Joshua Feldman Stops Muyaya in the First

"I'm going to take over this division. I'm going to be the next junior middleweight world champion from South Africa," declared Joshua Feldman after his first round TKO victory over the hapless Henry Muyaya today at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa. Feldman was clearly several classes above Muyaya, who attempted to quit twice complaining of a hand injury.

Both men came out of the starting blocks looking for a quick knockout. Muyaya, the Malawian whose midsection resembled the laughing Buddha's rather than that of a finely tuned professional athlete, hoped to catch lightning in a bottle. Catching Feldman cold was his only hope. Feldman was a rabid caged animal who hadn't been tossed fresh meat to devour since March.

Muyaya's punches were slow and his follow-through knocked him off balance. Feldman landed a sharp counter left to persuade Muyaya to stop throwing. The two clinched and Feldman landed a hard right hook to Muyaya's soft belly.

Muyaya's mouthpiece partially popped out and he walked away as if quitting. Referee Toto Shweni allowed the fight to proceed and Feldman jumped on Muyaya. Muyaya managed to break free from Feldman's assault, and stuck his mouthpiece out again. Feldman attacked again until Shweni jumped in and waved off the bout, a minute and 41 seconds into the fight. Muyaya shook his left hand and his trainer gingerly unwrapped his glove to examine it.

Feldman, who debuted the nickname "the Maccabee," didn't celebrate. Instead, he looked full of disdain for the way Muyaya quit. Josh had prepared for months, had one opponent drop out minutes before a fight in July, and now did not get the satisfying ending he clearly craved. After the fight, he told the crowd, "I was fighting with mean intentions," and it showed throughout the brief bout and immediately after it was halted.

Joshua Feldman is now 4-0 with 2 KOs while Henry Muyaya is 1-7 and should retire from the ring. He has been stopped four times in a row.

Feldman Makes Weight, Muyaya Misses

Even though Joshua Feldman (3-0) weighed in a tad bit under the 154-pound junior middleweight limit, he'll be fighting at middleweight+ at Box Camp Booysens tomorrow in Johannesburg, South Africa. His opponent Henry Muyaya badly missed weight.

"I was a little annoyed," Feldman told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "because I thought once again there would be a problem with the fight happening." Feldman has been no stranger to opponents trying to pull out of fights against him at the last moment.

Last March, Feldman's opponent Sibosiso Muteleni came in drastically underweight and had to be convinced to stay in the fight. He put on a few pounds, got in the ring, and was blasted out of there within two rounds. Then in July, Welcome Malumbu hit weight, but withdrew moments before he and Feldman were scheduled to enter the ring.

Muyaya (1-6) originally weighed in at 162 pounds. He was made to run off some excess poundage and finally tipped the scales at 160.5 pounds, which is still a half pound over the middleweight limit. This will be the fifth fight in a row he has had a significant weight disparity with his opponent. Sometimes he's much heavier, like his ten-pound advantage over his last opponent, Pieter de Klerk, and sometimes he gives up weight, like the six pounds he gave to Dylan Prosser.

Once Feldman was confident the fight would be on, his annoyance dissipated. About Muyaya's weight advantage, Josh said, "I don't really care. I'll fight him regardless of his weight. I know I'll win."

While Muyaya was forced to run, Feldman refueled with a bowl of Coco Pops in milk, fruit, French toast, and an almond croissant.

This bout is scheduled for four rounds and can be watched on DAZN and Vision View TV. The JBB's preview can be found here.

courtesy of Boxing5 Promotions

Heart of a Lion: An Interview with David Malul

David Malul fell to the canvas for the second time in the first round of his pro debut. "This is the ultimate test," he told himself as he rose to his feet. "I didn't think for a second it was over. I just thought the win would be sweeter," he told The Jewish Boxing Blog in a phone interview two days after his stunning first round knockout victory over Lucien Hannah.

The game plan, fashioned by Mike Stellate of Main Street Gym in the Bronx, was the right one against a much taller opponent. David planned to take his time and find his way inside using double and triple jabs, and then rip to the body. He intended to control the tempo.

Malul had watched Hannah's pro debut a couple times and knew he was a tall, long guy with good power. "His speed caught me off guard," David admitted. "Practice can only get so close to the actual fight."

