarded school in town. Reuven and Chava, both from big families, would eventually have a total of ten children of their own. Tragically, they lost three of them while in David-Horodok.

In 1935, Reuven and Chava made a fateful decision. They moved their family to British Palestine and settled in the Tel Aviv area. Fortunately, several of their siblings had also emigrated by then, but at least two of Chava's brothers did not. In 1941, many of the Jews of David-Horodok were murdered by the Nazis. The rest were rounded up and confined to the town's ghetto. By the following year, virtually all of them had been killed. Ovadia's uncles, Chaim Iche and Aharon, were among the victims.

Ovadia, the youngest of Reuven and Chava's children and nicknamed Oved, was born in 1938. He was no more than four years old when the Nazis murdered his uncles. He was ten when Israel gained independence and immediately had to fight for its survival.

*****

Ovadia Hochman was first mentioned in the Hebrew press for his boxing prowess in 1955, just seven years after Israel's birth. He was a member of the Hapoel club in Tel Aviv, and won numerous local amateur bouts.

On May 21, 1957, Hochman took part in a dual between boxers from London and those from Tel Aviv in London, England. Likely his first international tournament, he was serving in the Israeli army at the time, which must have hindered his boxing training. Hochman's opponent in the dual was Ken Hawkins, one of the best amateur bantamweights in London. Hawkins won the North West London title in 1955 and '56. He reached the semifinals of the London tournament three years in a row, finishing as the runner-up a month before the battle against the Tel Aviv team.


London won the team contest 12-8, not a bad showing for the upstart Israelis who didn't have the same level of experience or training equipment as the Brits. Hochman lost his three-rounder by decision, but it made him a better fighter in the long run. He didn't fight when the Israeli team traveled up north to Manchester two weeks later, however. In 1959, he made the final of the Israeli national amateur championships, coming up short against Yacov Hayt, a talented fighter from Rishon Le-Zion.

In April 1960, Ovadia traveled with a group of Israeli boxers to Adolph Hitler's home country, Austria. Representing the lone Jewish country in the shadow of the Holocaust, he must have experienced indescribable emotions while fighting in two tournaments there.

That same year, a team from Iran traveled to Jaffa, Israel to box in two meets. Hochman took part as 7,000 fans looked on. The Iranians won the first team competition 10-6. A few days later, the Israeli captured revenge with a 9-3 win.

Hochman's career came to an abrupt halt after two incidents. In addition to boxing, Hochman was also a basketball player. He played for Maccabi Tzafon, a now defunct team in the Israeli Basketball League, as it was known at the time. He combined the two sports when he got into a heated argument with a basketball referee in July of 1960. Tensions boiled over, and the referee was no match for the experienced fighter. Hochman knocked him out cold.

The following January, Hochman skipped a boxing tournament in Jaffa without cause. The Hapoel club suspended him as a result. His name left the papers; his career in sports seemingly ended. He found work as a tax clerk.

*****

At some point in the 1960s, Hochman immigrated to the United States. He settled in Detroit, which still has a large community from David-Horodok, his parents' hometown. It's possible he settled in Detroit because he had family there. While in Detroit, he Americanized his named to Edward Hoffman and went by the nickname Eddie.

Hoffman never married and had no children, but he made good in America and owned a big textile business. Sadly, some of his cousins back in Israel weren't so fortunate. It must have been devastating for Eddie to learn that some had been killed in Israel's wars.

A close relative of his who wishes to remain anonymous was shocked to learn of Hoffman's run in with the basketball referee and his suspension from the boxing club. The relative described Hoffman as a fascinating, gentle, and well-mannered man and contended he was not impulsive at all. Eddie was loved by all his family, the relative said. Hoffman even coached young boxers and acted as a mentor to the aspiring fighters. One of the relative's fond memories involves hiking with Hoffman and winding up in Canada.

Clearly, Hoffman had grown as a person during his life. Perhaps the stability of owning a big business and living in the U.S. calmed him. Or maybe the wisdom that comes with the passing of years helped to cool the hot-temper of his youth. In any event, his journey should be remembered.

Eddie Hoffman, née Ovadia Hoffman, died in 1999 at the age of 60.


A note on sources:
A special thank you to Janna Zamir, a distant relative of Ovadia. She first brought him to my attention and provided all the non-boxing related information for this article.

Another special thank you to Evgheni Boico, who provided all of the boxing-relative information.

