David Malul Stops Julius Thomas in the Second

"King" David Malul dominated Julius "June Bug" Thomas Jr., scoring a second round TKO at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA tonight. Since Malul observes Shabbat, his fight was the last of seven on a Boxing Insider Promotions card. His rights to the body, set up a series of overhand rights that led to the stoppage.

Thomas, a 36 year old from Youngstown in Ohio, entered the ring first to Bossman dlow's "Motion Party." Malul, a 23 year old from Queens, came next to The Script's "Hall of Fame."

Thomas started the fight as a southpaw while Malul applied steady foot pressure in the early stages of the fight. He was initially a bit tentative, feeling out Thomas before committing to his attack. His coach, Mike Stellate, kept yelling, "50, David, 50!" Showing the jab, David dug several hard rights to the body, forcing Thomas to switch to an orthodox stance. Malul then threw left hooks to the body.

In the second round, David dipped, which caused Thomas to anticipate another right to the body. Instead, an overhand right dazed the fighter from Youngstown. Thomas had his moments in the second as Malul pushed the tempo, but he constantly ceded ground. Backed into a corner, Thomas missed and was countered by a huge overhand right. Malul followed with another bomb, flooring Thomas in his own corner. Thomas's trainer began giving him instructions until a commission official told her that coaching wasn't allowed in that situation.

Malul recognized that Thomas was in bad shape and constantly connected with overhand rights. At one point the two fighters stopped, believing the referee had called, "Break." When the referee waved them to fight, Malul punished Thomas with two overhand rights that forced an end to the fight.

"I eat, sleep, and breathe the body shots," David said after the fight. Those body shots set up his second round blows to the head beautifully. Defensively, he blocked many of Thomas's attempts, including the uppercut. Malul looked sharp defensively and his offensive game plan set up the knockout.

Fifteen minutes after the fight, when the crowd had filed out of Tropicana's showroom, David climbed back into the ring and soaked up the scene, accomplishing his fifth pro win in as many tries. It was his third knockout. Thomas falls to 1-4-1 with one KO.

David Malul and Julius Thomas Weigh In

"King" David Malul and Julius "June Bug" Thomas both weighed in ahead of their clash tomorrow night at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino. Boxing Insider Promotions is putting on the card. Initially announced as a welterweight bout, it's now scheduled to be contested at junior middleweight+.

Malul weighed in at 154 pounds, the heaviest of his brief career. His lightest was 146.5 pounds in his debut against Lucien Hannah in 2024. The 23 year old from Queens sports a record of 4-0 and 2 KOs.

Thomas came in at 155 pounds, also the heaviest of his career. His lightest was 144 pounds, but this is the third time he has weighed at least 150 pounds for a fight. Thomas is a 36 year old from Youngstown, Ohio. His record is 1-3-1 with one KO.

Malul was visibly annoyed at Thomas after the face off. He'll have his opportunity to show his disdain for Thomas in the four-rounder, which will take place after Shabbat tomorrow. Boxing Insider has a feature on David and his observance of Shabbat.

Check out a preview of Malul-Thomas.

The Professional

The second installment in writer Andrew Rihn's "Hitting the Books" series is The Professional by W.C. Heinz.

Visiting training camps used to be an important part of covering boxers. Writers often relied on their creativity to morph the smallest tidbit into a bombshell revelation. Such was the clamoring for information on the part of boxing fans. These days, as the popularity of the boxing industry dwindles in the United States, fighters' camps are rarely covered, save for a few silly video clips that often have nothing to do with the camp or the upcoming fight.

In the novel The Professional, Heinz's narrator, the fictitious writer Frank Hughes, is embedded in the camp of Eddie Brown, a middleweight challenger trained by the grizzled old manager Doc Carroll. Though almost nothing of note happens, the story is gripping because of its realism. It's about routine and relationships. About professionalism and working towards a goal. Quiet confidence and humbling disappointment. The only major events that happen before the culminating fight are a death in the camp, a television appearance, the press conference, and the weigh-in. Yet, the mundane occurrences during training are crafted in such a way as to be fascinating.

Many boxing books, particularly those about the Prohibition period, play up the mob ties of the fighters. Hughes explains, "Two or three of the people in the mobs were playing with fighters. It was never quite as serious as they have made it in the bad books and motion pictures. It was rather the way a man of means will keep a show dog. It was a point of prestige."

