Jewish Boxing in 2025

The year in Jewish boxing was dominated by two newcomers with very different backstories and fighting styles. Yan Zak and Brooklyn Barwick are both in their mid-20s and both made their professional debuts this year, but the similarities stop there.

Zak, a 25 year old Israeli, is a decorated amateur. He won the gold medal at the U-22 European Championships a couple years ago and has competed - and even defeated - some of the very best amateurs in the world. He turned pro in May and ends the year with a record of 5-0 with 3 KOs against stiff competition. Zak is a terrific prospect, but the challenge will be to find opponents good enough that his skills won't regress. Hopefully, he refrains from picking up bad habits against foes who are not nearly as good as him.

Barwick, on the other hand, comes from the world of influencer boxing. The 26 year old American had no amateur experience before turning pro in March. In many ways, Zak and Barwick represent two divergent paths in the sport of boxing currently. Whereas the amateur standout Zak has only recently cultivated his social media presence, Barwick's social media game is ahead of her boxing ability. A brawler, Barwick has improved tremendously in her six pro fights, all knockout victories, feasting on inexperienced Latin American fodder. She talks a good game, but is also putting in the work in the gym, where she is catching up after a late start in boxing.

David Alaverdian returned from an extensive layoff with an impressive decision victory in February. He coached in Israel much of the year. Cletus Seldin won a decision in March, but recently came back with an adverse finding for PEDs before his last fight.

Joshua Feldman and Doron Zinman, who both won in February and again in May, have spent much of the year training Las Vegas under the tutelage of Brandon Woods. Lev Jackson came back and won two fights in Mexico this year, both by knockout. Odelia Ben Ephraim lost her fight. She was the B-side in Spain against a stylish undefeated prospect. Though Ben Ephraim's record was 0-1 and she had to leave her old gym because of pettiness from its management, her 2025 represented the best of boxing. She didn't look to pad her record; instead, she took on a difficult challenge, gave the fans a high-level and thrilling fight, and keeps working to get better.

Danielle Cohen and Devin Struben won their fights in 2025. David Malul not only took two decision victories, but started his own promotional company, in New York of all places, no easy task. Daniel Ivanovski was 2-0, both fights within eight days of each other. Yonatan Landman didn't fight this year, but is training hard and spoke with The JBB in February.

Past Jewish boxers Larry Boardman, "The Corn Belt Ace" Hymie Wiseman, "A Laborer in the Entertainment Business" Benny Franklin, "The Human Sponge" Alf Ros, "The Casino" Dino Berkowitz, "The Jewish Jolter" Ronnie Cohen, "The Conqueror of Jackie Fields" Harry Wallach, legendary promoter Don Elbaum, and Hall of Famer Jill Matthews were all remembered by The Jewish Boxing Blog this year.

On a personal note: I published several articles for other websites during the first half of the year. I hope to continue doing so in 2026. Away from boxing, 2025 was something of a monumental year for me professionally, which somewhat diverted my attention away from The JBB the last few months. Fans of Jewish boxing don't have to worry though, The JBB is committed to providing the fans with the usual quality of coverage about all things Jewish boxing past, present, and future. Thank you all for your support.

Devin Strübin Beats Jasmin Ramic

Devin Strübin defeated Jasmin Ramic by two majority decision at Stadthofsaal in Uster, Switzerland today.

Strübin put Ramic down in the fifth round. Referee Thomas Walser deducted a point from Ramic in the same round. The loss of the two points proved to be the difference in the fight. One judge scored it even at 56. He was overruled by the other two judges who scored the bout 58-54 and 57-55.

Strübin improves has s record to 8-1-1. Ramic is now 1-4.

Devin Strübin Weighs In

Devin Strübin and his opponent, Jasmin Ramic, weighed in ahead of their six-round super middleweight clash tomorrow at Stadthofsaal in Uster, Switzerland.

Strübin weighed 168.3 pounds. The lightest of his career has been 167 pounds while the heaviest was 174 for his last fight. Ramic, who flew in from Bosnia & Herzegovina today, was 164.5 pounds. He has been as light as 152 pounds back in 2019 and as heavy as 167.5.

Ramic & Strübin at the weigh-in

For a preview of the fight, visit here.

Devin Strübin to Face Jasmin Ramic on Saturday

Devin "The Honey Badger" Strübin is scheduled to fight Jasmin "The Lion's Heart" Ramic on Saturday at Stadthofsaal in Uster, Switzerland. Ramic will pose a tougher test that his record suggests.

