The Late Starter - Chananya Davids

"I fell in love with boxing super late," said Chananya Davids, a 32 year old Israeli scheduled to make his professional debut on December 5 in Chisinau, Moldova. His fight against David Catalin Pirvu will take place on the undercard of Yan Zak-Sahan Aybay.

"When I heard Yan, one of the best Israeli fighters in history, [was headlining], I knew I had to be on this historic card no matter what," Davids told The Jewish Boxing Blog. "I will do my best to put on the greatest show of my life."

When he first entered the Israeli Defense Forces, Chananya hadn't had any boxing experience. "I was one of the only ones in my unit without a martial arts background, which was one of the prerequisites for getting in." To get into the counter-terrorism unit, he had to learn quickly.

"The first 'combat sport' I ever did was Krav Maga in the unit," he said. During his service, he tried to take in as much as he could from a variety of a martial arts.

After his stint in the army, Davids moved to Canada for work. He walked into Toronto's Atlas Boxing and Fitness Club where he learned under Dr. Adrian Trudesceau just before the legendary coach passed. Trudesceau famously led Lennox Lewis to Olympic gold in Seoul.

Chananya was 22 when he had his first fight, six months after taking up the sport. He's made up for lost time, estimating that he has had 80-90 fights including both amateur bouts and exhibitions. He's fought in 14 countries and garnered 20 KOs, competing anywhere between junior middleweight all the way up to light heavyweight.

His crowning achievement was gold at the Maccabi championships. Davids stopped his opponent on October 4, 2023 to take the crown. The next day he flew to the United States to visit his now-wife. The massacre in Israel two days later prompted Chananya to quickly return to his homeland and volunteer for the military. Between his service, boxing, his work, and his relationship, he finds it "very very hard to juggle" these disparate responsibilities. But he says, "It has given me a great sense of purpose."

He's progressed in this grueling game of boxing thanks to his motto, "One percent better every day." It's led to considerable improvement in a sport that typically doesn't forgive late starts.

Heading into his debut, Davids admits, "I'm not as fast as I would like to be." But his opponent shouldn't be too confident. "I have a great jab, feint, and I focus on the body," he explained. For those of us who have watched him fight, his toughness is evident and a necessary mean streak is present.

He gives credit to his teacher Evgheni Boico and his coach Artur Zlatopolsky for the help they've provided to him. Boico told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "Chanaya came to boxing relatively late, but through his determination and strong character, he managed to reach a competitive level."

Boico began working with Davids in 2020. The fighter had already developed certain habits that the expert coach patiently tweaked. "His greatest strengths as a fighter are his determination, persistence, and fierce motivation," analyzed Boico. "He is durable and always in good physical condition. His unorthodox style and ability to maintain a high pace make him an effective pressure fighter, capable of wearing down more technical and faster opponents."

The coach noticed a marked improvement in Chanaya's abilities when Boico returned from training fighters in Spain a year and half ago. "Chananya had several solid sparring sessions and fights in which he applied the things we had been working on. Overall, I would say that he has become a more mature and experienced fighter." Boico specifically noted development in his footwork, jab, and feints.

Ahead of his pro debut, Chananya is eyeing sponsorships. He's looking to appeal to both brands and fans by showing "it's never too late to start, never take no for an answer, and never give up."

Mixing heart, desire, and a willingness to learn, Chananya Davids has an inspirational story to tell. The next chapter begins on December 5.

Yonatan Landman on His Comeback

Bantamweight Yonatan Landman said he felt wonderful in his recent fight against Sadiki Nuru in Tanzania last week. Landman stopped his veteran opponent in the first round after nearly two years away from the ring.

Now 8-0 with 8 KOs, the 21 year old told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "Really, I didn't feel the long layoff because of the numerous sparring sessions I had. The constant support and amazing guidance from my father was key."

Yonatan's father Shai has been in his corner ever since a 19 year old Yonatan turned pro almost three years ago.