Jackie Fields said of mobsters, "All those guys loved athletes, especially fighters. In those days, boxing was the number-one sport." In the same vain, Ruby Goldstein claimed many of the best boxers had mob sponsors. They happened to be the ones with money and an interest in boxing, but often authors take conspiracies between the mob and boxing too far, as Heinz indicates.

Interestingly, Jews aren't featured much in the book. At one point, Eddie Brown's trainer says, "Hands are a fighter's tools... He's got to take care of his tools. A fighter busts his hands and he's nothin'. I see many a good fighter have to tap out with bad hands, You remember Danny Bartfield?" The Danny Bartfield reference aside, the novel takes place after the golden age of Jews in boxing, which is generally regarded as 1920-1950.

The Professional also shines light on the biases of media members and the cozy relationships they can develop with fighters and managers. Frank Hughes tries to conciliate his desire to see Brown win and his close relationship with Carroll with his assignment. Every decent boxing writer encounters the conundrum of balancing relationships with the fighters with the responsibility of producing an honest account.

The next Hitting the Books entry is Fat City by Leonard Gardner.

Daniel Ivanovski Pummels Najm Khan in Decision Victory

Cruiserweight Daniel Ivanovski battered Najm Khan over four rounds to win a shutout victory at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA this evening. Khan had no answer for the crafty combinations of the Israeli.

Ivanovski, a 25 year old who weighed 195 pounds, began the fight cautiously, pawing with his jab. The 38 year old Khan came out as a southpaw and switched stances the entire fight, mostly because of faulty balance rather than strategic adjustments.

In fact, Khan seemed to be limping the entire fight. The apparent injury badly affected the California-based Pakistani's movement. He lunged with his shots and held Ivanovski like a college girlfriend. Daniel continuously snapped back Khan's head. Several times, the Israeli threw a beautiful short left hook that Khan couldn't anticipate. He also had crisp straight rights down the middle and crunching overhand rights around the guard.

Ivanovski dominated the third round and the beginning of the fourth. His combinations were varied and clever. He threw a straight right-left hook combo. He changed levels, targeting the body more as the fight progressed. In that third round, he moved laterally better, which opened up avenues for his big shots. Khan "The Brave" showed immeasurable heart and an iron chin to withstand the onslaught. His face was tomato red by the end.

Daniel's performance wasn't flawless, however. He let Khan hit him too much early. Except for the third, he stayed in front of Khan, failing to utilize angles. Most importantly, he allowed Khan to constantly hold. That not only thwarted Ivanovski's attack, but enabled the heavier Khan, who weighed 203 pounds and was round in the midsection, to use his mass in an attempt to wear down the younger man.

Nevertheless, it was a commanding performance for Daniel Ivanovski, who is now 6-0 with 4 KOs. All three judges, The Jewish Boxing Blog, and the two announcers scored the contest 40-36 for Daniel. Khan falls to 1-1.

One announcer, former world champion Steve Cunningham, has sparred with Daniel. "I'm very impressed with Ivanovski," Cunningham said after the fight. "I like what he's done against a very awkward fighter in Khan."

Yan Zak Crushes Adamu Barnaba

Cruiserweight prospect Yan Zak destroyed Adamu Barnaba today at the Meydan Gallery in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Zak maintained his undefeated record with a second round TKO victory.

In a battle of undefeated 26 year olds, Zak used his height advantage effectively, jabbing southpaw Barnaba back to the ropes early in the fight. From that point forward, Zak's offensive onslaught never let up.

After a three-punch combination and a straight one-two, Zak utilized an odd punch: a lead right uppercut. The shorter man from Tanzania was often caught in a defensive crouch, allowing Zak to throw lead uppers with his back hand without facing retribution. Zak also peppered Barnaba with lead straight rights.

Barnaba was gassed after the first round. He wheezed like an octogenarian after climbing a flight of stairs. Zak toyed with the Tanzanian in the second round. He kept his left artificially low and unleashed a barrage of straight rights that found their mark again and again. Barnaba fired his dangerous right hook because Zak's left was so low, but missed. It was Barnaba's one chance to get back in the fight.