He was adamant that he didn't underestimate Hannah, his warm-up was normal, and nerves weren't a factor. Instead, David acknowledged there were errors in his technique in just his eleventh fight, amateurs included. He "over-extended" his punches dropping his hands too low, and believes he was over-zealous. "I made mistakes; I will fix those mistakes," he declared.

"I learned what a high guard is. I thought my guard was tight enough. It wasn't." Those mistakes resulted in a quick trip to the canvas. David felt it was a flash knockdown and didn't change course. His failure to adjust resulted in a second knockdown. "He caught me," he said.

At first, David took stock of the situation. "I'm not hurt, not shaken up, there was no pain, my head wasn't spinning." He figured he could no longer win on the cards after suffering two knockdowns and decided to take the fight into his own hands. He told himself, "Even though we get knocked down, we're not defined by how we fall, but by how we get up and overcome."

David said he finally implemented the game plan. He got inside and attacked the body. After receiving Malul's body shots, Hannah reacted to a feint downstairs and became susceptible to a monstrous overhand right up top, which improbably changed the fight. "I was not there to put on a show, it just happened," David said.

"I got greedy trying to get a third knockdown," Hannah told The JBB, "and he caught me."

The crowd erupted as David willed himself back into the fight. "There's something burning inside me, in my hands and my heart. My vision is stronger than my doubt. I have the heart of a lion," he explained. David had mentally prepared for the noise of his fans. "I know my people and my people are loud. I prepared to block them out as much as I could, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't hear them."

Malul then described the profound transformation he experienced. "I pulled out a different version of myself. I had to stop him." Faith in G-d was a driving force in his comeback.

As much as he tried to box, at the end of the day it's a fight. "It's the most brutal sport in the world," said David, and his overhand right that stopped Hannah two minutes and thirty-eight seconds into fight provided ample evidence.

"It was a great fight," Hannah said afterwards. "My respect to David."

David showed the same respect for Hannah. "He's super-fast, has significant height and reach, and great power. Getting off the canvas is a decision you have to make and he got up." The two have quickly become teammates as Hannah has moved over to the Main Street Gym.

David, who was back in the gym on Monday, is determined to improve. "Everything's gotta get better," he said. "I won't recognize myself in a few years."

He has mixed feelings about Saturday night's debut. He's proud he got to discover the dog inside of him, but he acknowledged his performance was far from perfect.

"It's how it was written and what a beautiful story."

David Malul Down Twice, Stops Lucien Hannah in the First

David Malul grabbed his pro debut out of the trashcan and put it on a pedestal with an amazing comeback against Lucien Hannah at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York, USA tonight. Malul was knocked down twice in the first round before scoring two of his own prior the end of the round.

From the outset, Hannah used his significant height advantage to land in between Malul's wide shots. David ate four clean punches and was wobbled before he fell to the canvas. When the Queens native rose, he showed tremendous bravery when caution would have been more prudent. A sneaky right hand counter by Hannah earned a second knockdown.

Malul's career flashed before his eyes. Hannah who had a two-and-a-half pound and nine inch height  advantage, was a difficult opponent for a pro debut and showed good skills throughout most of the first round in his own debut until he was tagged by Jason Moreno back in June. Malul soon had the 29 year old Hannah experiencing deja vu. An overhand right badly hurt Hannah. Lucien wouldn't quite go down which only hurt him as Malul quickly took advantage. A left hook finally knocked Hannah to the canvas.

Hannah got up, but was in big trouble. Incredibly, Malul had snatched back momentum, and the partisan crowd erupted as a result. Malul crushed Hannah with another right. Hannah fell into the ropes and went down. Referee Al LoBianco immediately halted the fight. "King" David is 1-0 with one KO while Hannah is probably the best 0-2 fighter with 2 KO losses in the world.

Malul showed he has lots of power, but he'll need to tighten up his punches to prevent counters. The first portion of the fight was fought at Hannah's range, and Malul was far too open defensively. It was an extremely exciting debut, but it exposed some weaknesses.

After the thrilling fight, David declared, "This is only the beginning." This performance definitely left fans wanting more of the king.

Contentious Weigh-in for David Malul and Lucien Hannah

David Malul was ready to weigh-in today ahead of his pro debut, but was made to briefly wait as Lucien Hannah's weight caused some controversy. Before the weigh-in, Malul had just completed the physical exam where his condition and cognitive fitness were tested to make sure he was capable of fighting tomorrow at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York.