Several articles from The Jewish Chronicle added context and some specifics to Hochman's trip to London.

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Review of Baseball, Nazis & Nedick's Hot Dogs

Baseball, Nazis & Nedick's Hot Dogs: Growing up Jewish in the 1930s in Newark
By Jerry Izenberg
The Sager Group, 2023.

Baseball, Nazis & Nedick's Hot Dogs is a memoir that covers the early life of legendary sports writer Jerry Izenberg from a graphic depiction of his bris until he leaves his family to join the military during the Korean War. The portion in between shows what it was like growing up in Newark during the Great Depression and World War II.

Jerry was a preconscious kid who sometimes caused mischief. His mother was a tough strict woman. Jerry connected with his father, a former minor league baseball player who often imparted wisdom, through their love of the Newark Bears and the New York Giants. As he reached adolescence, Jerry hustled to make money and took a sophomoric interest in girls' anatomy.

It's a very Jewish memoir. That aspect of Izenberg's identity defined him. A key underlying message of the book is that there isn't one way to be a Jew. A person who battles anti-Semitism on the ballfield is a Jew just as much as a famous rabbi overseeing a bar mitzvah. As Jews, we're all part of the same family regardless of our level of observance or our political ideology.

Though baseball is the most important sport in young Jerry's life, references to boxing make their way into the book. Jerry even tries his hand at boxing for a brief period. He shows heart, but let's just say Jerry Izenberg won't be profiled in The Jewish Boxing Blog for his pugilistic merits. George Kornfeld, who Izenberg describes as a middleweight, trains Jerry so he won't get beat up at school. Izenberg also mentions a bit of wisdom from the legendary train Ray Arcel, "Hard times make monkeys eat hot peppers."

In military school, Jerry played the clarinet and then the baritone horn in a band. In addition to his clever analogies, his musical timing contributes to his mastery as a writer. He notes, "The idea of rhythm, pace, and the joy of improvisation was the music I came to respect back then, and the concept stays with me today. I find those ingredients easily translate from one art form to another. Today, they are my silent partner in everything I write as a columnist and as an author (pg. 46)."

Baseball, Nazis & Nedick's Hot Dogs is a fascinating look into the formative years of a legendary Jewish sports writer.

Monday, June 19, 2023

Remembering Jack 'Kid' Berg

The 150th episode of Sports History with Will O'Toole on PKRG-TV is about Jack 'Kid' Berg. Berg's cousin, composer Dr. Howard Fredrics, does an excellent job recounting the life and career of the "Whitechapel Windmill."

Berg's poor beginnings contributed to his early entry into professional boxing. He quickly rose through the ranks, fighting at Premierland in London. He became a sensation in the U.S. as American fans were instantly attracted to his whirlwind style. Fredrics notes Berg's relationship with Kid Chocolate, his battles with Tony Canzoneri, and his second act in the ring in obtaining the British lightweight title against Harry Mizler.

Host O'Toole admits early on that he knows nothing about boxing. He fixates on Berg's knockouts of lesser opposition. But Fredrics gives a backstage pass to Berg's life as a ladies' man and partier. In many ways, he provides the cliff notes to the book Jack Kid Berg: The Whitechapel Windmill by Berg and John Harding. At the end of the show, Fredrics discusses his 2005 opera about Berg called The Whitechapel Whirlwind.

Starting today, the episode can be viewed on PKRG-TV in select areas in New Jersey, but in a few weeks in can be viewed on YouTube at this link.

Jack 'Kid' Berg

Friday, June 9, 2023

Stefi Cohen Wins By Decision

Dr. Stefi Cohen beat Esli Cervantes by unanimous decision tonight at Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, USA. Cohen overcame a slow opening round to win.

Cohen, a 31 year old world record-setting powerlifter, and Cervantes, an 18 year old from Mexico, raced out to the middle of the ring after the opening bell and instantly got into an exchange. In an effort to pace herself and find her rhythm, Cohen was reluctant to throw the rest of the round. Cervantes capitalized by landing a nice one-two and attacking Stefi's body. Though shorter, Cervantes connected with a flush left hook and an overhand right from the outside.

At the end of the first, Cohen pushed Cervantes back to the ropes which seemed to change the momentum. Cohen dominated the second round landing combinations off her counters. She also showed a new wrinkle in her game. Cohen has mostly boxed on the outside and clinched in close during her career, but tonight she showed improved in-fighting skills. When on the outside, she moved fluidly.

