Year in Review: 2024

This year was defined by young prospects in the early stages of their careers. Yonatan Landman started his 7-0 with 7 KOs this year. Joshua Feldman went 3-0 with 3 KOs. David Malul scored two knockout victories to get his career rolling. Daniel Ivanovski went 2-0 with two KOs to start his career. Benny Nizard and Doron Zinman both won their debuts. The oldest of these prospects is just 23 years of age. It's an exciting time to be a fan of Jewish boxing!

More established Jewish boxers didn't see much action in 2024. Cletus Seldin won his one fight back in March. Odelia Ben Ephraim dropped her two fights, both for titles. For others, it was a case of canceled fights.

The Jewish Boxing Blog not only covered the current scene, but also looked back at several past Jewish boxers. They include Phil Lolosky, Joey Silver, Stuart Finer, Mushy Callahan, Willie Jackson, Joey Kaufman, Haim Zilberschmidt, Mike Clancy, and Soldier Bartfield. The JBB also provided an overview of Jewish boxers in China.

The JBB conducted some memorable interviews with Ira Berkow, Lev Jackson, and David Malul. Books reviewed this year include Then the World Moved On, The Promise of Women's Boxing, Smash Hit, Murder on Federal Street, and The Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame.

A special thank you to the readers of The Jewish Boxing Blog and to the supporters on Buy Me a Coffee. I'd also like to publicly thank the boxers who took the time to offer their insights throughout the year. 

Phil Lolosky: The Contender No One Wanted to Fight

Phil "Tubby" Lolosky's career was relatively brief because he immediately faced tough competition. Incredibly, Lolosky wouldn't fight in any bout scheduled for fewer than fifteen rounds until his 27th pro contest, his first in the United States. From his first fight until his first retirement, he faced the best flyweights and bantamweights the United Kingdom had to offer.

Growing up in Aldgate

Philip Lolosky was born on May 17, 1905 to Barnett and Rachel in London. The second of four sons, Philip grew up on Stoney Lane in the Aldgate area of London's East End. It was a poor Jewish neighborhood that regularly churned out professional boxers.

One day, young Phil came home with a black eye. Rachel asked, "Where'd you get that?"

"You should see the other boy," Phil retorted. Soon after, the other boy came to the Lolosky abode with his mother. Phil hid under the bed, more afraid of the kid's mother than anything else. He stayed there for an hour until the coast was finally clear. On the streets of East London, fighting was not only a common pastime, but a way of life. Phil got into plenty of rows as a boy. Of course, he was smart enough to realize there's no one more dangerous than a mother looking to avenge her boy.

Phil attended the Jews' Free School (JFS), located on Bells Lane, just as his father had. The JFS took in Jewish immigrants from Russia in order to help them learn English and adapt to life in London. Phil's family, though, had lived in England for generations. "I am English and proud of it," he once declared.

When he was fourteen years old, Lolosky joined the Hutchinson House Club where he first learned to box. Boxing was in his blood; Phil was a descendent of famed bareknuckle brawler Abraham Belasco and a distant relative of the great Daniel Mendoza. Phil was a blend of Ashkenazi and Sephardi on his dad's side, a rare mix in those days. London had a small Sephardic population, which tended to stick together, and thus, many of its members were related in some way.

Lolosky soon joined the Jewish Lads' Brigade (JLB) where he began to take boxing more seriously. The JLB, founded in 1895, provided Jewish boys, particularly immigrants, with extracurricular activities and a means to acculturate into British society. Lolosky and his JLB teammates captured the Prince of Wales Shield, a boxing tournament for organizations affiliated with the military, several years in a row.

At this time, Phil's buddies started calling him "Tubby," not because of any weight issue- he was a tiny fellow- but as a uniquely British Jewish play on words to show what a good boxer he was. An absolutely dominant amateur flyweight during the early 1920s, Tubby dreamed of fighting for Olympic gold, but an injury to his right hand abruptly ended his hopes for the 1924 Games.

The Deep End

Because of his amateur success, Victor Berliner and Manny Lyttlestone, the promotors at Premierland, the most prestigious boxing venue in London at the time, tried to induce Phil to turn pro several times, but Barnett and Rachel were vehemently opposed to the plan. In 1925, Phil finally signed a contract with the Priemierland duo for a year, against his parents' wishes. His uncle, Morris "Taffy" Isaacs, served as his manager; Dave Phillips was his trainer.

Tubby was thrown right in with the tuna, the sharks, and the killer whales. His pro debut took place on August 20, at Premierland in a fifteen-rounder against Harry Hill who was entering his fortieth fight. Lolosky was stopped in the thirteenth round after controlling the action much of the way. "I got rather weak towards the end," he said later. Instead of a few months off and perhaps a reevaluation of his career trajectory, Lolosky was thrown right back in there ten days later. He stopped a ten-year pro with a winning record in the fourth of a scheduled fifteen rounds.

Berliner and Lyttlestone clearly wanted Lolosky to be the next Jack "Kid" Berg, the immensely popular Whitechapel sensation and future 140-pound champion. Tubby's first three fights, all fifteen-rounders, were on Berg undercards.

Nearly four months after his debut, Lolosky avenged his defeat with a comfortable points victory over Harry Hill. He showed considerable improvement since their first tussle. The two would meet four times in total and Lolosky prevailed in three of them. After his first victory over Hill, the Premierland pair bumped Lolosky up to a twenty-rounder against Bert Laws. By this point, Phil was so popular he was headlining. Another Jewish boxer trained by Dave Phillips, Jack Hyams, also known as Kid Froggy, often fought on his undercards.

After beating Laws and two other opponents inside of a month, he faced Young Jackie Brown, a tough Jewish opponent. The legendary Ted "Kid" Lewis served as referee for the twenty-rounder; the great Jewish lightweight Harry Mason worked Brown's corner. Lolosky won the fight by decision with his jab and took home £250 for his efforts.

Stepping Up Even More

Tubby then rattled off five straight wins, including two stoppage victories. One knockout was in a rematch against Young Jackie Brown. Phil next faced Nicolas Petit Biquet, a young star and the Belgian flyweight champ. On November 4, 1926 at Royal Albert Hall, Lolosky and Biquet fought a thrilling fifteen round battle. Lolosky came away with a close points victory, arguably the best win of his career. On account of his fight against Phil, Biquet was praised as the second coming of Jimmy Wilde.

"Although I was satisfied in my own mind that I had won that fight," Lolosky said, "I was not at all satisfied with my boxing on that occasion. I knew I had fought a bad fight, and I asked for a return contest."

The Belgian evened the score a month later in another exciting scrap at the same venue. Just as in the first fight, both boxers gained prestige from the close contest, but Lolosky was indignant. "I know I boxed better. I was shocked at the verdict," he declared. 

After a win, Lolosky then fought Johnny Hill. The Scottish-born Hill was not far off from winning the British and European flyweight titles and grabbing a claim to the world title. As for the fight between Lolosky and Hill, Jack Berg put it succinctly, "Phil Lolosky was a good flyweight, but Johnny Hill was a better flyweight."

Lolosky was a very skilled boxer. He slipped and dodged punches so expertly that he often kept his right hand low. Against a talented power puncher like Johnny Hill, it proved to be his undoing. Tubby had a terrific jab and liked to throw one-twos. His shots were typically straight. To this point, he only had three knockouts, one was due to an opponent's injured hand, so he lacked power. He was a pure boxer of the hit-and-don't-get-hit variety, who found his way into some exciting fights.

Chasing the Title

Over the next two and half months, Lolosky went undefeated in five fights with four wins and a draw. On July 3, 1927, he fought Johnny Hill in a rematch at Premierland. Hill had picked up the vacant British flyweight title by beating Alf Barber in May after grabbing a win over Biquet. The title was not on the line as both weighed 116 pounds. Tubby started the fight off well, but faded down the stretch of a great battle. The tenth was the turning point and the round of the fight. Ultimately, the verdict was a draw, much to the frustration of both fighters.

With a draw against Hill and a win over Biquet, Lolosky was one of the top flyweight contenders in the world. But a month after the Hill rematch, Lolosky suffered a setback. Jim Hanna of Belfast was an experienced veteran and a very good fighter, but not on the level Tubby hoped to achieve. Hanna had just lost to Johnny Hill and he couldn't quite beat the top fighters. Things were going well early as a short right from Lolosky knocked down Hanna in the third round. But Hanna's pressure and constant infighting wore down Tubby.  A body shot put down Lolosky in the ninth, though he came back to stagger Hanna with a straight right and then won the tenth. By the twelfth, Lolosky's left eye was swollen and his face marked up. After fifteen hard-fought rounds, Hanna was deemed the winner.

