Malul has been moved well early in his career. In his first two fights, the 5'5" puncher faced taller welterweights who were no pushovers. Lucien Hannah knocked down Malul twice in the first round before Malul kept his career's trajectory on course by scoring two knockdowns of his own on route to a first round knockout victory. In his second fight, Malul faced Zachary Davis, who came to fight. Malul loaded up too much in the second round, but set up his shots better in the third and scored a horrifying knockout with a five-punch combination.
Now David will face Shaquille Rushing, a 29 year old from Lakelands, Florida with a good chin. Rushing is mistakenly listed as a southpaw on BoxRec, but he fights in an orthodox stance. He took a ton of punishment against Joshua Amill in his lone pro fight last April, but stood up to it all. The fight was finally stopped 34 seconds into the fourth round, but Rushing genuinely complained about the stoppage.
Rushing is a competent fighter; he throws a good left hook to the body, but his defense against Amill was porous. He blocked few of Amill's punches, didn't move his head or upperbody, and gradually marched forward without jabbing.
Rushing won't run, although he got in trouble with the law last September for doing just that after getting into an accident. He has a one-inch height advantage, but his style seems made to order for "King" David. If there's one criticism of Malul's opponents it's that they've all been winless, but importantly they've all served the purpose of making the 22 year old New Yorker better. After all, David only had a handful of amateur fights. This one will be a good test for Malul to see what happens when the opponent can stand up to his power.
Malul-Rushing is scheduled for four rounds.
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