Cohen continued to find success in the third round. She hadn't gone to the body much in her previous fights. The body assault tonight slowed down Cervantes. When Cervantes came forward, Cohen used her five-inch reach advantage to sneak in the jab. After absorbing a right to the body, Cohen finished the third round with a big right and left hook that shook up Cervantes.

Cohen mauled Cervantes early in the fourth, but her fatigue issues, which first surfaced in her loss last year to Devany Cuevas and continued in her February win against Leanne Caledron, reappeared. Cervantes didn't take advantage too much, connecting several clean rights along the way, but she couldn't put her punches together.

The three judges scored the bout 39-37 for Cohen. The Jewish Boxing Blog had the same score. The ring announcer and the broadcast team claimed Cohen was undefeated, probably at the behest of the promoter. She is actually now 4-1-1 with one KO. Her fights have been well-documented, and the results are on BoxRec. Too often promoters lie to fans about fighters' records. Cervantes is now 1-4.

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Stefi Cohen and Esli Cervantes Make Weight

Stefi Cohen and Esli Cervantes both made the flyweight limit ahead of their clash tomorrow at Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, USA. Both fighters weighed in right at the 112-pound flyweight limit.

Cohen (3-1-1, one KO) is a 31 year old from Caracas, Venezuela who is now based in southern California. She came in the lightest of her career by four and a half pounds. She was 116.5 in her last fight back in February. The heaviest she has weigh in was 125.3 pounds for a fight in September of 2021.

Cervantes (1-3) is an 18 year old from Aguascalientes, Mexico. This will be her second fight at flyweight. On October 22 last year, she weighed 109.5 pounds. Three of her fights have been at super flyweight. The heaviest she came in was 114.5 pounds on April 1.

Cohen is the naturally bigger woman and will have a height advantage. This bout is slated for four two-minute rounds. It will air on UFC Fight Pass. For a preview of the fight, click here.

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Shawn Sarembock Steps Away

Shawn Michael Sarembock took to social media to announce his retirement from the sport of boxing today. "After talking with my team and taking some time to reflect and do a little bit of thinking, I've decided at this point to step away from boxing," he said.

Sarembock's dad Neil, a world champion kickboxer, trained Shawn when he was little. About twelve years ago, Neil began to train his son competitively. Despite the relatively late start and just twelve amateur fights, Shawn put together an impressive pro career.

Sarembock scored eight consecutive knockouts to start his prizefighting career. All of his fights came in the boxing hotbed of Tijuana, Mexico and many were against seasoned pros. 

"Like so many other fighters, I sacrificed everything," Shawn said in his retirement announcement. "Gave it everything I had. Blood, sweat, and tears literally in order to achieve my dream, which is to become the next Jewish world champion."

Before his ninth fight, the promotors undermined Shawn and banned his dad from his corner. Flustered early in the fight, he managed to mount a comeback and secure a draw on the road. Despite all the backstage drama, he even took the bout on The Jewish Boxing Blog's scorecard.

Sarembock mentioned Barney Ross and Yuri Foreman as his inspirations. Previously, he had noted Orlando Canizales was also an influence on him. But Shawn has been steadfast throughout his career in singling out his father Neil as his biggest inspiration and influence. "Most importantly, thank you to my dad," Shawn said with a smile. "Without him none of this was possible."

Shawn finishes his career undefeated with a record of 8-0-1 and 8 KOs. In the chaotic world of boxing, he showed noteworthy poise inside the ring.

He noted, "Although becoming the next Jewish world champion wasn't meant to be, I'm still proud of what I've accomplished, and I am walking away with my head held high."

He has good reason to be proud.

It has been a pleasure to cover his career. Best wishes to Shawn in the future.

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Review of Family, Gangsters & Champions

Family, Gangsters & Champions: Boxer Tony Canzoneri's Life & World
By Ramon Antonio Vargas
La Nouvelle Atlantide Press, 2023

Tony Canzoneri was a five-time, three-division world champion who learned to box in New Orleans before his family moved to New York. After linking with manager Sammy Goldman, Canzoneri quickly moved up the ranks. Despite some setbacks along the way, Canzoneri would achieve greatness by taking on all comers and beating many of the best fighters of his era. One motivation for his success in the ring was to bring prestige to his family's resort in upstate New York.