After a bounce-back win, Lolosky was off the the United States to drum up support for a title shot. Fidel (pronounced Fiddle) LaBarba had just vacated the flyweight world championship, and Lolosky believed voyaging to America was his best shot at replacing the reigning Olympic gold medalist.

Phil traveled to America with his mother Rachel, who was visiting a relative in New York, on September 24, 1927. Charles J. Harvey managed Phil while he was in the States. James Dawson, the boxing scribe for the New York Times claimed Lolosky "is regarded as the best flyweight in Europe today."

Harvey had trouble getting Lolosky fights at flyweight. Filipino American Trip Limbaco stepped up to the challenge and in Lolosky's shortest scheduled fight, the two fought to a draw in six rounds in Chicago. Harvey had to give up on luring a flyweight opponent into the ring with Tubby and by the end of November, he announced Lolosky was moving up to bantamweight and hoped to fight the Jewish American Archie Bell. Lolosky and Bell had sparred in London and Phil believed he'd beat the talented Bell, but Harvey couldn't make the match in the States and Uncle Taffy advised against it in London.

One Last Shot

Lolosky went back to the United Kingdom after an unsuccessful U.S. stint. He decided to stop chasing fights in America when Uncle Taffy secured one against Phil's friend Teddy Baldock, who had held a claim to the world bantamweight title. Baldock trained with Jack Berg, who said, "He was a hell of runner. He used to leave me." Berg described Baldock as a "tall, skinny, fantastic flyweight." But Baldock wouldn't fight Lolosky at flyweight or even at bantamweight. The former champ shook up Lolosky in the first and cut him in the second, but the Aldgate man came back to take control of the fight. Baldock snatched momentum back in the tenth and his body punches and infighting caused Lolosky to fade late once again. Baldock was declared the winner of a close fight.

Lolosky next fought noted Jewish boxer Young Johnny Brown, the younger brother of the more accomplished Johnny Brown. Young Johnny repeatedly fouled Lolosky, who was cut over the left eye once again. Brown's body shots wore down the boxer and Uncle Taffy asked to stop the fight after the twelfth round. Lolosky then fell to Kid Nicholson by fifteen-round decision at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge on April 19, 1928. Both fighters boxed, but Nicholson led more. Lolosky occasionally fell into a habit of simply trying to counter.

Lolosky fought Baldock in a rematch on October 25, 1928. Tubby hoped to improve upon their close first fight. Baldock had won the British and Commonwealth bantamweight titles by beating Johnny Brown in August, but wouldn't risk his titles against Lolosky. Matt Wells, the great Jewish Olympian and world champion served as referee. Baldock stopped Lolosky in three rounds which caused Phil to retire from boxing having won only one fight in his last five.

Comebacks and Post Career

Phil married Belle De Costa on May 8, 1930. The couple had a daughter a year later. The Great Depression made it difficult to earn a living and Tubby got back into the ring for three fights at the end of 1931 with limited success. Another daughter was on the way in 1934 and Tubby came back again to mixed results. BoxRec lists his record as 24-11-2 with 4 KOs, although the Kid Nicholson fight isn't listed.

Most contenders avoided Lolosky as if he had the Spanish flu. Champions- British, world, or otherwise- would only fight him if their title were not on the line. Perhaps his career was hindered by such an ambitious start. Tubby himself later admitted, "I was mistaken to fight fifteen round contests right from the start." In any event, he rose to become one of the best flyweight boxers in the world during his brief peek.

After his boxing career, Phil worked as a process engraver. He and his brothers shortened their surname to Lowe. He protested against Oswald Mosley and the fascists in the late 1930s and endured World War II. His grandson, Philip Harris, remembers Tubby teaching him to box, discussing his political views, and playing chess together. The ex-fighter loved Shakespeare and regaling his grandson with the history of London as they traveled around the city.

Sadly, Phil struggled with dementia in his later years. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 82.

Sources

A very special thank you to Philip Harris who shared his incredible collection of his grandfather's career called A Boxers Life Phil "Tubby" Lolosky: The Pride of Premierland, which is the main source for this profile. He also graciously answered any questions I had about his grandfather. 

"16-year-old Belgian Flyweight Acclaimed by London Critics." New York Times. Nov. 20, 1926. Pg. 15.

Dawson, James P. "Sharkey Contract Claimed by Paulino."New York Times. Oct. 3, 1927. Pg. 31.

Jack "Kid Berg interview with John Harding. 1986.

Jones, Jeff. Stars and Scars. 2023.

"Lolosky to Box Bantams." New York Times. Nov. 29, 1927. Pg. 24.

Review of The Promise of Women's Boxing

The Promise of Women's Boxing: A Momentous New Era for the Sweet Science

By Malissa Smith

Rowman & Littlefield, 2024

Malissa Smith's new book is a celebration of women's boxing since the 2012 Olympics, which is when her seminal A History of Women's Boxing leaves off. In her first book, Smith mainly assumes the role of historian while in this effort she serves primarily as a journalist. Impressively, she wears both hats well.

After the forward by the GWOAT, Claressa Shields, The Promise of Women's Boxing starts with the CliffsNotes version of A History of Women's Boxing to provide context for the modern era. Smith focuses on the recent U.S. and U.K. scenes although she includes the impact of the sport in a variety of countries around the world. The important international amateur tournaments including the Olympics, the pro careers of the stars that arose from those tournaments, the "Old Gang," women's boxing in popular culture, and much more fill the pages.

To cover the length and breadth of such a vast topic is virtually impossible, yet Smith does so expertly. One of the many interesting issues in the book is the tension between the Old Gang of boxers who turned pro before the 2012 Olympics and the amateur standouts like Shields and Katie Taylor who ushered in a new age of prominence for women's boxing. Cecilia Braekhus, Layla McCarter, Melissa Hernandez, and many other fighters performed at a high level in relative obscurity and poverty. Some have been rightfully frustrated at their lack of fame and fortune relative to recent stars like Shields and Taylor.

Another fascinating subject is the complicated relationship between the International Boxing Association (IBA, formerly AIBA) and the growth of women's boxing. The IBA was instrumental in the rise of the sport, creating a category for female boxers in the World Championships and in the Olympics, which propelled the popularity of women's boxing. However, the IBA is a scandal-ridden organization that has since been expelled from running the Olympic boxing tournament. 

This book is truly a remarkable achievement, but it's not perfect. A few typos with names, such as calling Mikaela Mayer's coach "Al Michael" (pg. 113, but correctly written as "Al Mitchell" on pg. 43) and Jermain Taylor "Germaine" (pg. 75), are present. The occasional long-winded sentence crops up, an issue the author admits in the Acknowledgements. There is a slight New York bias, which makes sense considering the author is based in New York and trains at Gleason's Gym.

Though there is so much coherently-organized information, fans of Jewish boxing might be disappointed that Carolina Duer and Hagar Finer aren't in the book. Smith, who is Jewish, mentions promoters Aileen Eaton, Larry Goldberg, and Dmitriy Salita though. Incidentally Smith made a terrific list of the top five female Jewish boxers for The Jewish Boxing Blog last year.

In The Promise of Women's Boxing, Malissa Smith takes an extremely broad subject and manages to create an engaging, informative narrative that captures the climb of women's boxing. Smith is a founding board member of the IWBHF and a voter for the IBHOF, but at some point, she should be right there with the people she helps elect because of her contributions to boxing, this excellent book among them.

David Alaverdian to Make Return

David Alaverdian is scheduled to make his return to the ring on February 15, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. This will be his first fight in 22 months, which is the longest layoff of his pro career by far.

The 31 year old is 8-0-1 with 6 KOs. The native of Nahariya, Israel has been out of action while recovering from a long respiratory illness. Before his last fight, an April 2023 contest against tough journeyman Ernesto Irias, Alaverdian fell sick for a few days and experienced shortness of breath for a long time afterward.

David is a flashy switcher with a sharp jab, a consistent commitment to the body, and a pair of fleet feet. His fight in February is scheduled for six rounds. No opponent has yet been named. The plan should be to face an opponent to allow David to shake off the ring rust.

If all goes well, there are two possible plans to get Alaverdian into the big fights in 2026 he craves. One strategy would be to stay extremely active, fighting five to seven times next year, regardless of the quality of opposition. Or he can fight two or three more times, stepping up the competition each time. These days, it's not easy to find spots on cards or the proper opponents, so either plan is easier said than done.

