2022: Year in Review

Canceled fights and curious decisions defined the year in Jewish boxing. Sadly, there were more canceled or postponed fights this year than actual fights. The Jewish Boxing Blog summed up the frustratingly unfair outcomes in an article last month.

David Alaverdian went 2-0-1 with 2 KOs in the pro ranks. He deserved to win the draw. Shawn Sarembock improved his record to 8-0 with 8 KOs. Stefi Cohen and Isaac Chilemba each went 1-1 this year. Igor Lazarev lost both of his fights but deserved to win one of them.

On September 15, four Jewish boxers took part in three bouts in Ashdod, Israel. Kickboxing star Itay Gershon won his pro boxing debut. Prospect Sagiv Ismailov won his third fight, and Aki Mishaev scored a knockout in his second fight. Ismailov, Mishaev, and Lazarev are among the Jewish boxers scheduled to fight on a card in Bnei Ayish, Israel on February 9. The resurgence of pro boxing in Israel is a big development.

There were quite a few boxing exhibition events in Israel this year, a great way to grow the sport in the country. Former world champion Hagar Finer put on a couple of them. Mor Oknin, Mikhael Ostroumov, and Nikita Basin were among the Jewish pro boxers to take part in such shows.

Former world champion Robert Cohen Z"L and heavyweight contender Tim Puller Z"L passed away this year.

The JBB reviewed Holocaust Histories, a podcast about boxers victimized during the Shoah. The reviews of books published this year or late last year include Boxing in Atlantic City, Gangsters vs Nazis, and The Unexpected Danny Green.

Some noteworthy profiles of past Jewish boxers were of Charley Phil Rosenberg, Henry Nissen, Ray Miller, Jack "Kid" Berg, and Izzy Zerling. Then, there was a look back at the wild Israeli amateur boxing scandal in 1988 and the night in 1929 when five Jewish boxing stars fought to raise money for the Jews of British Palestine. Two articles examined the different brands of boxing gloves and the importance of pad work.

The JBB conducted interviews with a few Jewish boxers this year. The interview with Yuri Foreman became two articles, one on his ambitions and another on his reflections. There were two separate interviews with David Alaverdian, one in article form, and a different one in video form. Shawn Michael Sarembock told The JBB his inspiring story. And the two articles about Dmitriy Salita concentrated on his career as a boxer and his work as a promoter.

As for The Jewish Boxing Blog, this year was amazing! Two of the last four months have seen the most traffic in the nearly 13-year history of this site. The other two months were not far behind. The number of followers of the Jewish Boxing Instagram page has more than tripled in the past year, and Twitter followers have doubled in the past two years. A special shoutout to supporters of the Jewish Boxing BuyMeACoffee page ($3 for all newsletters). You are truly appreciated!

Next year looks like there will be a few pro debuts, which is exciting. And hopefully, there will be many more fights. All the best to you and yours.

Several Jewish Boxers in Action on Israel Card in February

A boxing show to be held on February 9 in Bnei Ayish, Israel will feature several Jewish boxers in action. Currently, Jewish boxers are scheduled to take part in four different fights.

Sagiv Ismailov (3-0, 2 KOs), a 20 year old Israeli, is scheduled to face Kristi Doni, (2-2, 2 KOs) a 19 year old from Albania, in a super middleweight affair. Ismailov last fought in September, earning a unanimous decision victory over fellow Jewish boxer Nikita Basin. Doni last fought in November. He was stopped in the fourth round against the undefeated Mohamed Elmaghraby.

Igor Lazarev is set to return against Vladislav Gaurec (0-3), a 20 year old from Moldova, in a lightweight contest. Lazarev, a 36 year old resident of Israel, is 8-4 with 3 KOs. Lazarev has dropped his last three fights to opponents who now boast a combined record of 21-0. Lazarev deserved to win one of those fights, a bout last March against Dominik Harwankowski. Lazarev was stopped in his last fight against Angelo Pena in April. Gaureac last fought on December 2, a unanimous decision loss.

Aki Mishaev (2-0, 1 KOs), a 36 year old Israeli, is set to face debutant Andrey Bordyoug at welterweight. Mishaev scored a second round TKO in his last fight in September. BoxRec lists Bordyoug's home country as Israel, but nothing more is known about him at this time.

Alex Karchevski is slated to make his pro debut on the card. The 31 year old Israeli is an experienced amateur boxer. He is scheduled to face Leon Balandine, who is also making his debut. Baladine is a 21 year old from Israel.

