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.