A left and a chopping right two minutes into the round put Barnaba down in a heap. The tough Tanzanian beat the count, but took a false step after a delay and the contest was thankfully stopped two minutes and thirteen seconds into the second stanza.

Zak drastically outclassed Barnaba, so he didn't get to go through the gears as he did in his last fight against Arshdeep Singh. The Israeli's improvement came in the form of taking care of business. In previous fights, he had played with his overmatched opponents too much. He did that a little in this second round here with his piston-like series of straight rights, but he didn't allow Barnaba to linger in the fight. With the combination of a shrewd game plan last fight and spiteful intentions in this one, Zak is developing a formidable pro style.

Yan is now 8-0 with 6 KOs while Barnaba tumbles to 10-1-1 (8 KOs).

Yan Zak and Adamu Barnaba Make Weight

Yan Zak and Adamu Barnaba both made weight for their cruiserweight+ bout at the Meydan Gallery in Dubai, United Arab Emirates tomorrow. The contract weight for this clash of unbeatens was 203 pounds.

Zak, a 26 year old, came in at 202.4 pounds. The resident of Ashdod, Israel is 7-0 with 5 KOs. His heaviest weight thus far during his pro career was 202.8 pounds while the lightest was 190. Zak and his team arrived in Dubai yesterday. This will be the fourth fight in the emirate for the "Terminator."

Barnaba came in at 198.2 pounds. He was a junior middleweight until he moved up to cruiserweight last year. Since moving up to cruiserweight, his lightest weight has been 186.3 pounds and his heaviest has been 200.5. A 26 year old from the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Barnaba has a record of 10-0-1 with 8 KOs.

Zak-Barnaba is scheduled for ten rounds. For a preview of the fight, visit here.

Lev Jackson to Face Ian Abbott on June 27

Lev "Gutsy" Jackson is scheduled to face "Mr. Wonderful" Ian Abbott on June 27 at the Lions Club in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. Despite Abbott's upside down record, he poses a challenge to Jackson.

Jackson is a 33 year old from Vancouver, Canada with a record of 5-1-1 (3 KOs). This will be his first fight since he got married. A southpaw, Lev boxed more in his last two fights in Mexico, a shift from the all-action fighter he was before.

Abbott, who also goes by Ian Masuskapoe, is a 32 year old from Debden in Saskatchewan. A member of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, Abbott has a record of 1-8-1 and hasn't won in over ten years. But he is an experienced fighter with experience in MMA and karate. Tough and durable, Abbott has only been stopped once.

Abbott is a better fighter than his record suggests. A competent boxer, he flicks out the jab but doesn't work off of it much. He's mostly looking to counter and get into exchanges. The Saskie typically does enough to lose as punch-output has been a problem for him in the past. He doesn't have a lot of wrinkles in his game, and there's not a lot of variety in his attack. But he is a game guy.

Jackson is the naturally bigger man, fighting primarily as a lightweight. Abbott has mostly been a featherweight. This four-rounder is scheduled for junior lightweight.

Daniel Ivanovski to Face Najm Khan on Saturday

Cruiserweight Daniel Ivanovski is scheduled to face Najm "The Brave" Khan at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA this Saturday. This is a battle of undefeated fighters with extensive combat experience.

Ivanovski is a Russian-born Israeli with a record of 5-0 (4 KOs). After a decorated amateur career, the 25 year old has fought all of his pro bouts in the United States. Daniel is a skilled technician who can vary his shots and put together combinations. He has shown a propensity to get hit with overhand rights, however.

Khan is a 38 year old from Pakistan, who is based in Los Angeles. He has a positive MMA record and a black belt in karate. Muscle-bound with long hair, Khan participated in one professional boxing match back in 2022.

The fight was against Muhammad Abbas on a PBC card. Instead of bikini-clad ring girls, the Pakistan Boxing Commission used young boys wearing shalwar kameez to notify the crowd of the round. Khan switched stances and rarely led, preferring to counter when the crude Abbas launched his wild right hand. When Khan did fire first, particularly as a righty, he ran at his opponent instead of keeping his stance. Khan also circled left the entire fight, which would be a mistake against Ivanovski, who will cut off the ring and land an overhand right.

Though Khan is a strong, tough guy with plenty of fighting experience, Ivanovski's youth and boxing technique make him the favorite Saturday night.