All bouts are scheduled for four rounds. The Jewish Boxing Blog will have more information about and previews of these fights in the coming weeks. 

Gershon's Debut Impressive, Mishaev and Ismailov Win

Itay Gershon began his professional boxing career in impressive fashion. In Ashdod, Israel today with the crowd chanting his name, Gershon stopped Armi Kovaci in the second round of a scheduled four-round super middleweight affair.

Both men began the fight as southpaws. Gershon, the shorter man, jabbed effectively to the body. He also threw combinations, landing the overhand left off the jab. Kovaci spent much of the round trying to measure distance with his tentative jab. Gershon landing the much harder blows.

In the second round, Gershon came out firing, but Kovaci exhibited quality defense. But when the Albanian threw a slow jab, Gershon countered. He then connected with an overhand left, right uppercut combination.

Kovaci finally opened up, which proved to be his undoing. Gershon clobbered Armi with a massive overhand left, and Kovaci hit the canvas hard. When he arose, Gershon switched to the orthodox stance and smashed the groggy Kovaci with an overhand right. Kovaci fell back to the ropes and the fight was stopped. Gershon is now 1-0 with one. KO while Kovaci is 1-7 with one KO.

Gershon prepares to counter Kovaci's jab

Sagiv Ismailov defeated Nikita Basin by unanimous decision in their four-round light heavyweight contest. The 20 year old Ismailov boxed in the first and his superior hand-speed allowed him to take control of the fight. At the end of the round, Sagiv found himself on the ropes with Basin charging ferociously. Ismailov unleashed a right hand that hurt Basin, who fell into the ropes and then went down.

Ismailov spent much of the second round loading up with overhand rights and left hooks that often missed. Basin retaliated with short rights to the body. The heavy attempts and the sustained body attack wore down Ismailov. Sagiv started the third jabbing effectively but soon went back to loading up on overhand rights. His speed diminished, and Basin finished strong although not enough to take the round.

While Basin's chin can be vulnerable, his heart cannot be questioned. He pressed forward the entire time and continued to throw punches. Ismailov tired further in the fourth. He held a lot and found himself trapped on the ropes at other points. But he landed a big counter early in the round and connected with a combination featuring a left hook and a right hand at the end.

Two judges scored the bout 40-35 and the other had it 40-36. Perhaps Basin deserved the fourth round. Ismailov is now 3-0 with two KOs. Basin is 4-3 with 4 KOs.

Ismailov wins by decision against Basin

Aki Mishaev stopped Eugeniu Bat in the second round. It looked dicey for Mishaev in the first when he was basically knocked down. Aki came out of the gate firing wildly with wide shots while Bat stayed contained and tried to counter. Mishaev's best punch was a counter left hook, a tight missile that landed over a Bat jab. Bat landed his own counter right on the chin midway through the opening round that caused Mishaev's knees to buckle.  His right glove grabbed the ropes to keep himself up. It was not scored an official knockdown, but probably should've been.

Upon getting tagged, Mishaev immediately let his hands go. He soon landed another strong counter left hook. At the end of the round, he had Bat trapped in the corner. Mishaev started the second round with wide shots, exposing his chin, but he bullied Bat into a corner. Bat ducked and covered, but without any attack coming back, Mishaev was free to wail away. He caught Bat with a left hook to the body and Bat collapsed. He rose in time to beat the count, but didn't put his gloves up at the referee's request and the fight was stopped.

Mishaev moves his record to 2-0 with two KOs. Bat is now 1-2.

Mishaev lands against Bat

Also on the card, Ahmad Shtewe was explosive in scoring a first round stoppage over Nicolae Galben.

Many Jewish boxing luminaries- including Shlomo Niazov, Tony Milch, Igor Lazarev, and Mor Oknin among others- attended the the event promoted by Evgheni Boico's Arena Boxing - Israel. David Berlin, the former executive director of the New York State Athletic Commission, was also in attendance.
(Photos courtesy of Boico) 

Weights for Big Fight Night in Ashdod

The card featuring four professional Jewish boxers- and promoted in part by Arena Boxing Israel- will take place tomorrow, September 15, in Ashdod, Israel. The eight fighters weighed in today.

Itay Gershon, a kickboxing star, will make his pro debut tomorrow. He weighed in a bit over the super middleweight limit at 168.7 pounds.  As a kickboxer, the 29 year old has typically weighed in around the mid-150s, so this is about ten pounds more than his kickboxing weight.

