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Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Yonatan Landman to Fight Twice Next Month

Yonatan Landman is on the schedule to fight twice next month, according to BoxRec. On November 16, he's slated to take on Asamoah Wilson at Centre Point Mall in Accra, Ghana. Eight days later, Landman is penciled in to fight Albert Commey at Bukom Boxing Arena, also in Accra.

Landman has been relatively active since turning pro this past January. He's 5-0 with 5 KOs. Wilson and Commey are both experienced veterans from Ghana and both signify a step up in competition for Landman.

The fight against Commey is scheduled for eight rounds. View a preview of the fight here. The fight against Asamoah is set for six rounds. Check back for a full preview of that fight. Both contests will take place in the super flyweight division.

Monday, October 28, 2024

David Malul to Face Zachary Davis Next Month

Welterweight "King" David Malul is scheduled to fight Zachary "Mississippi Baby" Davis on November 23 at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York, USA. The show will be promoted by Star Boxing.

Malul won his debut on September 14 by way of first round stoppage, but his performance wasn't flawless. Lucien Hannah put him down twice before Malul grabbed back the fight and scored two knockdowns of his own.

Zachary Davis may not be quite as a talented as Hannah, but he has some good experience. He's 0-4, but his opponents were a combined 12-1 when he faced them. A 25 year old from Mississippi, Davis turned pro on August 19, 2023. He has been stopped twice and has gone the four-round distance twice. His opponents' weights have spanned from junior welterweight up to middleweight.

Against Kerry James last year, Davis fought out of a crouch. James was too tentative at the beginning of the fight, but once he threw behind the jab more, Davis was there to be hit. Davis fought straight up on October 12 against Jason Palmieri. He jabbed some and landed several rights, but he ate a lot of punches. 

Davis, who will have a big height advantage over Malul, is slow to bring his jab back and drops his hands to throw power punches, so David will have opportunities to counter. Davis's shots are mostly arm punches, but he won't be a heavy bag; he'll throw back. Though he has been stopped twice, he has a good chin. Palmieri connected with a litany of clean shots to the head, knocking out the mouthpiece three times, but Davis never went down.

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Heavyweight Hopeful Haim Zilberschmidt

Jewish fans have long pined to cheer for a heavyweight champion of their own. At one point in the 1970s, Haim Zilberschmidt looked like he just might fit the mold.

Zilberschmidt was born in the Soviet Union where he learned to box. He won a junior title in Ukraine in 1971. Haim soon immigrated to Israel. In 1973, he took part in the Maccabiah Games. During his fight against Pete Brodsky (who would later train Cletus Seldin), an American team doctor slugged an Israeli official, causing a chaotic scene. Despite the out-of-the-ring antics, Zilberschmidt stayed focused and beat Brodsky by TKO.

Zilberschmidt hoped to make something of himself as a professional, so he next settled in France. There, he signed with respected manager Ben Said.

On May 31, 1975, Haim faced Frances Dupuy in a light heavyweight bout. Zilberschmidt's debut was going just fine against the French Dupuy, a fourteen-fight veteran. In the third round, Zilberschmidt walloped Dupuy with a fight-ending blow. Unfortunately, the punch was called low and Zilberschmidt was disqualified.

Nearly a month later, Zilberschmidt tried again. This time he faces Sjeng "Jimmy" Verstappen of the Netherlands. A southpaw, Verstappen had a good record of 8-2-1 and a good left. That left introduced Zilberschmidt to the canvas in the first round. Haim fell nose first and was down for the count.

Zilberschmidt next surfaced in Israel where he joined the national amateur team. While boxers can vacillate between the pro and amateur ranks these days, in the 1970s two pro fights should have precluded a return to amateur status.

Nevertheless, Zilberschmidt stopped Alfred Kohler in June of 1976 to help Israel beat the Swiss team 14-6 in St. Gallen, Switzerland. And then perhaps, he was found out.

A successful amateur boxer, Haim Zilberschmidt's pro career did not go as hoped.

Sources
"Défaite des boxeurs suisses à Saint-Gall." L'Impartial. Jun. 21, 1976. Pg. 15.
"Haymaker Opens Maccabiah Row." Oakland Tribune. Jul 13, 1973. Pg. 50.
Rookie, Dick. "European Heavyweights Flounder After Bugner's Yawner with Ali." Boxing Illustrated. Nov. 1975. Pgs. 24-25.

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Daniel Ivanovski on the Schedule Twice

Daniel Ivanovski is scheduled to fight next on December 7 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA . The 23 year old Israeli is also scheduled to fight on February 8, 2025 according to BoxRec. The second fight is slated for Priory Grand Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. An address provided by the promotor of the Louisville show puts the ring in a strip mall called Indian Trail Square.

The Louisville promotor is advertising the December 7 show. The Pittsburgh promotor hasn't announced the February show on their social media accounts.

Ivanovski won his pro debut in September. The cruiserweight was skilled and poised in earning a first round stoppage victory. The two scheduled events indicates he intends to be active, which should help his progression as a professional.

No opponent has yet been named for either bout.