"King" David was set to weigh-in but couldn't since no one from Hannah's camp was in the room. A NYSAC official claimed Hannah and his team had arrived ten minutes late. When Hannah entered the room, he was ushered to the scale for an unofficial weigh-in. He was forced to strip naked while officials held up a towel to provide a modicum of modesty for the fighter representing Catskill, New York.

Hannah came in overweight, so an official declared the contract needed to be amended to 150 pounds. Hannah was then asked to step back on the scale with his shorts on, which seemed to annoy matchmaker Ron Katz. Katz exclaimed that since Malul's side didn't care about the extra weight, it was needlessly nitpicky to make Hannah step on the scale again. The NYSAC official was adamant about following protocol. Both sides' position seemed quite reasonable- Katz protecting the fighter while NYSAC adhering to the rules- but it led to some raised voices and heightened tension in the room.

Hannah's weight was finally announced as 149.2 pounds. Malul came in at a fit 146.6 pounds. The two shook hands amicably after the face-off. Of the commotion at the weigh-in, David told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "The plan stays the same. I'm focused, ready, and nothing's going to distract me from handling business in the ring." Afterwards, he downed some soup and pasta to refuel before fight night.

This bout is set for four rounds. It will be streamed on Star Boxing TV. Read The JBB's preview of the fight here.

David Malul and Lucien Hannah face off

Daniel Ivanovski Wins Debut by TKO

Cruiserweight Daniel Ivanovski stopped Wondon Alonzo Hughes two minutes and 41 seconds into the fight at the Kentucky Center for African-American Heritage in Louisville, Kentucky, USA this past Saturday. Ivanovski was poised, smooth, and strategic in victory.

Ivanovski, a 23 year old from Israel, walked to the ring to the rhymes of Ice Cube's The Gutter Shit. BoxRec lists his weight as 191.5, five pounds heavier than Hughes. The Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Commission told The Jewish Boxing Blog the official weights were Ivanovski 191 and Hughes 186.4 pounds.

When the opening bell rang, Ivanovski immediately took control of center ring and quickly established himself with a feint and a jab to the body.  Hughes featured an unorthodox style. He repeatedly switched stances but didn't pose a threat from either side. His offense amounted to a few wild attempts.

Meanwhile, Ivanovski opened up halfway threw the first with a jab, right to the body, left hook combo. He pressured with intelligent foot placement and unloaded when Hughes backed into the corner. Body shots kept Hughes from running too much.

Two minutes in, Daniel started a five-punch combination with a flush right to the body. Referee Jason Abbott issued a standing eight-count, which is permitted in Kentucky. The call simply delayed the inevitable.

When the fight restarted, Ivanovski didn't rush his work. He showed a jab that disguised a sharp straight right. After a few looping shots, he put Hughes down with a clubbing right. Abbott waved off the fight.

Hughes was an overmatched opponent, but Ivanovski still showed good promise in his pro debut.

Joshua Feldman to Fight Henry Muyaya on September 20

Junior middleweight Joshua Feldman is scheduled to fight Henry Muyaya at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 20. The card is being promoted by Boxing 5 Promotions and will be shown on Vision View and DAZN.

The 20 year old Feldman hails from Cape Town where he starts his training camps at Blood, Sweat, and Tears boxing gym. He finishes camp at the Hot Box Gym in Jo'burg under the tutelage of Colin Nathan. Feldman last fought on March 8 when he won by second round TKO. That showing improved his record to 3-0 with one KO. The southpaw was scheduled to fight on July 13, but his opponent pulled out at the last moment.

Henry Muyaya is from Blantyre, Malawi and holds a record of 1-6 with one KO. Feldman was just four years old when Muyaya won his debut in his hometown in 2008. Muyaya lost in Malawi the following year and then took off six years before losing in Malawi again.

Muyaya then took another six years off, but has been more active recently. He has fought four times, all in South Africa, since 2021. Henry has come in as heavy as super middleweight and has been stopped in his last three bouts.

Muyaya holds some advantages over Feldman: he's more experienced, has grown-man strength, and is the naturally bigger man. But Feldman is far more skilled. Muyaya should provide exactly the test Feldman needs at this juncture of his young career.