His opponent, Armi Kovaci, came in at 168 pounds. Kovaci is from Albania and sports a record of 1-6 with 1 KO. The lightest he ever weighed in for a fight came in his debut when he was 153 pounds. Since then, he has primarily fought as a super middleweight going as high as 170.8. So Kovaci is the naturally bigger man. Despite Kovaci's record, a convincing win by Gershon will be impressive. More likely, it will be competitive.

For more on Gershon-Kovaci, see The Jewish Boxing Blog's preview.

Kovaci and Gershon at the weigh-in

In an all-Jewish battle, Sagiv Ismailov takes on Nikita Basin. Ismailov, 2-0 with 2 KOs, came in at 171 pounds. This is the heaviest of Sagiv's career, but he's only 20 year old. His lightest weight came in his last fight nearly two years ago when he was 163.5 pounds. He weighed 166 for his debut.

Basin, 4-2 with 4 KOs, weighed in at 171.5 pounds.  In his last fight, he weighed the lightest of his pro career at 169 pounds. He was his heaviest in his debut in 2019 when he weighed 179.5. These are good weights for both guys; they're in fighting shape.

For more on Ismailov-Basin, see The Jewish Boxing Blog's preview.

Basin and Ismailov at the weigh-in

Aki Mishaev weighed in at 151.7 pounds for his fight against Eugeniu Bat. The 36 year old Mishaev is 1-0. He came in at 149.3 pounds for his debut almost three years ago. Bat is 1-1. The 23 year old is from Chisinau, Moldova. He weighed in at 150.8 pounds, his heaviest by about four pounds. For his debut, he was 146.5 pounds and for his last contest, he weighed 143.

For more on Mishaev-Bat, see The Jewish Boxing Blog's preview.

Mishaev and Bat at the weigh-in

Popular Arab Israeli Ahmad Shtewe (4-0, 2 KOs) will also appear on the card. The welterweight came in at 145.6 pounds. His opponent, Nicolae Galben (1-0) was 142.4 pounds, seven pounds heavier than he was for his debut.

All fights are scheduled for four rounds.
(All photos courtesy of Arena Boxing Israel's IG page)

Aki Mishaev's New Opponent is Eugeniu Bat

Aki Mishaev is now scheduled to face Eugeniu Bat on September 15 in Ashdod, Israel. Mishaev's original opponent, Radu Schimbator, suffered an injury in training and had to pull out. Bat is a tougher foe than Schimbator.

Mishaev, a 35 year old from Israel, is 1-0 in his pro career. On October 27, 2019 he defeated Gheorghi Croitor by unanimous decision in a junior middleweight bout. Born Arkadi Azrael Mishaev, Aki showed a variety of styles in his debut. He boxed early, stalked in the middle of the fight, and launched bombs late. In the nearly three years since his fight, he has started a boxing league in Israel for youngsters.

Bat is a 23 year old welterweight from Chisinau, Moldova. He sports a 1-1 record. On February 26, he beat Schimbator by majority decision in both fighters' pro debut. One month later, he traveled to Poland where he gave away three pounds to 3-0 prospect Kewin Gibas. Bat spent much of the fight with his back on the ropes, desperately trying to slip Gibas's shots and returning futile fire. When he wasn't plastered to the perimeter, he preferred to counterpunch.

In that fight, referee Robert Gortat didn't do Eugeniu any favors. Gibas was allowed to connect with rabbit punches without reprimands, including one in the second round while Bat was down. Gortat then made a mess of the finish. Gibas landed two left hooks to the body; the second one seemed to hurt Bat, who bent over at the waist. Instead of waving off the fight as Bat was clearly defenseless, Gortat actually waved Gibas forward. Gibas promptly landed some more rabbit punches before Gortat jumped in to stop the fight.

Mishaev-Bat is part of a fight card that features eight amateur fights and four pro bouts.

Four Jewish Boxers Scheduled to Fight in Israel Next Month

Four Jewish boxers are scheduled to fight on the same card in Ashdod, Israel on September 15. Itay Gershon and Aki Mishaev will take part in separate battles while Sagiv Ismailov faces Nikita Basin in a battle of Jewish boxers. Evgheni Boico of Arena Promotion-Israel and Arena Promotions-Moldova is putting on the event.

Itay Gershon is a 29 year old star kickboxer making his professional boxing debut. From Jerusalem, he holds a 17-5-1 record in kickboxing with 6 KOs and is 4-1 in Glory Kickboxing. His weight class is 157 pounds, which constitutes a lightweight in Glory. Gershon's opponent is scheduled to be Armi Kovaci a 24 year old from Tirana, Albania. Kovaci's pro boxing record is 1-6 with one KO.

