David Malul and Yan Zak in Separate Fights Next Month

Welterweight David Malul and cruiserweight Yan Zak are both scheduled to be in the ring next month. Malul will face Colin Huntington at Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York, USA on November 13. Zak is taking on Dickson Mwakisopile in Dubai, UAE on November 29.

Malul (3-0, 2 KOs) will be making his promotional debut when he faces Huntington, a 23 year old from Kalamazoo, Michigan. The 22 year old "King" David will be fighting in his home borough for the first time as a professional. Huntington sports a record of 3-6 with 2 KOs. He has been stopped four times.

Zak, a 25 year old, has a record of 4-0 with 3 KOs. The resident of Ashdod, Israel has been active since turning pro in the spring. His opponent, Mwakisopile is a 30 year old from Da es Salam, Tanzania. Mwakisopile has a record of 8-5 with 7 KOs. He has been stopped four times.

The Jewish Boxing Blog will have full previews of both fights in the comping weeks.

Brooklyn Barwick Moves to 5-0 (5 KOs)

Brooklyn "Big Deal" Barwick won her fifth fight when Adis Camacho quit on her stool following the second round in Medellin, Colombia today. Barwick showed new wrinkles in her game in front of some new fans from Chabad Medellin, who were in attendance. Building off of her fourth fight, she boxed more against Camacho than she had previously. Her combinations were more precise and her punch-picking was better.

Camacho was not a particularly skilled opponent, but she came out trying to win, hoping to land a wild shot. At first, Barwick jabbed while Camacho tried to counter. Then Camacho led with her untamed swings, and Barwick effectively countered. The Colombian caught the 25 year old New Yorker a couple of times early in the first, but took most of the punishment.

About midway through the two-minute first round, Barwick began to box. She told The Jewish Boxing Blog that she wanted to avoid injury, eluding to the nasty headbutt she suffered in her third pro fight back in August. The resulting bruise and headaches took weeks to subside.

She used feints to set up her combinations. She threw a left to the body, which led to a hard sweeping right to the head. Barwick's corner, coach Jimmy Sosa and fellow boxer Nisa Rodriguez, pleaded for her to pressure Camacho, but Brooklyn was contend to land head-snapping rights from the outside.

Barwick smacked around Camacho to start the second round, making the Colombian look like a bobblehead doll. She faked a right to connect with a crisp left hook. A 1-2 combo set up some body work. She even caught a Camacho punch with her right glove and immediately fired back a counter jab.

About a minute and half into the second, Camacho began looking for a way out of the bout. She briefly put her hands down, and soon landed a nice left hook to the kidneys, an illegal punch for which she wasn't warned. Afterwards, she put her hands down again and gave a longing look towards her corner. She then switched to southpaw in desperation and ate a tremendous right cross in the process. Camacho eventually made a business decision and quit before having to face Barwick for a third period.

Brooklyn has not faced the toughest competition, but she has proven herself to be a real bulldog. Aggressive, with a strong chin, she has been boxing more recently, adding her to ever-burgeoning arsenal in the ring. Out of the ring, she attended Shabbat services at Chabad Medellin without Rabbi Levy, whose wife had a baby yesterday. Mazel tov to the rabbi and his wife.

Barwick is now 5-0 with 5 KOs after seeing the second round for the first time. Camacho falls to 0-7-1. It was the sixth time she has been stopped.

Brooklyn Barwick Weighs In

Brooklyn "Big Deal" Barwick weighed in ahead of her fight tomorrow against Adis Camacho in Medellin, Colombia. She came in at 121.5 pounds. Camacho was 120.3.

Barwick, a 25 year old based in New York, has settled into the junior featherweight division her last several fights. She's 4-0 with 4 KOs. This will be her third fight in Medellin, all since late August.

Brooklyn flew down to Medellin early Wednesday and observed Yom Kippur at the local Chabad with Rabbi Levi. She brought kosher food down to Colombia for the rest of her stay. Barwick's father is Jewish, but she is currently in the process of converting to Orthodox Judaism. She'll be back at Chabad Medellin tonight for Shabbat services.

Camacho (0-6-1) has fought as a bantamweight and junior featherweight recently. She began boxing professionally in 2009, took twelve years off, and restarted her career in 2022. She fought twice last year and has been stopped five times. She went the full six round distance in her last fight back in December. Camacho was ranked 18th in the world at minimumweight in 2010.

This fight is scheduled for four two-minute rounds.

Odelia Ben Ephraim Drops High-Level Fight

Odelia Ben Ephraim lost a decision to up-and-comer Teresa Makinen tonight at Pabellon Lara Gonzalez in Santa Pola, Spain. It was an exciting, high-level fight between two talented fighters.

Makinen, a 21 year old Finnish fighter based in Spain, showed tremendous skill throughout the fight. She opened the bout with a hard counter right. Ben Ephraim, a 25 year old from France, pressed forward and landed a couple of eye-catching rights, but Makinen's movement and counters carried the first four rounds.

Ben Ephraim jabbed well in a close second, but Makinen finished the round with a three-punch combination, followed by a two-punch combo, snapping Ben Ephraim's head back and stealing the round. Makinen effectively countered Odelia's pressure in the third round. She threw intelligent combinations; a straight right to the body set up a left hook to the head. Ben Ephraim was competitive, but Makinen's activity, ring generalship, and power won her the rounds.

The young Fin carried the first half of the fourth round and looked dominant, but Ben Ephraim has a great chin, a ton of heart, and loads of ring IQ. She came back with a good left and finished the round with a 1-2 combination upstairs.

Makinen faded a bit in the second half of the eight-round fight. That slide started in the fifth. Ben Ephraim's body shots allowed her to grab her first round of the contest. Makinen came back in the sixth, starting with a variety of combos. She connected with a left, overhand right and a right, left hook. Both did damage. Odelia's right hand gained back some ground, but not enough to win the round.

Makinen somewhat took the seventh round off and Ben Ephraim's right hand wore down the Finnish boxer. Odelia scored with a left uppercut and a double jab. Makinen seemed a bit out of ideas, switching to southpaw at one point. She tried to steal the round at the end to no avail. But she came out firing in the eighth, as did Ben Ephraim. Teresa's body shots punctuated a highly-skilled, entertaining battle.

The judges scored the fight for the home fighter. The Jewish Boxing Blog gave Makinen six rounds to two, but all eight rounds were competitive. Ben Ephraim is now level at 5-5, but her record is nowhere near an indication of her talent, ability, and courage. She has been in tough, including in this fight. Makinen, who is now 4-0, looks like a future star.