Feldman Decisions Brits in Dog Fight

Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Joshua Feldman bested the tough Emile Brits by unanimous decision today at Makers Landing in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Feldman captured a gritty fight with a mixture of supreme skill and strong resolve.

The 22-year-old southpaw from Cape Town landed repeated right uppercuts and relentlessly assaulted Brits's body. Feldman had never gone more than six rounds before, but he showed impressive stamina in this fast-paced ten rounder. He exhibited a mature game plan against the toughest opponent he has faced.

Brits, a 30 year old South African, connected with clean straight rights throughout the fight. Feldman's sturdy chin was tested too frequently for his fans' liking although he slipped a number of those rights. After a dominant first round, Feldman quickly took control of center ring in the second. The strategic shift happened too early in the fight, and Brits had a strong round despite a cut above his right eye. The blood percolated down his cheek in the waning seconds of the round, but his corner did a fantastic job of preventing a gorier scene.

Feldman's constant mashing of the midsection wore down the durable Brits. If there was a criticism of Feldman's right uppercut, it's that he initiated the failsafe tool when Brits was still fresh. Though the punch was there all night, Feldman could have possibly scored a knockout by holding off on showing that weapon until Brits faded. The element of surprise is a key aspect of securing a knockout.

By the end of the fifth round, Feldman was in complete control as Brits wilted. The question of a stoppage seemed to be a matter of when and not if. But in the sixth, Brits showed tremendous guts and got back into the fight. He took the next two rounds by slim margins thanks to a ton of straight rights. Feldman's left eye reddened in the seventh. 

Referee Elroy Marshall somewhat unfairly subtracted a point from Josh's ledger in the eighth due to low blows. In the face of the infraction, Feldman's body attack didn't relent, however. He won the ninth round convincingly and closed the show in the tenth as Brits tired down the stretch.

Two judges scored the fight 97-92 while a third had it 95-94, all for Feldman. The Jewish Boxing Blog saw it 96-93. The bout was awarded fight of the night, making the two combatants 10,000 Rand richer. After the contest, Josh acknowledged he fought on the front foot too frequently, spurred on by the hometown crowd.

Feldman's record is now 8-0 with 3 KOs. Brits falls to 6-4 with 3 KOs. He has never been stopped.

Joshua Feldman: Makes Weight, Ready for Step-Up Fight

Junior middleweights Joshua Feldman and Emile Brits both made the 154 pound limit ahead of their ten-round contest tomorrow at Maker's Landing in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. The winner will capture a minor belt.

Feldman weighed in at 153.2 pounds. With a record of 7-0 (3 KOs), the native of Cape Town has been remarkably consistent with his weight throughout his young career. He's been within a pound and a quarter for all of his fights. After the weigh-in, he refueled on Pasta Napoletana with chicken and bread.

Over the past year, the 22-year-old southpaw has been working with Brandon Woods at DLX Gym in Las Vegas. "His knowledge and ability to breakdown the fundamentals is unparalleled," Josh said of his coach.

Woods apprenticed for over a decade under the watchful idea of Kenny Adams, a legendary teacher and Hall of Fame trainer. The student helped the great Nonito Donaire prepare for his clash against Naoya Inoue, perhaps the best fighter in the world. Illness prevented him from working the corner that night.

A classic boxer when he first traveled to Vegas, Feldman has added weapons to his arsenal. "I'm very excited to show my progress in this fight." he told The Jewish Boxing Blog. "I've completely transformed the past year." One area of improvement has been his inside game. After sparring against Mexican contenders, Feldman realized his infighting needed work.

"Brandon has given me a great understanding of how to fight on the inside, using glove manipulation techniques, and moving my body in perpetual motion to create offense," Feldman told The JBB. That doesn't necessarily mean that's the game plan for tomorrow night against Brits, but it's a realistic option now.

Feldman and Brits sparred a little over two years ago. Josh felt he got the better of the session though he acknowledged Brits's team said their man was out of shape. "I know I've progressed a ton in the last two years," explained Feldman.

That progress has come about thanks in part to sparring with the likes of Francisco Veron, Stevie McKenna, and the Terteryan twins, Sebastian and Nikolai - the latter an Olympian. "It's given me a ton of confidence," Feldman said. "I couldn't have hung with them when I first got here last year, but I now can give great work to any 154 pounder out there." He credits Coach Woods with that development.

Brits, a 6-3 (3 KOs) 30 year old from Kraaifontein on the outskirts of Cape Town, weighed in at 152.6 pounds. He's a tough veteran of combat sports who has never been stopped. Splitting his time between welterweight and junior middle, the five and a half year pro has faced the far stiffer competition under the lights. A rough come-forward fighter, Brits signifies Feldman's toughest opponent to date. It's a challenge Josh will face without Woods, who couldn't make the trip to Cape Town.

The fight is scheduled to be shown on Ignition TV in South Africa.

Cyril Benzaquen's Brief Boxing Career

Cyril Benzaquen medaled at prestigious amateur Muay Thai championships. He's a world champion kickboxer, who has been rated in the top ten in the world across different promotions. A model, speaker, promoter, and entrepreneur, Benzaquen has done just about everything. He even dabbled in professional boxing.

Of Moroccan heritage, the 36-year-old Benzaquen was born in France. He started kickboxing at the age of 13. After a successful amateur career in both kickboxing and Muay Thai, he turned pro in 2010. Benzaquen, who has two Master's degrees, won the ISKA light heavyweight title in 2015.

Cyril, who was trained by the legendary André Zeitoun, is known for his technical skills. "He was a really serious man in the gym," Zeitoun said of his former student. "He has good hands and very good low kicks," he told The Jewish Boxing Blog.

In 2018, Benzaquen decided to see what those good hands could do. On May 25, he debuted as a professional boxer. He dropped a four-rounder to the more experienced Matthieu Bernardet, three rounds to one. Less than a month later, Benzaquen swept the cards against Jeffe Florentz. On February 9 the following year, Benzaquen lost a close fight by split decision against another more experienced foe, Mehdi Salouane. Benzaquen finished with a pro boxing record of 1-2.

Cyril took his flying knees back to kickboxing, where he continued his astonishing success. He made his return to Glory in 2024 and won another ISKA world title. He is an eight-time world champion, a mark which includes title defenses in French kickboxing. Though his boxing career was brief, the champ continues to add to his long list of achievements in other disciplines.