Aki Azrael Misraev is a 35 year old from Israel who will turn 36 before September 15. He won his debut convincingly on October 27, 2019 in Odessa, Ukraine. It was the last time four professional Jewish boxers took part in an event. Since then, Mizraev, who fought as a junior middleweight, has been helping to grow the sport of boxing in Israel by starting a league. His opponent is scheduled to be Radu Schimbator, a 19 year old from Moldova. Schimbator is 0-2.

Sagiv Ismailov is celebrating his 20th birthday today (in Israel, tomorrow in the U.S.). The Israeli super middleweight prospect is 2-0 with 2 KOs. He last fought on December 10, 2020. Nikita Basin is a 35 year old Israeli. He won his first four fights by knockout, but has been stopped in his last two against very tough competition. Last month, he dropped an exhibition bout to fellow pro Jewish boxer Mikhael Ostroumov.

Another Israeli boxer is also slated to be on the card. The 23 year old Ahmad Shtewe (4-0, 2 KOs) from Nazareth counts quite a few Jewish boxers among his fans and is scheduled to face Nicolae Galben of Moldova, a 22 year old with a 1-0 record.

Four Jewish Boxers Fight in Boxing Event to Help Kids with Special Needs

Four Jewish boxers were featured on a four-fight card at the Jewish Cultural Center Beit Grand in Odessa, Ukraine last Sunday. Igor Lazarev, Miroslav Kapuler, Yotham Shalom, and Aki Azrael Mishaev competed in separate bouts for a charity event. The night raised funds to help kids with special needs. To make a donation to this worthy cause, please follow this link.

British Jewish boxer Tony Milch, who was originally scheduled to fight on the card, but suffered a cut in training, opened the night with an in-ring introduction, and he worked Shalom's corner. In addition to this event, Milch is working on another positive project. He founded Gloves and Doves, which is focused on contributing to peace through boxing in the Middle East.
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In the main event, Igor Lazarev outworked Dmytro Kostenko to win by unanimous decision. Igor, a 33 year old lightweight from Israel, is fun to watch. He constantly throws punches and is aggressive from the opening bell or, in this case, gong (the timekeeper had a gong with Chinese kanji on it). In the past, the Ashdod resident had been too wild while pressuring, but he displayed impressive control while mounting his offense in this one.  Lazarev is a ferocious body puncher with either hand and showed it in this bout.

Kostenko is a 41 year old from Ukraine who sports a poor record- only two wins in 19 previous fights. However, 17 of his 20 fights have taken place in the past two years, and he's never been stopped. He fought like a man with that track record. Dmytro was a competent counterpuncher who amazingly withstood Lazarev's sustained body assault.

Kostenko landed some nice left hooks to the head in the second round. He connected with some straight rights in the fourth. He was feeling so good, he taunted Lazarev in the fifth. Lazarev didn't take kindly to the taunts, and after taking some more body shots Kostenko soon spit out the mouthpiece to buy some time. The Ukrainian lost his mouthpiece twice more, in the sixth and in the eighth, and both times he absorbed body blows. Referee Vadym Lavrenets probably should have been more proactive in curtaining Kostenko's mouthpiece spitting.

Make no mistake though, Lazarev wont he first five rounds handily with pressure, body punches, and a sprinkle of counters for good measure. This was the first time Lazarev has seen the seventh round in his career and he did get touched more in the sixth and seventh, but he finished strong. He may well have been the first fighter to stop Kostenko had the veteran not intentionally lost his mouthpiece those three times.

Lazarev improves to 5-0 with two KOs after the judges scored the bout 80-72, 79-73, and 79-74 in his favor. Kostenko is 2-17-1 with all of his fights going the distance.
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Miroslav Kapuler, a 22 year old Israeli junior middleweight made his debut on the card. He defeated another debuting fighter, Stanislav Davydenko a 23 year old from Ukraine. Kapuler, a southpaw, took control of center ring from the outset. Davydenko was defensive-minded even though the fight started slowly. Midway through the round, Kapuler landed some hard lefts to the body. A bit later, he landed a perfect straight left to the body. Davydenko folded and stayed down for the ten count.