In Family, Gangsters & Champions, Ramon Antonio Vargas shows he is an expert on New Orleans. Though Canzoneri's time in the Big Easy was cut short by his family's move, there are many fascinating and relevant tidbits about the city. Amazing anecdotes about Canzoneri's life fill the pages. Before Tony's debut, his opponent bet his entire purse on himself. When Tony ran into the man years later and heard the story, Canzoneri treated the opponent to a meal and drinks. The moment when Canzoneri's lifeless body was discovered in his hotel room many years later, ex-rival Al Singer was sitting at the bar of Tony's restaurant praising his former foe. These incredible details are part of the strength of the book.

Vargas's coverage of the fights is accessible- a footnote even explains how boxing matches are scored- but this isn't the best part. The author doesn't always use traditional boxing lingo, which is fine because the meaning is usually clear, but he does describe Canzoneri's non-title over-the-weight bouts as "exhibitions," a word that has a very specific meaning in boxing. It's important to note these matches were sanctioned fights that counted towards the fighters' records, not exhibitions.

The 1920s are often remembered as the golden age of sports writing, but anyone who has read recaps of random fights from the era will tell you there were plenty of meaningless references to two-fisted attacks to the head, jaw, and body as well. Without the benefit of much video footage of these old fights, modern historians are limited by the quality of contemporary coverage. That reality can leave the summaries of Canzoneri's fights a bit uneven. Some are exciting, but a couple aren't particularly informative. Aside from a few fights though, Vargas's writing is smooth, clear, and thoughtful.

Tony Canzoneri fought many Jewish boxers and quite a few are present here. After his debut, he's a 30-fight veteran three pages later, so there are only brief mentions of Danny Terris and Archie Bell, and nothing on Young Montreal. But there's a lot more on Benny Bass, Jack 'Kid' Berg, Harry Blitman, Barney Ross, Al Singer, and Al "Bummy" Davis, including short vignettes about what become of each at the end.

A couple of nitpicky issues about Jewish boxers: Singer is described as a bit taller here than in most sources and is called "the Bronx Flash," perhaps a lesser-used nickname, but Singer's primary alias was "The Bronx Beauty." Had Canzoneri's left hook knocked down Barney Ross in the eleventh round of their rematch, it's claimed that Tony would've gotten "at least a two-point edge for that round (pg. 126.)" But this was quite a bit before the ten-point must system, so a round only counted as a round regardless of any knockdowns. The biggest miss involves three Jews. The author says Berg won his junior welterweight world championship from Joe Glick (pg. 92), but Berg lifted the title from Mushy Callahan, who had held it for four years. Glick, a very good fighter that never won the title, was the victim of Berg's first defense.

Mushy Callahan's decedents might disagree, but Family, Gangsters & Champions.is well-researched overall. Using interviews and relatives' memoirs, the importance of the resort to the Canzoneri family can't be missed. Gangsters such as Joe Bananas spent their summers at the compound. A distance relative of Tony's even once shot Joe Bananas's son in the ass with a BB gun. The relative survived the ordeal.

This book is for a few distinct audiences. Those new to boxing will be able to follow along and appreciate the complex family dynamics at play. Readers who know some boxing history but want to move beyond the Muhammad Ali-Joe Louis paradigm will learn a lot. Those who love boxing history will savor the anecdotes. Family, Gangsters & Champions will available on June 29.

Update: Author Ramon Antonio Vargas said he corrected the errors mentioned in this review.

Friday, June 2, 2023

WBC Orders Rematch of Duer-Bouvier

Carolina Duer lost a controversial split decision to Gabriel Bouvier in Argentina on April 29. Bouvier won a vacant trinket from the WBC with the decision. In the aftermath, Duer was adamant that she deserved to win and officially protested the result. Consequently, the WBC has now ordered a rematch between Duer and Bouvier.

Duer, a 44 year old, outboxed 31 year old Bouvier during the first three rounds of their April clash. Bouvier had a strong fourth and nicked a close fifth. Duer came back in the sixth and continued to walk Bouvier into big shots for the next two rounds. Bouvier's pressure was relentless, and she finished well. The Jewish Boxing Blog scored the bout 96-94 for Duer. One official judge agreed, but the other two had the fight 97-93 and 96-94 for Bouvier of Uruguay.

Duer's record is now 20-7-2 with 6 KOs while Bouvier is 17-12-1 with 3 KOs. Both are former world champions. Carolina has held straps at super flyweight and bantamweight. Bouvier's title was in the flyweight division. No date or venue has been announced for the rematch.