Strübin (7-1-1, 6 KOs) is a 30 year old from the nearby town of Urdorf. The southpaw super middleweight will apply smart pressure as he attempts to wear down Ramic. Strübin, who has spent some of his training camp in Israel, last fought in December, a fourth round TKO victory over veteran Zdenk Bule.

Ramic is from Biljeljina, Bosnia & Herzegovina. And before Mauricio Sulaiman and his ilk stir up any faux outrage: in the Balkans, Jasmin is typically a male name. As a boxer, Jasmin is only 1-3 and hasn't fought since 2022, but he has tons of experience as a kickboxer. Strübin also began as a kickboxer but made the switch ten years ago while Ramic has never left the sport.

Though there are key differences between boxing and kickboxing - some obvious and some less so - plenty of fighters have made the transition successfully. Chris Algieri and Tenshin Nasukawa are just a couple of examples.

A member of the Roma community and a farmer, Ramic throws hard clubbing punches. Since Strübin won't be hard to find, it should be an exciting fight for as long as it lasts. This bout is scheduled for six rounds.

Introducing Devin Strübin

Devin "The Honey Badger" Strübin is a 7-1-1 super middleweight with six knockouts. The 30 year old southpaw from Urdorf, Zurich, Switzerland turned pro in 2022.

"My fighting style is to make pressure," Strübin told The Jewish Boxing Blog. "I look for the infight and make pressure, punch by punch, round by round, until my opponent is broken."

He made the switch from kickboxing ten years ago and his stance reveals that experience. Though a pressure fighter, he's not a volume puncher, preferring to set up big accurate shots. But his come-forward approach tests the will of his opponents.

"Physically, he's incredibly strong," his coach Mortiz Hager told Zo Online, "He's rather calm and thoughtful, certainly not a hothead."*

Strübin picked up the nickname "The Honey Badger" because he initially fought at a heavier weight, which put him at a height disadvantage. He battled so ferociously, "The trainer said I fought like a honey badger," he told The JBB. He researched the animal and learned they are naturally aggressive and surprisingly fearless for their size. He felt the nickname was apropos.

"Working with Devin is a dream," said Coach Hager in the same Zo Online interview. "He's humble, always tries to implement my instructions, and isn't someone who's too proud to repeat the same exercise over and over again. He knows how important certain automatisms are."

After stopping his first two opponents, he faced 13-fight veteran Valeri Gojiashvili on June 10, 2023. Strübin's pressure and power punches behind a high guard wore down his more experienced foe, but Gojiashvili's hands were more active. The Georgian lost a point in the fourth and fifth rounds for excessive holding, which was his main defense against fatigue. Even with the point deductions, the judges unfairly saddled Strübin with a majority draw.

After a TKO victory, Strübin fought Yoncho Markov on December 2, 2023. During Strübin's ring-walk, Markov stood in the center of the ring and gyrated in an awkward attempt at dancing. In the second round, Strübin battered Markov to the canvas with lefts and then imitated Markov's "dance" before waving for him to get up. Markov became enraged, but his anger signified nothing as The Honey Badger stopped him in the next round.

On April 14 last year in only his sixth pro bout, Strübin fought 45-fight veteran Sandro Jajanidze. Though he used his customary pressure, he was too cautious early and Jajanidze scored a knockdown in the first. Devin did better in the middle rounds, but Jajanidze's experience carried him home. Though Strübin has fought all of his contests in Switzerland and this was a six-rounder like eight of his nine fights, this bout has been his only experience without judges. The sole arbiter, referee Diana Drews Milani, felt the knockdown was the difference and scored the contest 57-56 for Jajanidze.

After a comeback TKO victory in July, Devin faced Eman Rekanovic last September 8. In the second round, a ring malfunction delayed the fight for an extended period. In the fourth round, Rekanovic was disqualified for repeatedly keeping his head too low. After the fight, Strübin proposed to his girlfriend in the ring. She said yes!

He last fought in December, a fourth round TKO victory over the experienced Zdenko Bule in the light heavyweight division.

The son of a Yemeni Jewish mother from Israel, Devin recently worked with undefeated flyweight David Alaverdian at the Nakash Gym in Tel Aviv. "I held the pads for him, and he can definitely crack," Alaverdian told The JBB. "In this boxing circle, I've met a lot of bad people, but I can honestly say he is a good person."

Strübin is scheduled to fight next on June 14 in Ulster, Switzerland. He is certainly one to watch.

*Coach Hager's quotes are translated from German.