Preview of Joshua Feldman vs. Emile Brits

Undefeated junior welterweight Joshua Feldman will face fellow South African Emile "The Bomber" Brits on September 5 at Makers Landing in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. This will be Feldman's first fight since he began training with Brandon Woods in Las Vegas. The 22 year old southpaw will have had a fifteen-month layoff before he enters the ring next month with a couple of belts on the line.

Feldman traveled to Vegas last summer after spending his entire pro career under the guidance of one of the best trainers on the globe, Colin Nathan. As a world-renowned trainer and star manager, Nathan had a lot on his plate. Feldman sought out the DLX Gym and Woods, a quality trainer in his own right but one without Nathan's reputation yet.

This is a homecoming for the 7-0 fighter. This is will be his first pro contest in his hometown of Cape Town. Feldman has fought all of his pro bouts in the Johannesburg area.

Brits, 30, is an experienced kickboxer. The resident of Kraaifontein, located just outside of Cape Town, became a professional boxer in 2021. He's a rough, come-forward fighter. His toughest test came against Ibrahima Diallo on December 16, 2023 for the WBA 154-pound Africa title. Diallo, a tall southpaw, boxed effectively to win by unanimous decision.

Diallo landed right uppercuts as Brits came in. He attacked the body to slow down the South African, and landed crisp clean shots over the top. Lots of Brits's shots fell on Diallo's gloves and arms. Feldman fights differently than Diallo, but he's a southpaw who is adept at boxing. In recent fights, though, Josh has shown there's a dog inside of him, his mean streak in the ring rising to the surface.

Brits is 6-3 with 3 KOs; BoxRec doesn't list the Diallo fight. He's as tough as they come, so it will be difficult for Feldman to stop him. But body shots early could slow Brits's pressure. The right uppercut will be there and that could set up Josh's overhand left and right hook, both sharp punches.

This fight marks Feldman's first ten rounder. Brits has had two scheduled that far with the Diallo fight going the distance.

David Malul Scheduled for October

Undefeated welterweight prospect "King" David Malul is scheduled to return to the ring on October 10 at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, New York, USA. This will be his fourth fight at the Paramount and his fourth on a Star Boxing card.

Malul, 5-0 (3 KOs), is a native of Queens, New York. The 23 year old last fought at the Tropicana in Atlantic City back in June. He stopped Julius Thomas in the second round.

A devastating puncher when he first turned pro in 2024, David has incorporated more boxing into his game of late. Typically shorter than his opponents, he has been jabbing more on the way inside. He sets up his concussive overhand right more, and his left hook has evolved into a real weapon.

The October 10 fight is slated to be Malul's fight six-rounder. No opponent has yet been announced.

Fat City

The third installment in writer Andrew Rihn's #HittingTheBooks series is Fat City by Leonard Gardner.

Ernie Munger, an up-and-coming boxer, and Billy Tully, a washed up veteran trying to hang on to his career, struggle through life in their own ways. Neither lives life; both seemingly exist in a dreary continuum. Their only agency comes in the form of self-sabotage. The fleeting moments of boxing triumph are quickly washed away by low-paying jobs, strained relationships, and low-rent living accommodations in Stockton, California. They are trapped in a perpetual rut.

Munger's career essentially begins when he out-spars a faded Tully. To save face, Tully vouches for Munger's talent. But the young prospect doesn't have Top Rank, Matchroom, the PBC, or Zuffa setting him up with patsies to pad his record. Trainer Ruben Luna gives his time and money to his fighters for nothing more than a dream at the big time. He's no power broker though, and puts Munger in fights that turn out to be losing propositions.

Both Tully and Munger begin to resent the women in their lives. Tully drinks to numb the pain, but his alcoholism only causes him more trouble. In many ways, boxing isn't much different; it provides a brief high, but in the end, it literally leaves Tully stranded in the desert at night.

After the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Miami Dolphins by a score of 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII, defensive end Carl Eller explained, "It seemed I could hear Scottish bagpipes in the distance, keeping time as they came after us, wave after wave, gaining ground so easily, they seemed to be floating in suspended animation. It was a weird surrealistic scene, as if we were on the sidelines watching our own struggle yet being powerless to do anything about it."

Munger, Tully, and Luna would have fit in well with the Purple People Eaters on that day. But instead of Jim Kiick, Larry Czonka, and Mercury Morris crashing down on them in waves, the main characters of Fat City faced something more existential.

The last book as part of this year's #HittingTheBooks is The Slip by Lucas Schaefer.