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.