David Malul to Return in February

"King" David Malul is scheduled to return to the ring on February 13, he announced on Instagram today. A 2-0 welterweight, the 22 year old has knocked out both his pro opponents.

The Queens, New York native is trained by Mike Stellate at the Main Street Boxing Gym and showed marked improvement from his debut in September to his second fight last month. In his debut, Malul ended the night in the first round with a scary knockout, but he had been dropped twice early in the round.

Malul was more patient on November 23 against Zachary Davis. Though he loaded up on overhand rights in the second round, he set up the knockout blow in the third with a beautiful combination.

Malul has quickly become a fan favorite thanks to his exciting style of educated aggression and his concussive overhand right. Both of his prizefights have been at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York where the boisterous crowd has cheered wildly for the "King."

Daniel Ivanovski TKOs Marcus Smith in Tough Fight

Cruiserweight Daniel Ivanovski stopped Marcus Smith with just a few seconds left in their four-rounder at Harrah's Philadelphia in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA tonight. It was an exciting fight that was perhaps halted prematurely.

Ivanovski, a 191-pound Israeli, and Smith, a 197-pounder from Tennessee, touched gloves before attacking each other as if they were lions after raw meat. The 6'3" Smith initially fought out of a slight crouch and dipped down before exploding with overhand rights. Ivanovski boxed from an upright stance, but had no trouble letting his hands go. He targeted the body with pulverizing left hooks under Smith's high guard.

After an active opening round in which Smith connected with his share of rights, Ivanovski closed the round strong. A counter right, two left hooks to the body, two straight rights, and a left hook up top took their toll and Smith was wobbled late in the first.

Smith was told to jab in the corner and tried unsuccessfully at the beginning of the second round. He was knocked back when the 23 year old Israeli scored with a check left hook. Smith then eschewed any pretense of boxing and started winging wild rights, many of which found their intended targets. At one point, Daniel was trapped on the ropes as Smith landed right after right.

Smith then opened up with another right in the center of the ring, but Ivanovski beat him to it and Smith was hurt. Daniel didn't follow up, instead remaining patient and consistent with his offense. He finished the second strong as well with left hooks to the body.

Smith faded at the end of the second three minutes and his mouth was open in the third. The tough Tennessean went for broke early and touched up Ivanovski, but couldn't hurt him. After that flurry, Smith threw less and Ivanovski's measured assault took the round. His left hooks to the head and straight rights were the primary punches in the third. A right shook up Smith at the end of the period.

Both men were tired in the fourth, but Ivanovski had more in the tank. Smith's best moments involved pushing and leaning on Daniel while the Israeli was against the ropes. Ivanovski slipped Smith's attempts and landed some good body shots. With just a few seconds left, Ivanovski landed two straight rights to Smith's temple. Smith stumbled a bit and referee Eric Dali jumped in and stopped the bout at 2:46 of the final round. Smith was baffled by the referee's decision, but Dali noticed the stumble and Smith's persistent fatigue, which likely contributed to the stoppage.

Ivanovski's performance was very good, but not without flaws. He kept his left too low and allowed Smith to land way too many rights without setting them up at all. The Israeli didn't jab much, perhaps worried about the counter right over the top, but jabbing and moving could've prevented some damage. Otherwise, there was a lot to like. He varied his punches, was very poised, finished each round strong, showed a good chin, and a commitment to the body, which had a serious effect on Smith's stamina.

Smith was a tough, awkward opponent and though Daniel didn't have a perfect outing, he was impressive in earning his second stoppage victory in as many fights. Smith is now 2-1 with 2 KOs.

Ivanovski is tentatively scheduled to fight next on February 15 in Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Doron Zinman Discusses His Debut

Featherweight Doron "Buzzsaw" Zinman spoke today with The Jewish Boxing Blog about his entertaining debut last month. Zinman defeated fellow debutant Masibulele Mjoli by unanimous decision on November 23 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"Right before the fight, I was very excited," he told The JBB. "Of course, there were nerves, but I used them to my benefit. I had been looking forward to my debut for so long I felt ready in the moment."

Zinman started the contest aggressively and ate some hard counters from the taller Mjoli. Doron explained, "I don't regret coming out aggressively. I definitely believe I can- and should- fight at a high pace to dominate my opponent."

Zinman is a shorter fighter for his weight and relies on pressure to wear down his opponents. But he understands with great pressure comes great responsibility. "I do think I was too reckless with some of my punches," he admitted, "and if I just composed myself, I'd have stopped him in the first or second."

The fight changed in the third when Zinman's superior conditioning and elevated work rate became evident. "I felt it was even going into the third," he acknowledged, "but I realized I was much fitter and smarter than Mjoli in that round, so I pounced. I hit him to the body, and I saw his head snap back. He didn't like it, so I realized I needed to hunt him down right there and then."

Doron scored a knockdown in the round with a punishing combination involving a left hook to the body and right to the head. Mjoli showed grit to get up, but he spent the final round in survival mode, running from the blond buzzsaw's attack.

The judges' scores of 40-35, 38-37, and 38-37 all went to Doron. Now 1-0, the 20 year old prospect is targeting a return date early next year.

Daniel Ivanovski to Face Marcus Smith Saturday

Cruiserweight Daniel Ivanovski is now scheduled to fight Marcus Smith at Harrah's Philadelphia in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. Saturday's show will be promoted by RDR Promotions.

Ivanovski (1-0, 1 KO), a 23 year old Israeli, will have a tougher test than he faced in his debut three months ago. Marcus Smith (2-0, 2 KOs) has an undefeated record while Ivanovski's first opponent was clearly new to boxing.

Smith is a 30 year old from Tennessee. Both of his fights, which took place this year, were at heavyweight and he was significantly outweighed both times. Those fights took place in West Virginia, which notoriously has a lenient commission, meaning opponents are not always ready or able to fight. Smith's victims were Cody French, a 35 year old making his boxing debut but had some MMA experience, and Jereme Browning, a 41 year old who came in with a knockout victory in his three fights.

Smith won't be a pushover, but Ivanovski is a patient, skilled fighter with pop in his gloves. This bout is scheduled for four rounds. If he gets by Smith, Ivanovski is scheduled to fight on February 15 in Durham, North Carolina,

Odelia Ben Ephraim Comes Up Short in European Title Challenge

Odelia "Thunder" Ben Ephraim lost by unanimous decision tonight against European junior featherweight champion Tania "La Violencia" Alvarez at Casal Cultural i Recreatiu in Castellbisbal, Spain.

Both fighters threw constantly in an exciting phonebooth style fight. The 25 year old French challenger told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "I felt mentally prepared, and I won the first three rounds by a good margin."

She then admitted, "But then I felt tired. I don't know if it was because of the diet." Ben Ephraim weighed in the lightest of her career for this fight, but she thought she cut weight intelligently. "I did it step by step and didn't starve myself at all," she said.

This was Odelia's  first ten round bout. Both she and Alvarez are intense fighters who let their hands go. Alvarez pressures consistently even if it means eating a few punches along the way. Ben Ephraim picked her combinations well, but her high punch activity and low right hand did allow Alvarez to land her left.

Ben Ephraim's dad David, a long time trainer, explained, "She didn't manage to do the little extra things to win at the opponent's place." Alvarez has benefitted from hometown decisions in the past.

The judges' scores were 99-91, 98-92, and 97-93, all for Alvarez, who is now 12-1 with 2 KOs. Ben Ephraim, who was gracious in defeat, is 5-4.

"I have no regrets at all," Odelia said. "I did everything I could. I gave my whole soul and body out in the ring even when I felt exhausted." Despite the challenges she has encountered this year and during this past training camp, she's proud of her performance. "I made a lot of progress, I never gave up, and most importantly, I'm not injured nor bruised at all after the fight."

Odelia Ben Ephraim, Tania Alvarez Make Weight Ahead of European Title Fight

Both Odelia "Thunder" Ben Ephraim and Tania "La Violencia" Alvarez weighed in under the junior featherweight limit of 122 pounds ahead of their clash tomorrow at Casal Cultural i Recreatiu in Castellbisbal, Spain. The contest is for Alvarez's European junior featherweight title.

Ben Ephraim (5-3) is a 25 year old from Blagnac, France. She weighed 119.5 pounds, the lightest of her pro career. Her previous lightest came before her last fight when she was 122.8 pounds in June. Her heaviest was 126 in her debut in 2021. To this point, she has been a career featherweight.