Kapuler is now 1-0 with one KO and Davydenko is 0-1.
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Yotham Shalom controlled the action against Piotr Ghilas with his speed and his hit-and-don't-get-hit style to win a unanimous decision. In the first two rounds, Ghilas, a 29 year old from Moldova, looked like an angry pedestrian chasing a speeding car that just swiped him. He hopelessly followed Shalom, who landed head-snapping shots from the outside with impressive speed and got out of harm's way just as fast.

Shalom, who hadn't fought in a professional boxing match in nearly two years, slowed a bit in the third. He was still too fast for Ghilas who only managed to touch Shalom's gloves on occasion. Shalom switched to southpaw for a bit in the stanza and landed eye-catching lead lefts from range.

Shalom attacked to start the fourth but quickly reverted to his typical style of stick-and-moving. Ghilas, who was badly outclassed in the first three rounds, did have moments of true success in the final round, but he paid the price. Shalom had landed countless punches that staggered Ghilas all fight and in the last period, the Moldovan's was hit cleanly so many times, he looked like a bobblehead doll.

Shalom's speed and boxing ability were impressive, but he could have followed up his stagger-inducing shots and perhaps earned a knockout. He always chose to box instead. He also circled to his left, directly into an orthodox fighter's strong hand. Against this particular opponent, it didn't matter, but it might be a different story against a better foe.

Notably, Shalom weighed in as a featherweight while Ghilas was a lightweight. Shalom rightly swept the three judges' scorecards, 40-36 to advance to 2-0-1 with one KO. Ghilas is now 0-2 and has yet to win a round in his professional career.
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In the opening bout of the evening, Aki Azrael Mishaev defeated Gheorghi Croitor by unanimous decision. Mishaev, a 33 year old junior middleweight from Israel, entered with a menacing camouflage headscarf. Both fighters jabbed, moved, and bounced in the first round. Mishaev landed several heavy rights to the body and a left hook up top during the round. Croitor, a 22-year old from Moldova, retaliated by throwing left hooks to the body.

In the second, Croitor decided to pressure, abandoning the jab. It didn't work and Mishaev threw a double jab-right uppercut combination that was the best rally of the round. He potshotted and used his slick yet awkward movement to avoid Croitor's attempts.

Mishaev felt more confident in the third and began walking down the game Moldovan. The Israeli even switched to southpaw briefly. Mishaev went for the knockout in the final round, throwing huge power shots while grunting loudly. Some landed, but none put Croitor in any real danger. Croitor did seem tired by the time the final gong rang.

Mishaev, whose first name is listed as Arkadi on BoxRec, won with scores of 40-36, 40-37, 39-37. He is now 1-0. Croiter is 0-3, but exhibited far more skill than his record suggests. The problem for the Moldovan was Mishaev seemed to have a game plan whereas Croitor didn't.

The fights can be watched here.

Jewish Boxers to Fight in Ukraine on Sunday for Worthy Cause

Both Igor Lazarev and Yotham Shalom are scheduled to take part in separate bouts on Sunday, October 27 in Odessa, Ukraine. The event is designed to help children with special needs. For more about that program and for an opportunity to contribute, you can click on this link.

Lazarev (4-0, 2 KOs) won a split decision victory over Leandro Xhelili less than a month ago. He is slated to participate in an eight round bout with Dmytro Kostenko, a 41 year old from Ukraine. Kostenko has fought in eight different countries but hasn't won in many of them. His record is an uninspiring 2-16-1. However, Kostenko defeated a 9-1 British fighter last year for one of his two victories, and the Ukrainian lightweight has never been stopped.

Shalom (1-0-1, one KO) is a featherweight who has fought twice in France including his last one on December 2, 2017. His opponent is scheduled to be Piotr Ghilas (0-1), a 29 year old from Moldova. This bout is scheduled for four rounds.

Tony Milch had been preparing to box in an exhibition match on the card, but he sustained a cut under his right eye in sparring last week. Nevertheless, Milch will be in Odessa helping out. He also has an update on his Gloves and Doves program, which you can read more about here.

Milch is raising funds for a boxing card that would bring a boxing team from London, England to Israel to face a team of Jews and Arabs. To learn more and contribute, you can click here.

Newcomers Miroslav Kapuler and Aki Azrael Mishaev are also penciled in to be on the card. Kapuler faces Artur Davydenko (1-4), a 19 year old welterweight from Ukraine.

Mishaev battles Gheorghi Croitor (0-2), a 22 year old lightweight from Moldova. Croitor was stopped in the third round by Lazarev last December. Both fights are scheduled for four rounds.