"The Red Head Boxer" was active in 2024 with seven fights that year. He aims to get back to that level of activity. "Hopefully, I'll have two more fights by the end of the year," the ginger warrior explained.  "The goal next year is to have a serious title fight or something similar."

For Yonatan, his ceiling has nothing to do with  his ability, determination, or work ethic and everything to do with gaining experience and finding opportunities.

Landman Returns With First Round KO

Yonatan Landman stopped Sadiki Nuru in the first round of their bout at the Champion Pub in Bagamoyo, Tanzania yesterday. Accompanied by Prince Patel, "The Red Head Boxer" baited Nuru in with a feint and came up top with a huge right than stunned the veteran.

Landman is now 8-0 with 8 KOs. Nuru falls to 4-11. He has been stopped eight times.

Four Jewish Boxers to Make Pro Debut on Yan Zak Card

Cruiserweight prospect Yan Zak is scheduled to fight Sahan Aybay on December 5 in Chisinau, Moldova. The undercard is set to feature four Jewish boxers from Israel who will be making their professional debuts. Daniel Ilyushonok, Shon Shrago, Chananya Davids, and Kevin Njokuu are all slated to take part in the event.

Zak is 9-0 with 7 KOs since turning pro a year and a half ago. Aybay is a 31 year old from Germany with a record of 17-2 (15 KOs).

Ilyushonok, a 24 year old light heavyweight, is a world class amateur. The rangy southpaw competed at last year's world championships.

Shrago is an 18 year old junior middleweight. He just reached senior level this year, but possesses a wealth of amateur experience on the junior level. He'll likely keep one foot in the amateurs for the near future.

Davids is an experienced amateur with roots in Canada. Facing Miroslav Kapuler every year in the Israeli nationals has stymied his ascent to world level in the amateur ranks. Davids joined the Tyson Mireli Team a couple of years ago.

Njokuu has the least amateur experience of the bunch, but he possesses a style more suited to the pro game.

Should all five fighters appear on the card, it would feature the most Jewish pros since the inception of The Jewish Boxing Blog in 2010. The current record occurred back in 2019 when four Jewish boxers fought on a card in Ukraine to help children with special needs.

Previews of the fights and profiles of the boxers to come.

Yonatan Landman to Fight Sadiki Nuru Next Week

Undefeated prospect Yonatan Landman is scheduled to fight Sadiki Nuru at Champion Pub in Bagamoyo, Tanzania on October 22. Landman has been out of the ring for nearly two years.

Landman spent time this past year training in the United States. He worked with famed trainer John David Jackson in Florida. He sparred with Christian Chessa and worked with coach Chris Egan.

Yonatan is a 21 year old from Kiryat, Israel. He possesses a freakish work ethic. All of his seven professional victories have come by way of stoppage.

In facing Sadiki Nuru, the objective is to shake off any ring rust. BoxRec lists Nuru as 48 years old, which, if true, means the Tanzanian wasn't only born during the presidential reign of Julius Nyerere, but he actually remembers some of his term in office.

Nuru (4-10, 2 KOs) debuted in 2009, won three times in and around 2013 before losing again. His next era lasted from 2020-2022 when he went 1-4 against solid domestic competition. Sadiki showed a slipperiness and good counter punching despite his record. A shorter fighter, he preferred to stay on the perimeter, which somewhat neutralized his ability to lead. Against southpaws, however, he did throw lead rights, showing sound strategy.

The Tanzanian returned to the sport in 2025. Nuru, like the massage, has been laid bare in his most recent fights, exposed for his shortcomings. A boxing cliché is that power is the last thing to go, but what happens if the fighter never had power to begin with? Nuru has thrown pitty pat punches before getting stopped in his last four fights. His fight against Khamza Kindamba was suspicious as his cornerman held a blue towel in his right hand throughout the first round before tossing it into the ring in submission during a rather quiet moment.

Nuru is a veteran with skill, but he hasn't shown much in recent fights. Landman doesn't need to be patient here. Despite his shorter stature, Nuru gets hit with a lot of body shots. Landman's return to the ring will likely end in style. Don't expect this scheduled six-rounder to go the distance.