Alvarez (11-1, 2 KOs) came in at 121.7 pounds. The 22 year old champion from Barcelona, Spain has had most of her fights at featherweight as well. She had one scheduled fight at 130 pounds a year and a half ago. This will be her third fight at the 122 pound limit. Alvarez won the vacant Spanish junior featherweight title two fights ago and the vacant European super featherweight title in her last fight.

After the weigh-in, Ben Ephraim immediately ate a banana and drank a glass of water. She then had lunch, which consisted of salmon, rice, and vegetables. Later, she drank some tea and indulged in some chocolate, which she had been missing during training.

This bout is scheduled for ten two-minute rounds. The title is on the line! For a preview of the fight, click here. So far, no live stream has been announced.

courtesy of Toni Moreno's IG page via Tim Boxeo

Review of Then the World Moved On

Then the World Moved On: The Brutal Truth Behind the Max Baer-Frankie Campbell Fight

By Catherine Johnson

Brown Glove Books, 2024

Many Jewish boxing fans have long idolized Max Baer. By reexamining his deadly fight against Frankie Campbell in her wonderful book Then the World Moved On, Catherine Johnson convincingly argues Baer is more deserving of condemnation than idolization.

A son of Italian immigrants, Frankie Campbell first made his name in fistic circles in San Francisco. Something of a crude slugger, he took his fan-friendly style to Los Angeles and eventually became a popular figure among all of California's fight fans. Meanwhile, Max Baer embroiled himself in constant controversy. Ties to the mob and fixed fights defined his early career.

In their fateful fight, Baer first fouled Campbell in the second round after he was knocked down. Referee Toby Irwin failed to clean Baer's gloves and instead watched as he sucker-punched Campbell in the back of the head. In the fifth, Irwin ignored Baer's barrage of unanswered punches as Campbell descended into unconsciousness. Johnson contends this was no accident. Irwin admitted that he let the carnage continue to appease gamblers.

The previously accepted narrative follows that Baer felt extreme guilt over his role in the death of Frankie Campbell as seen by his reluctance to fight all-out against future opponents, and that Baer made a concerted commitment to Campbell's surviving family members. Johnson effectively dismantles those notions. Baer is often given responsibility for the eventually death of Ernie Schaaf, who died six months after Baer beat him mercilessly. The Livermore Larupper pummeled Max Schmeling with no remorse, and later brutalized Primo Carnera to win the heavyweight world championship. In none of these fights did Baer show any reluctance to injure his opponents on account of what he did to Frankie Campbell.

Furthermore, Baer had very little to do with Campbell's family after the tragedy. He boasted of attending Frankie Jr.'s college graduation, but the boy had sadly died in a plane accident months before graduating, so Baer's story was made up. Baer, in fact, didn't even know how many children the Campbell family had, mistakenly claiming they had two sons. Johnson shows that Baer's supposed concern for the Campbell family was a self-serving mirage.

Johnson views Baer's ties to Judaism with skepticism. A genealogist by trade, she does confirm the belief that he had a Jewish grandparent. His sudden identification as a Jew, though, was not merely done to sell tickets to Jewish fans in New York ahead of his fight against Schmeling but because a significant boycott movement had grown in reaction to Schmeling's alleged Nazi ties. Johnson is sensitive to Baer's meaning to Jews, including my grandmother's family. She writes, "By ever wearing the Star of David on his trunks, did Max Baer give hope to Jews during utterly dark days? Absolutely," (pg. 296). But Baer did not truly identify as Jewish in life or in death. A cross decorates his tomb.

To be clear, this book is not a hit job on Baer. Johnson actually idolized the man before delving into the research, even naming her dog after him. Regardless of anybody's sentiment for Baer, the facts are laid out in a way as to make her argument incontrovertible.

More than merely making a case against Max Baer, Then the World Moved On goes into fascinating detail about Frankie Campbell, boxing in California during his era, and much more. There are also many illuminating pictures. Lined with amazing bits of research, Campbell's opponents, managers, and promoters come alive. This book brings readers into the boxing world of that time and place, something only the best boxing books can achieve.

With mountains of research, there are bound to be a few slip ups. These couldn't be more minor. On page 47, it's claimed that Jimmy McLarnin won the lightweight world championship. The two-time welterweight champion beat the reigning lightweight champ three times in nontitle fights, but never won that belt. Similarly trivial, in describing coach George Blake, the author writes, "[H]e had guided Jackie Fields to a [w]elterweight title," (pg. 113). After researching Fields's life the past two years, it'd be a slight to Gig Rooney to give Blake credit for Fields's pro championship. Undeniably, Blake guided Fields to Olympic gold in the featherweight division in 1924, but Blake and Fields had a falling out when Jackie wanted to turn pro after the Olympics and Blake wanted him to wait two years. So Rooney trained and managed Fields through his first welterweight run. A nitpicky critique for sure. More relevant for those who want to use this book as a source, a random sampling of the index shows the pages don't match up in the paperback. These tiny issues don't impact Johnson's argument about Max Baer in the least and hardly detract from the narrative. 

Then the World Moved On is such a good book, There are so many interesting anecdotes and stories to more than satisfy a boxing history lover, but it's written so clearly and explained so well that a beginner to the subject wouldn't be lost. Johnson masterfully finds the balance. The Jewish Boxing Blog highly recommends this book.

Joshua Feldman Analyzes His Latest Knockout Win

This past Saturday, Joshua Feldman dominated Brian Shakoane on route to a first round stoppage victory. The 5-0 junior middleweight from Cape Town, South Africa discussed the fight today with The Jewish Boxing Blog.

"Quite honestly, I actually didn't have any game plan for the fight coming in," Feldman revealed. "It was mostly just getting in the ring and deciding on the go how I was going to assess the fight." That Josh didn't have a game plan was a surprising revelation. Not because it showed any lack of preparation as boxers often don't have game plans, especially when fighting opponents without many pro fights, but because he improvised such an effective strategy so quickly.

That strategy involved attacking the body and then moving out of harm's way, which prevented Feldman from getting caught by one of Shakoane's wild powerful swings and kept the taller southpaw safe from any accidental headbutts since Shakoane has been known to lead with his head.

"His hands were very high up," Feldman explained, "and I threw a couple shots to the body. I felt him wince and I could see he didn't like the body shots."

After a minute and five seconds of landing to the body and then moving, Feldman decided to change strategy and stay inside.

"I could feel that he was pretty strong," Josh analyzed, "so I thought that if I come inside and smother him, he won't be able to hit me, because he has no leverage. So when I went inside, I knew if I keep my shots short, I could hit him to the body. But if I keep my head into his chest, he won't be able to hit me."

The result was an impressive stoppage a minute and 23 seconds into the fight and Josh's third professional knockout. "I would've liked a longer fight," he admitted. In the heat of battle, he thought the fight was stopped a bit too early, but after watching the film, he now thinks it was a good stoppage. The JBB concurs; Shakoane was on the verge of getting seriously hurt.

Feldman has come a long way in a little over a year as a pro. "My biggest improvement comes from being more relaxed in the ring," he said. "I'm feeling a lot more comfortable and calm, so I'm able to pick my shots much better, instead of just throwing aimlessly like I felt I've done in the past." It was a very astute observation as his punch selection was bit haphazard in his first two fights. But against Shakoane, that calm under fire allowed him to immediately find a spot-on strategy to avoid damage, land cleanly, and win quickly.

"I also feel my body shots and punch placement has improved the most actually," he concluded. Equally as impressive as finding the right strategy on the fly was Josh's body work. Most young fighters- Josh is only 20- don't target the body in any sustained fashion.

"Now I'm excited to step up the level of competition," Josh declared. His fans are excited to watch him meet those coming challenges.

Yonatan Landman Wins by Sixth Round TKO

Yonatan Landman beat Albert Commey by sixth round TKO at Bukom Boxing Arena in Acra, Ghana today. Landman outboxed his toughest test as a pro. It was his second fight in eight days.

Landman and Commey were announced as 118 pounds each, but Commey, a 39 year old from Accra, looked huge compared to Landman. Yonatan told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "The plan was to get inside as much as I could."

Early in the first, Yonatan got inside and absorbed a chopping right from Commey. Landman then began to jab cautiously from the outside, land two body shots, and get out. The rest of the round he tried to get inside, but Commey was ready to exchange even as both fighters missed.

"After the first round my father told me to change tactics because the original game plan was not working," Landman told The JBB. "Start boxing from the outside and get in when you can with body shots but still be aware of defense."