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Joshua Feldman Back on November 23

Joshua Feldman is scheduled to fight next on November 23. The talented 20 year old from Cape Town, South Africa is 4-0 with two knockouts in young career.

In his first two fights, Josh faced tough opponents for a young fighter. His first foe was poised and skilled. His second was shifty and awkward. The last two opponents have been less willing to engage. Feldman stopped both of them.

Josh has been consistent that he wants to test his skills, so hopefully his next opponent will come to fight. Feldman splits his training between Cape Town and Johannesburg. All four of his fights have been at Box Camp Booysens in Jo'burg.

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Yonatan Landman to Fight Albert Commey

Yonatan Landman is scheduled to fight Albert Commey on November 24 at the famed Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, Ghana. In a bit of boxing logic, the Israeli and the Ghanaian will be fighting for the vacant Tanzanian flyweight title. This bout marks the first scheduled eight rounder for Landman.

Thus far in his young career, Landman has been moved well. Under nine months into his pro career, he's already well-traveled, having fought in Azerbaijan, Tanzania, and Ghana. His next fight will be the third time he has fought at Bukom Boxing Arena. Yonatan currently holds a record of 5-0 with 5 KOs. Commey is a good step-up for the young Israeli.

A 39 year old veteran from Accra, Albert Commey began his career when Landman was a toddler. From 2007-2014, Commey fought four times, lost four times, and was knocked out four times. He has greatly improved since resurrecting his career in 2017.

BoxRec lists Commey's record as 8-9 with 7 KOs. That record doesn't include a TKO victory over Ismael Yartey in 2020. All of his wins have come against opponents with either losing records or debutants. Those opponents had a combined two wins when he faced them. Some of his victims, such as David Amoah, didn't have much boxing ability. But veterans Robert Nunoo and Mohammed Baba, who were a combined 1-27, weren't pushovers. Nunoo and Baba, who were both naturally much bigger than Albert, were Commey's two most recent opponents. 

All of Commey's losses have come against fighters who had a winning record., and all of his losses have come by stoppage. The toughest fighter he faced was former world champion Joseph Agbeko. He lasted nearly five rounds against the former champ, but it wasn't a good performance. Agbeko carried Commey, treating the fight like a sparring session. He was many levels above Commey: feinting, slipping punches, and targeting his shots accurately. Commey wouldn't have beaten Agbeko even if he had a knife. In the fifth, he took a knee and gave up.

Landman will want to establish dominance early. Against inferior foes, Commey controls center ring, keeps his stance, and throws a powerful right off his jab. He used a straight right to knock the debuting Michael Tagoe out cold in 40 seconds in 2017. Tagoe looked in over his head but has put together a nice career since, so it was an impressive victory for Commey in retrospect. When Albert is challenged, his form falls apart quickly. In 2021 Sultan Al Nuami, pressured Commey and bullied him before the fight was stopped in the second. The Ghanaian had no answers.

Commey has a bad habit of moving his right hand away from his face when he jabs. In 2019, Larry Abarra took advantage and pummeled Commey with counter left hooks to the face. Commey sometimes dips his hands before he throws, particularly with uppercuts and body shots. Abarra connected with a flush overhand right that forced a first round stoppage as soon as Commey's hand dipped.

Landman can wait to counter, or he can pressure the taller Commey. Either way, he should be successful. But he must watch out for Commey's powerful straight right. Some opponents gave up quietly against him as sometimes happens in Ghanaian boxing, but he really hurt some others. His power is real.

Saturday, October 12, 2024

David Malul Back in the Ring Next Month

David Malul is scheduled to get in the ring for his second pro fight on November 23 at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, New York, USA. The card is promoted by Star Boxing.

Malul was knocked down twice in the first round of his pro debut against Lucien Hannah. back on September 14. Amazingly, Malul came back to score two knockdowns of his own in that same round to earn a stoppage victory. In an interview with The Jewish Boxing Blog, David acknowledged he made some mistakes and promised they would be corrected.

"King" David contends he wasn't nervous before his first prizefight, but he resembled a deer in headlights during the opening minute of his bout. It takes a special fighter to make the necessary adjustments of mind, body, and spirit to change the course of the fight in the middle of the first round.

The next fight for the 21 year old from Queens, New York is scheduled for four rounds in the welterweight division. No opponent has been announced.

Friday, October 11, 2024

Daniel Ivanovski to Fight in December

After a successful professional debut in September, cruiserweight Daniel Ivanovski is now scheduled to fight on December 7 in Louisville, Kentucky. The promotor of the show is Future Promotions.

The 23 year old Israeli looked impressive against an overmatched opponent on September 9 in Louisville. He showed poise and power. He was defensively responsible. Though Ivanovski is a novice as a prizefighter, hopefully he fights someone with a little more experience than his last opponent, Wondon Alonso Hughes, who exhibited far more courage than ability.

Ivanovski stopped Hughes two minutes and 41 seconds into the first round, but the fight could have been stopped even sooner. Ivanovski's next fight is scheduled for four rounds. No opponent has been named yet.