Huntington, a 23 year from Kalamazoo, walked to the blue corner and then waited while “Hatikvah” and “The Star Spangled Banner” played. Only then did Malul, a 22 year old, march to the ring as Eyal Golan's “מי שמאמין” blared out of the speakers. Once he was in the ring, the music shifted to T Dot Carter’s “Public Announcement.”
When the fight began, Malul applied shrewdly cautious pressure as Huntington circled into Malul’s most potent weapon, the overhand right. David landed a couple of hard rights upstairs, but he laid the groundwork for the rest of the fight with punishment downstairs.
In the second, the Queens native threw combinations to the body so frequently, Huntington’s right side looked redder than a communist. It forced him to keep his hands back in Kalamazoo. His only real offensive attempt was with the left uppercut as Malul occasionally lunged forward. David’s sole low moment of the round came when he stepped on Huntington’s foot and stumbled to the canvas.
Huntington fared no better in the third as Malul showed off his improving skills. The New Yorker set up his right hand with subtle feints on several occasions. At the end of the round, a counter right wobbled the tough Michigander. To Huntington’s credit, he fought his way out of the corner as a hail of punches rained down on him.
Malul effectively changed levels in the final round. He sported a shiner by his left eye, but continued to savagely punish Huntington’s body. After the final bell, the two warriors shook hands as a sign of respect.
David strolled around the ring with a satisfied smile and gave a knowing nod. The hard work of putting together his first promotion and winning his fourth fight was done. After all three judges predictably scored the fight 40-36, David and his buddies from the Main Street Gym danced to Golan’s song in celebration.
“This was an important win, a meaningful win,” David told Ryan Songalia of Boxing Scene. He recounted when he was near death in the hospital a few years ago and saluted his friends and family who supported him throughout that dangerous ordeal.
It was an impressive, if not perfect, performance. Malul struggled to cut off the ring at times, which would’ve set up his devastating overhand right. He threw almost all of his punches with the intention of knocking out Huntington when changing the intensity of his shots could’ve lulled the opponent into a false sense of security. But overall, Malul continues to add wrinkles to his attack that should breed sustained success.
In the end, Malul’s performance electrified the crowd, who screamed for him from opening bell until the end and waited to greet their hero when he exited the ballroom into the chilly New York night. He made new fans with his gritty style and pulled off a successful promotion. He improves his record to 4-0 with 2 KOs. Huntington is now 3-7 with 2 KOs.
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