Landman followed his father's advice. His jab was crisp, and he then moved to avoid counters. Landman doubled and even tripled up on his jab. He managed to touch the body a few times in the second round. Commey became befuddled by the Israeli's movement and mostly kept his hands up in a high guard. When the Ghanaian threw, Landman used agile foot movement to evade damage while occasionally blocking or parrying Commey's jab.  Yonatan tried to land power shots off the jab, but that's when Commey would shoot his punches, and the result was usually sloppy exchanges with no harm done.

In the fourth, Landman continued to pump his jab while finding more openings to Commey''s midsection. Commey did nothing to dissuade the red-headed fighter from touching the body, but the memory of the chopping right in the first round kept Landman cautious.

In the fifth, Yonatan pulverized Commey's body, but missed when he tried to go up to the head. At the end of the round, Landman finally smashed Commey's face with a right after two left hooks to the body. It was Landman's most punishing combination of the fight.

Commey came out for the sixth guns ablaze. He pressed forward for the first time and made a concerted effort to go for the knockout. He threw several hard rights, which proved to be Commey's last stand, because he then took a knee for the ten-count with an apparent injury. "I think he did hurt himself and was very tired," Yonatan explained. The abrupt end came fifty seconds into the sixth round.

With the victory, Landman was awarded the vacant Tanzanian super flyweight title. Though the fight featured an Israeli fighting a Ghanaian in Ghana at 118 pounds, it's important to note that being a Tanzanian super flyweight is more a state of mind than the reality of weight, nationality, or location. Or something.

In any event, Landman has been very impressive over the past eight days when he stepped up twice and more than answered both challenges. On November 16, he stopped Asamoah Wilson in the fifth round. In his first five fights, Landman only fought a total of ten rounds. In the past eight days, he fought a combined eleven rounds against tougher opposition and looked good both times.

"I do feel tired but very happy with the results," Yonatan said. "My father and I worked very hard on those two fights!" They put in twelve weeks for the back-to-back bouts. Landman is now 7-0 with 7 KOs. Commey falls to 9-10 with 8 KOs. Has has been stopped in all of his losses.

David Malul Scores a Frightening Third Round KO

"King" David Malul punctuated a five-punch combination with a frighteningly destructive overhand right in the third round of his fight against Zachary "Mississippi Baby" Davis at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York, USA tonight.

Malul was patient early, showing educated aggression. Davis, a 25 year old with a four-inch height advantage, jabbed well in the first. Malul, who represents Queens and is turning 22 years old in two days, showed a big improvement from his debut, a first round KO victory in which he was knocked down twice. David used his double jab, kept his hands up, and set up most of his big punches.

Malul went to the body early and consistently. Those body shots set up overhand rights to the head. The Mississippi fighter caught on and began leaning his head off the line. David adjusted and used the left hook with success.

In the second round, Malul was a bit too eager to score a knockout. He unloaded with four huge rights that found nothing but air because he led with the punch. He showed slick defense though, ducking under Davis's rights. As the crowd chanted, "Let's go David!" Malul worked his jab and left hook at the end of the round.

King David ravaged Davis's body in the third round. But he wasn't content to just attack the midsection. He shot off gigantic overhand rights and left hooks off the body assault. One of the combinations knocked out Davis's mouthpiece. Malul then pounded the body with two shots, and came up top with a right, left hook, and another overhand right. After the left hook, Davis dropped his hands and took the full brunt of the final overhand right. He lost consciousness before hitting the canvas. Referee Al LoBianco immediately waved off the fight.

After less than a minute, Davis was thankfully on his feet, smiling and jumping up and down. Malul's trainer Mike Stellate came over to make sure Davis was ok and got him water.

About the knockout, David explained, "I don't train to go the distance, I train to take them out." He dedicated the fight to his mother, who is celebrating her birthday today. "I wasn't going to be denied," he said. He is now 2-0 with 2 KOs. Davis is 0-5; it was the third time he has been stopped.

Zinman Wins Tough Debut; Feldman Impresses

Joshua Feldman and Doron Zinman both won their fights at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa today. Feldman shined in a first round TKO victory over Brian Shakoane while Zinman overcame a tough opponent, Masibulele Mjoli, scoring a knockdown to win by unanimous decision.

Feldman, a 20 year old junior middleweight nicknamed "The Maccabee," came out hammering Skhakoane's body and then moving to get out of range. Shakoane,  a 32 year old from South Africa's Northwest province, went for broke firing hard wild shots at the taller Feldman. Josh, a southpaw from Cape Town, executed his strategy of sticking the body and moving expertly. "He came out rushing me," Feldman said after the fight, "and I picked my shots [well.]"

About a minute in, Josh got in close to Shakoane and dug a right hook to the body on an angle. He sensed Shakoane weakening and then stayed in close, firing well-placed combinations without stifling his work. Shakoane backed up to the ropes and ate several clean blows before referee David Van Nieuwenhuizen jumped in a minute and 23 seconds into the opening round.

Just before Van Nieuwenhuizen waved off the contest, Feldman turned his back to his defeated foe in a stone cold display of badassery. Improving to 5-0 with 3 KOs, Feldman impressed in this fight. He had a clear game plan, adjusted when the situation changed, and finished the opponent quickly- all in under half a round. After the fight, he declared, "Whoever they put in front of me, I'll take out." Shakoane is now 1-4 with one KO.

Doron "Buzzsaw" Zinman, also a 20 year old from Cape Town, started his fight pressuring Mjoli, a 20 year old nicknamed "Hurricane." Both men came out fighting in the opening minute of their pro careers. The taller Mjoli proved to be a very tough B-side for a pro debut. He effectively countered Zinman's offense early in the fight, landing straight and looping rights to the head just before Zinman could land his wider shots.

Midway through the first round, Zinman scored with an overhand right while Mjoli was on the ropes, which convinced the Hurricane to downgrade his attack to just a rainstorm. Mjoli connected with a  couple of left hooks the rest of the round, but not much else. Zinman's left eye was marked up by the end of the torrid three minutes of action.

Mjoli used the jab to stick-and-move in the second which negated Zinman's pressure. Doron showed good defense slipping under Mjoli's straight attempts. Zinman's overhand rights were the most powerful punches of the round, but Mjoli boxed well. He landed a nice one-two and found a home for his straight right.

Both of the first two rounds were close with Zinman landing the harder shots but Mjoli's punches more precise. The Jewish Boxing Blog gave both rounds to Mjoli, which meant Zinman was in a serious hole even to come away with a draw.

The blond buzzsaw responded by dominating the third round. He doubled up his jab, landed left hooks, straight rights, counter straighter rights, and generally showed a lot more variety in his offense. He knocked Mjoli around the ring like a pinball. Zinman, a shorter pressure fighter, was headhunting though. When he launched a left hook to the body and then followed with a crunching right to the head, Mjoli went down in pain. Masibulele showed a lot of heart to get back up.

Mjoli boxed well at range to start the fourth round, but it soon turned into all-out running in the face of Zinman's pressure. When Mjoli tried to hold, Doron kept pounding away with his free hand, the right. Toward the end of the fight, he scored with a punishing left hook and a couple of menacing overhand rights in succession.

Zinman looked very good in the third round, showing an educated punch selection. He had a great motor and clear power, but some flaws too. He threw- and got away with- some careless punches: including a lead left uppercut and a leaping left hook. He chased the agile Mjoli a bit too often instead of cutting off the ring. And the shorter pressure fighter neglected the body too much. When he did go downstairs, he scored a knockdown.

The judges' scores were announced 40-35, 38-37, and curiously 37-35, a score that is nonsensical and was hopefully read incorrectly, (it was, it was actually 38-37) all for Doron. The JBB scored it 38-37 for Zinman.

After the fight, Doron acknowledged, "He was a game opponent. I was glad I got the knockdown." He hopes to fill up the calendar next year with fights. "This is the beginning of the rest of my life," Zinman said. "I'm so grateful."

David Malul and Zachary Davis Weigh In

David Malul and Zachary Davis weighed in ahead of their welterweight+ clash tomorrow at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York, USA. The event is promoted by Star Boxing.

Malul (1-0, 1 KO) came in at 147.4 pounds, the weight of a deck of cards above the welterweight limit. He was 146.5 for his debut. Davis (0-4) weighed 146.2 pounds. His lightest was 139, which he has done twice, including last month. His heaviest was 154.5 pounds, which he weighed a year ago.

After his weight was announced, Davis repeatedly clapped his hands enthusiastically. Malul was calm while standing on the scale. David then refueled with pasta and chicken soup.

This bout is scheduled for four rounds. It can be viewed at Star Boxing TV. A preview can be found here.

Feldman, Zinman, Opponents Weigh In

Junior middleweight Joshua Feldman and featherweight Doron Zinman fight in separate bouts tomorrow at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa tomorrow. The tournament is promoted by Boxing 5 Promotions.

Feldman (4-0, 2 KOs) weighed in at 153.4 pounds. Though this is his fifth fight, it's his seventh weigh-in. His weight has been between 152.5 and 154 pounds each time, which shows remarkable professionalism on his part. His opponent, Brian Shakoane (1-3, 1 KO), came in at 152.7 pounds. Throughout his career he has been the B-side, so he's taken fights in different classes. His lightest weight was 140.5 pounds for his debut in 2019. His heaviest was 157 for a KO victory last month.

After the weigh-in Feldman ate a bowl of cereal with bananas and a bagel with honey. He let that digest and then continued to load up on carbs with a pizza.

Zinman, and his opponent Masibulele Mjoli, are both making their pro debuts tomorrow. Zinman was 125.3 pounds while Mjoli was 126.5, a half pound over the limit. After the weigh-in, Zinman downed one and a half liters of rehydration drinks. He then chowed down on a fresh homemade bagel with butter, salt, and raw honey. Doron followed up his meal with more rehydration drinks.

Both Feldman and Zinman credited nutritionist Finn Kenny with helping them make weight.

Feldman's fight against Shakonae is scheduled for six rounds. A preview can be found here. Zinman's contest against Mjoli is slated for four rounds. A preview can be found here.

The show will be broadcast on DAZN and Vision View TV, starting at 7pm in Johannesburg and Tel Aviv and noon in New York. Clips from the weigh-in can be viewed on the SA Boxing Talk YouTube page.

Mike Clancy and an Upset for the Ages

Mike Clancy scored a huge upset by knockout as a late substitution, the defining moment of his career. It was such a surprise victory, it would be mentioned among the biggest upsets for decades to come.

Residing in Manhattan and fighting under an assumed name, he fought anywhere from 115 pounds up to 126. Extremely tough, Clancy wasn't exactly Einstein's cousin. He was once told he'd box in the semifinal (now called the co-main event or chief support). "Who is this guy Sammy Final?" he wondered aloud.


Adding to the Record
Much of Clancy's record hasn't made its way onto his BoxRec page yet. A newspaper decision victory in a no-decision bout is listed as his debut on March 23, 1909 at Long Acre Athletic Club in New York. Not listed is a draw against Eddie Moran in a four-rounder on December 23 in Manhattan. At some point in 1910, he lost a six round decision to Eddie "Young" Marino, a defeat he would avenge in 1912.

BoxRec has an April 12, 1910 newspaper draw in Philadelphia. Clancy was very busy in November, none of which has yet been included on his BoxRec page. At the Reno Athletic Club on November 7, Clancy fought an exciting draw against Frank Williams in a fight that crossed the color line. Two days later, he fought in another close thrilling contest, this time against "Kid" Corbett at the Bridge Athletic Club. On November 14, Clancy knocked down Joe Flynn twice on route to a second round knockout victory at Bridge A.C. Next, Mike was supposed to fight Young Rose on November 24 at Long Acre in a six-rounder. Instead, he acted as a replacement against Spike Thomas, and both fought to a crowd-pleasing four-round draw.

On the last day of the month, Clancy closed out a jam-packed November as a late substitute against Johnny Moran at the Sylvan A.C. He lost the ten-round bout to "The Fighting Actor," but Clancy gave a good showing. He fought a week later, on December 7, back at Sylvan against Kid Thomas. Scheduled for six rounds, Clancy stopped him in three.

According to BoxRec, Clancy had a productive January with two knockout wins, including in a rematch against Eddie Moran, and another newspaper draw. That month, he joined the Long Acre Athletic Club after "he made such a good impression [t]here." Clancy outjabbed Moran in the opening two rounds, but Moran got back into the fight on account of his right hand. In the fifth of a scheduled ten rounds, Clancy decided to allow Moran to come forward, which proved to be a shrewd strategy as Moran walked right into a concussive left that put him out.

February of 1911 didn't go as well for Clancy. A week after his impressive win over Moran, Clancy was in poor shape when he came in as a late substitute against Kid Black on February 2 at Long Acre. Kid Black dominated Clancy over the ten round distance. He lost another ten-rounder to Benny Jones two weeks later. On March 2 at Brooklyn Beach Athletic Club, Clancy faced Frank Maher, who was a late replacement. Maher nearly stopped Clancy in the first half of the six-rounder, but Clancy came back and nearly dropped Maher in the second half of the bout. The fight was a newspaper draw.

Clancy seems to have fought only once, a newspaper win over Young Goldberg in June, over the next seven months. The Frawley Law went into effect on July 26, 1911, which certainly impacted Clancy's career.  Arne Lange of The Sweet Science explains, [The law] restricted bouts to licensed athletic clubs, in theory to protect the public from fly-by-night promoters, set the ceiling at 10 rounds, and stipulated that no decision could be rendered." Clancy didn't fight again until October, when he had a couple of newspaper victories, but they were not the crowd-pleasers of this preview year. On November 11, he beat Heine Thiel by close newspaper decision in a boring fight at Maspeth Athletic Club. After dropping a newspaper decision in December, he participated in a three-round exhibition to help the Christmas fund for the poor.

Clancy didn't fight much during the the first half of 1912. BoxRec lists a newspaper win in a ten-rounder against Young Leroy and a newspaper loss against the much heavier Harry Condon in June. He then had scheduled bouts against Young Goldie and Young Ketchel. On July 30, 1912 Clancy won a newspaper decision against Pete Powers in a four-rounder at the Royal Athletic Club.

An Upset for the Ages

When Kid Ghetto dropped out of a fight against George KO Chaney, wires were sent to nearby cities to find a late replacement. Mike Clancy stepped up and quickly made the trip to Baltimore. Chaney, a future Hall of Famer, was already regarded as one of Baltimore's best fighters. A diminutive southpaw, the Knockout King had rapidly earned respect in his year and a half as a pro. As one of a countless wave of New York club fighters, Clancy was virtually unknown outside his tiny orbit.

"Finding opponents for Chaney was a difficult assignment at any time; on such short notice it was almost impossible," wrote Jersey Jones of The Ring over 40 years later. "Clancy, a Jewish kid with an adopted Irish moniker... was the best that could be collected for the occasion, and a night's pay looked exceedingly attractive to him, even for risking life and limb against a devastating clouter like Chaney."

No one thought any differently through the first five rounds of their contest on August 9. Clancy was clearly overmatched. Then, in the sixth round, Chaney walked into an enormous right hand that knocked him out cold. Clancy had pulled off the improbable upset!

For his part, Chaney was mortified and demanded a rematch. "I'll not show this mug of mine in New York until I have licked that fellow!" he declared a few days later. Then, he made excuses. "I was not right last Friday, and I'm going to rest up until I feel myself. Then you will see me come back with a vengeance."

Clancy's manager, Scotty Monteith, wrote a letter to the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1915 claiming that a rematch had been signed shortly after the first fight. Clancy typically got about $50 for a fight. When he was told he would get one-fifty for the Chaney rematch, he retorted, "Gimme a couple of fifty dollar fights. Dat'll do for me."

It was Chaney, however, who backed out of the rematch with an illness. "If you mentioned Mike Clancy to him he will immediately get sick," Monteith wrote. He also noted that Chaney's team had managed to keep the fight out of the record books for a time, but Monteith carried the clippings of the fight with him. As late as 1915, Clancy still wanted the rematch against Chaney, who by that point was on to bigger, better, and less dangerous endeavors.

His win over Chaney usually accompanied any mention of Clancy in the newspapers from that point forward. Chaney fought until 1925, and his loss to Clancy followed him throughout his career.

The End of a Career

Three days after the Chaney upset, Clancy won a six-round newspaper decision over old foe Young Leroy. After the Chaney rematch fell through, he began to put ads in papers calling out other fighters. Among the many fighters he called out was Charley Goldman, future trainer of heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. Clancy was earning a reputation as "one of the most dangerous boys in the game," but most opponents felt he wasn't worth the risk.

BoxRec lists a January 11, 1913 fight against Young Lowery, an eighth round KO victory for Clancy. On June 7, Clancy lost a ten-round newspaper decision to Young Sieger at the Atlantic Garden. The next month, he fought former paperweight world champion Kid Murphy. Clancy beat the former champ by newspaper decision in a ten-rounder. In August, Clancy won two ten-round newspaper decisions, defeating the respectable Kid Goodman and then Mike Rosen at St. Nicolas Arena. Against Goodman, Clancy dominated the first eight rounds, but was pushed back in the ninth. The tenth went back and forth until Clancy had Goodman up against the ropes just before the bell.

Mike had developed a reputation for power. "Clancy is some knockout kid," The Brooklyn Daily Times declared ahead of a December fight against Kid Sullivan. Clancy had not only beaten Murphy and Goodman, but had knocked out Chaney, Moran, Lowry, Flynn, and Thomas in an era when knockouts were rare. Against Sullivan, however, Clancy came up short.

It seems Clancy took off 1914, but not for want of trying. Several times, he put his name in the paper challenging all comers in and around his weight. He finally came back to drop a ten-rounder to Young Mundy on March 7, 1915 at the Federal Athletic Club as Mundy won convincingly. On May 7, at Long Acre, Clancy lost to C. Eddie Hoffman in what was probably his last fight.


A Question of Identity

The Cincinnati Inquirer once described Clancy as "a real Irishman." He wasn't, but a question remains if he was actually Italian, Jewish, or both. An article in The Sun (New York) claims he was "a tough Italian" and the Hank Kaplan archives lists his real name as Michele Catanzaro. There was a Michele Catanzaro who could be Mike Clancy. He was born in 1891 in Sicily, immigrated to the U.S. in 1900 and was naturalized in 1911 with height and weight listed as 5'3" and 130 pounds, which is a just a tad heavy. Otherwise, it can't yet be confirmed that Mike Clancy's real name was Michele Catanzaro.

The Ring article by Jersey Jones is the best evidence so far that Clancy was Jewish. And just to confuse things further, the Hank Kaplan archives has two entries for Mike Clancy, one listed in the Jewish boxers section. Those entries will need to be researched further.

On September 5, 1925, Morris Grossman of Manhattan was shot four times in the abdomen, hands bound behind his back, thrown into a stolen car, and then set on fire. Born at some point in the early 1890s, Grossman was a known gangster, a gunman deliberately murdered as part of an ongoing gang war. The police, who had kept Grossman under surveillance for several years, knew him by a different name: Mike Clancy.

It can't yet be confirmed if the gangster Mike Clancy was also the boxer of the same name. Who was Mike Clancy: Michele Catanzaro or Morris Grossman? The jury is out.

Additional Fights Not Yet on BoxRec

Opponent	Result	Place	Date
Eddie Moran	Draw 4	Manhattan	12/23/1909
Eddie "Young" Marino	Loss 4	New York	?/?/1910
Frank Williams	Draw 4	Reno A.C.	11/7/1910
Kid Corbett	Draw 4	Bridge A.C.	11/9/1910
Joe Flynn	KO 2/?	Bridge A.C.	11/14/1910
Spike Thomas	Draw 4	Long Acre A.C.	11/24/1910
Johnny Moran	Loss 10	Sylvan A.C.	11/30/1910
Kid Thomas	KO 3/6	Sylvan A.C.	12/7/1910
Kid Black	Loss 10	Long Acre A.C.	2/2/1911
Frank Maher	Draw 6	Brooklyn Beach A.C.	3/2/1911
Heine Thiel	Win 6	Maspeth A.C.	11/11/1911
Eddie "Young" Marino	Win 10	New York	?/?/1912
Pete Powers	Win 4	Royal A.C.	7/30/1912
Young Sieger	Loss 10	Atlantic Garden	6/7/1913
Young Mundy	Loss 10	Federal A.C.	3/7/1915
C. Eddie Hoffman	Loss 10	Long Acre A.C.	5/7/1915

* All decisions were of the newspaper variety.

Mike Clancy's record, including newspaper decisions, was 18-10-7 combining the above fights and those listed on BoxRec as of this writing. He had 6 KOs and was never stopped.

Sources

"Atlantic Garden Result." The Daily Standard Union. Jun 8, 1913. Pg. 11.

"Bouts at the Long Acre A.C." Brooklyn Eagle. Feb. 3, 1911. Pg. 26.

"Boxing News and Gossip." Brooklyn Eagle Jul. 31, 1912. Pg. 21.

"Carter Fights Draw with Joe Philips." The Daily Standard Union (Brooklyn). Dec. 8, 1910. Pg. 10.

"Clancy Almost Holds Moran." The Boston Globe. Dec. 1, 1910. Pg. 6.
"Dan Hickey Knocked Out." Brooklyn Citizen. Nov. 8, 1910. Pg. 3.

"Dillon is Knocked Out." Brooklyn Eagle. Nov. 25, 1910. Pg. 9.

"Driscoll Meets Jones at East N.Y. To-night." The Daily Standard Union. Nov. 21, 1913. Pg. 12.

"Dundee is Coming to Albuquerque with Marino." Albuquerque Journal Apr. 28, 1913. Pg. 3.

"Fasane and Kramer Draw." The New York Times. Aug. 20, 1913. Pg. 7.

"Favor Gradwell to Defeat Lenny." Newark Evening Star. Mar. 8, 1915. Pg. 12.

"Gibson, in Chicago, Would Sign Coulon to Box Williams." The Evening Sun. Aug. 15, 1912. Pg. 8.

"Jabs and Jolts by Scottie." Albuquerque Journal. Jun. 24, 1913. Pg. 3.

"Jack Smith Loses Bout to Joe Hirst." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Mar. 3, 1911. Pg. 5.

"Jeanette Makes a Belch." The Brooklyn Daily Times. December 24, 1909. Pg. 5.

Jones, Jersey. "Beware the 'Set-Up'!" The Ring. March 1955. Pg. 7.

"Knockout at Long Acre." New York Ties. Jan. 27, 1911. Pg. 27.

"Kraemer Finishes Well." The Sun. Aug. 20, 1913. Pg. 9.

"Long Acre's Stag." Newark Evening Star. Jan. 16, 1911. Pg. 11.

"Maspeth Results." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Nov. 13, 1911. Pg. 4.

"Other Fight Results." The Brooklyn Daily Times. May 8, 1915. Pg. 12.

"Pierce and and Mohr to Box at Military A.C. Show." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Nov. 24, 1913. Pg. 10.

"Sporting Men of Cincinnati Strong for George Chaney, of Baltimore." The Cincinnati Inquirer. Mar. 21, 1915. Pg. 51.

"State to Regulate Boxing Game." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Nov. 15, 1910. Pg. 5.

"Sudden Departure of Al Kaufman a Surprise." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Nov. 10, 1910. Pg. 5.

"Sylvan A.C. Bouts to-night."  The Evening World. Dec. 7, 1910. Pg. 16.

Yonatan Landman Scores Four Knockdowns in KO Win

Yonatan Landman stopped Asamoah Wilson thirty-four seconds into the fifth round today at Centre Point Mall in Accra, Ghana. The Israeli scored four knockdowns on route to a knockout victory over the toughest opponent of his career thus far.

Wilson, a 38 year old fighter from Accra, was competitive early. He used his height and long jab to mostly keep Landman at range. But he flung his right as if trying to swat a fly, which proved ineffective. Landman jabbed well and had success once inside.

Landman managed to jab his way inside often, but occasionally he got overanxious and rushed towards Wilson causing a few sloppy moments. Wilson was still in the fight in the second round thanks to his jab and movement.

The red-haired warrior broke Wilson's will in the third. His left hook was explosive. After landing the jab all fight, he feinted with it, dipped his shoulder, and came up top with a clean right. A few moments later, referee Richard Amevi called a foul when Wilson complained. Wilson took twenty seconds to recuperate, but it was the moment he began to look for a way out. The Ghanaian soon slipped on the ring apron and went down, which Amevi called a slip.

Landman connected with a combination towards the end of the third and Wilson went down in a heap. He laid flat on his back like a cadaver. Just before Amevi reached the full count, Wilson popped up on his feet. The third round ran forty seconds too long, not including the time Wilson was allowed to recover from the alleged foul. Landman was so locked in, he didn't notice the long round, but his father Shai, who manned the corner along with boxer/promoter Prince Patel, did. Shai didn't tell his son about the long round to keep him focused. Yonatan said the long round "didn't affect me at all."

Accra was a sticky smoldering cauldron, even during the evening, but the heat and humidity didn't bother Yonatan. It was the part of his performance he was most proud of. "I felt great in the fight," he told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "even with the extreme heat, thanks to my dad and his tough fitness workouts."

Things completely fell apart for Wilson in the fourth round. A right-left combination scored a knockdown early in the round. The Accra resident laid flat on his back once again. He bounced up at the end of the count just as he had before and then stumbled into the ropes. Amevi probably should've stopped the fight at that point. Instead, Landman fired two quick left hooks to score another knockdown. Wilson did his same act of lying on his back half-dead before springing to his feet. Amevi's count helped him recover, adding a finger every two or so seconds.

Wilson ended the fourth treating the fight like a track meet. It was a bad omen for his chances in the fifth. Almost immediately Landman launched a left hook-right cross combo that felled Wilson like an oak. Instead of jumping up from his back, Wilson rolled onto his knees and then to his back again. Avemi waved off the fight after 34 seconds of the round.

The Israeli was very impressive against his most formidable opponent yet. The road to his face was impassable as he adeptly blocked and slipped shots. He was very successful inside, but he sometimes got out too quickly and sometimes let Wilson hold him. Landman changed levels at times, but admitted, "I could have done more body shots because of his height."

Both fighters were announced as weighing 118 pounds, a high so far for Landman. Wilson is now 6-10. Landman is 6-0 with 6 KOs. He fights next Sunday in an eight-rounder. "We are ready for next week's fight even stronger and better!" he declared. That fight features an even tougher opponent.

Wilson Weighs In, Landman to Weigh in Tomorrow

Yonatan Landman is in Accra, ready to face Asamoah Wilson as part of a two-fight eight-day stint in Ghana. Wilson weighed in at 122.3 pounds today ahead of the fight at Centre Point Mall. Landman will weigh in before the fight tomorrow.

Landman's hotel is far from site of the weigh in so Ace Power Promotions and the Ghanaian Boxing Authority will allow him to weigh in tomorrow before the fight. Landman observes Shabbat and will weigh in afterward. With the combination of Shabbat and the distance between venues, it was impractical for Landman to weigh in today. It's typical for promoters and commissions to be accommodating when it comes to navigating weigh ins and Shabbat.

Wilson 's weight has fluctuated recently. In August, he came in at 115 pounds. In his previous fight, which took place in 2021, he was a hefty 126, the heaviest of his career. BoxRec lists the fight as a super flyweight contest, which is a limit of 115.

Landman has fought at flyweight and super flyweight, so making weight won't be a problem for him. Rehydrating in time could be a bigger concern, but he won't weigh more than the naturally bigger Wilson, so it really shouldn't be an issue.

This  bout is scheduled for six rounds. A preview of the fight can be found here.

New Opponent for Doron Zinman's Debut

A debuting fighter has a lot of new things with which to deal, and a change in opponent doesn't make anything easier. Doron Zinman was originally scheduled to fight Hope Cindi on November 23 at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa. Thankfully, the time and place will remain the same, but the opponent won't. Zinman is now scheduled to fight Masibulele Mjoli.

Mjoli, who is from the nearby province of Mpumalanga, will also be making his professional debut on November 23. He received his pro license this year.

This bout is scheduled for four rounds.

Odelia Ben Ephraim to Challenge Tania Alvarez for European Title

A potential fight of the year candidate is on the schedule for November 30 when Odelia "Thunder" Ben Ephraim faces the European junior featherweight champion Tania Alvarez at Casal Cultural i Recreatiu in Castellbisbal, Spain. This is a big opportunity for the former French featherweight champ.

Ben Ephraim won the French featherweight title a year ago. She had the chance to fight Sheila Martinez for the European featherweight title in January, but sustained an injury. She came back in June when she lost her national title by disputed decision. Following that disappointment, Ben Ephraim said, "I think I deserve a strong comeback." She told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "I've been working hard since July, and I feel more ready than ever."

Ben Ephraim will be going down in weight for this title challenge. All eight of her career fights have been at featherweight. She has spent much of this camp in Israel where she's already made the featherweight limit. She admits cutting to 122 will be a little hard, but she'll make it.

The 25 year old from Blagnac, France comes into the fight with a 5-3 record. Her three losses were all close contentious decisions against tough opponents. She faces another tough foe at the end of the month.

Nicknamed "La Violencia," Tania Alvarez is a 22 year old from Barcelona, Spain who began boxing at the age of 14. She fights like a whirlwind, running toward her opponent to get inside. Once there, she repeatedly fires combinations until her arms inevitably tire as the fight progresses. Alvarez keeps her hands low and with her volume punching, she is very open to counters. Tania's chin is tungsten tough, however. She doesn't block or slip punches, at least not intentionally, instead she uses that chin to break the will of the opponent.

Boasting an 11-1 record, Tania's only loss came against the brilliant boxer Skye Nicolson, who exposed Alvarez's crude brawling style. Nicolson stuck-and-moved, but Alvarez's constant pressure wore down Nicolson in the later rounds. One reason Alvarez lost to Nicolson was because the fight took place in Madison Square Garden. Alvarez's other fights have been at home, and she has gotten the benefit of the doubt in several close fights.

Vanesa Caballero had a lot of success in 2022 against Alvarez, but only one judge gave her so much as a round. That same year, the judges gave Alvarez a majority decision victory over Enerolisa de Leon in a very close fight. This past April, Maria Cecchi was incredulous when Alvarez was announced the winner of the vacant European title. All of those bouts took place at Casal Cultural i Recreatiu. The fight against Ben Ephraim will be Tania's tenth at the venue.

Ben Ephraim could try and keep Alvarez at range with her jab and then pivot to find new angles, similar to how Nicolson won her fight. Alvarez runs straight through the door, so angles could help neutralize her offense. Odelia, however, tends to stand in the pocket and throw combinations, just as Alvarez does. The champ's punches are wide, designed to go around the opponents guard in close. Odelia could punch with her, but even if she gets the better of the exchanges, the judges may not agree. If she makes it a firefight, body punches will be essential, because Alvarez's chin is too strong. A blend of boxing and brawling could keep Alvarez off balance.

This will be Ben Ephraim's first ten-rounder. Alvarez has gone the twenty-minute distance twice.

New Opponent for Joshua Feldman

Joshua Feldman was scheduled to fight Tumi Nakedi on November 23 at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nakedi is now out and Brian Ontshiametse Shakoane is the new opponent.

Feldman is a real-life Spiderman. Just before his debut, he was bit by a spider, which must have been radioactive because the 20 year old from Cape Town has looked superhuman on his way to a 4-0 record with 2 KOs. He doesn't shoot webs from his hands, though, just straight lefts and right hooks.

The southpaw last fought on September 20 and earned a dominating first round knockout victory. "I was pretty pissed off because the guy never made weight," Josh told SA Boxing Talk. "I was coming to hurt him in that fight."

Shakoane is a 31 year old who grew up in Brits, North-West, South Africa. A tough guy, Brian sports a noticeable scar across his left cheek. He has been boxing for over ten years and turned pro in 2019. Since then, he has amassed a record of 1-3.

Unlike Feldman's previous two opponents, there's no doubt Shakoane will come to fight. In his debut against Ashton Davis, he showed a crisp jab early. He reached with wide power punches, but launched his shots with mean intentions. Davis placed a combination to the body in the first round, which caused Shakoane to retreat to the corner and cover up. The referee waved off the bout shortly thereafter.

Two years later Shakoane was involved in a wild fight against the taller Xolani Selimane. Both men came out firing wild clubbing shots like the old Toughmen contests in the U.S. Shakoane was hampered by defective footwear as he kept sliding around the ring. His corner took off his shoes after the first round, and he actually fought the final three rounds barefoot. Brian managed to bloody Selimane's nose and score a knockdown in the fourth round, but a left hook to the body ended his chances.

In 2022, Phumelelo Cele stopped Shakoane in the first round, his third stoppage loss in three fights. But Brian came back last month to score his first career victory with a first round TKO win.

This fight will be a good test for Feldman. Shakoane has power, so Feldman will need to be a bit cautious early. He also leads with his head and since Josh is a southpaw, an accidental butt is a real possibility. Feldman can opt for straight counters down the middle, or uppercuts when Shakoane's head leans forward. The key to a knockout will be body shots, but that can be risky against a shorter fighter with power.

This bout is scheduled for six rounds, a distance neither fighter has gone yet. Feldman believes he'll be even better when his fights are scheduled for more rounds, which makes sense. In previous fights, he rushed his power punches, aiming for a knockout. With more time, he'll be able to establish his jab and and can take the time to set up his power punches. He's also a vicious body puncher, a skill which will have more effect in longer fights.

Feldman-Shakoane will be streamed on DAZN and Vision View TV.