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.

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)

Preview of Itay Gershon vs. Armi Kovaci

On September 15 in Ashdod, Israel, kickboxing star Itay Gershon will make his professional boxing debut against Armi Kovaci. Gershon hasn't fought in his home country in seven years. He called the opportunity to fight in Israel "a privilege."

Gershon is a 29 year old from Jerusalem. His kickboxing record is 17-5-1, and he's 4-1-1 in Glory, a highly regarded organization. Kickboxing features three three-minute rounds, and unlike boxing there aren't many tune-up fights, so it's a very good record. Itay is known for his spinning kicks and flying knees; his most potent offensive weapon are kicks. But he has power in his hands, too. Particularly the left.

Gershon switches stances. In Glory, against Trevor Ragin in 2018, he landed an overhand left as a southpaw to score a knockdown in the first round. Later, as a righty he connected with a beautiful left hook. In the second, he smashed Ragin repeatedly with overhand lefts to eventually score another knockdown and earn the KO. Facing Guerric Billet last summer, Gershon threw his left jab more than usual.

But Gershon, who fights in what amount to the junior middleweight division, will face some challenges in making the transition to boxing. A kickboxer's stance is more square than a boxer's. The footwork is different in the two sports. Kickboxers typically don't move their head or upperbody as well as boxers do. Their punches tend to be wide and clubbing shots

A Jew from Argentina, Mariano Plotinsky, successfully made the transition from kickboxing to boxing several years ago. He had all the above flaws, but managed to win the Argentine light heavyweight title, defeat Thomas Ulrich in Germany to win an alphabet org's intercontinental belt, and challenged Juergen Braemer for his world title strap. So there's a precedent.

Armi Kovaci, a 24 year old super middleweight from Tirana, Albania, sports a poor record, but he's competent boxer. He's 1-6 with one KO, but in his losses, his opponents had a combined record of 24-2-1 when he faced them. A southpaw, Kovaci possesses a good jab and keeps a responsibly high guard. He always comes to win and doesn't go into survival mode. Despite being stopped three times, he can take a punch.

He's a road warrior who often faces the ire of hometown referees despite no discernible infraction taking place. Against Ales Makovec, Kovaci even dealt well with a comically tiny stool provided in the corner in between rounds.

As expected, Kovaci exhibits a few flaws that explain his subpar record. He doesn't have much power, often poking or slapping with his left. He sometimes falls in when throwing the back-hand. The southpaw often seems tight and isn't fluid. He doesn't really move his head or upperbody. He doesn't tuck his chin, but when an opponent gets close, he has a bad habit of lifting it higher. Kovaci has the same tendency when he steps straight back.

In that June fight against Makovec, Kovaci fought well. Makovec is a southpaw who threw wide overhand lefts, none of which troubled the Albanian much. Kovaci was pumping his jab, and it was a close fight. In his last fight, a July clash with righty Simone Bicchi last month, Armi didn't jab at all. Bicchi landed 1-2s over the top with exquisite timing. The left hook worked for Bicchi as well. Kovaci lost both fights by decision.

Gershon is around 5'9" with a reach in the range of 72". Kovaci is likely an inch or so taller. In addition to a height advantage, the Albanian has an age advantage, has been more active in the ring recently, is the naturally bigger man, and has more professional boxing experience. Gershon has more experience in combat sports.

Against a tall southpaw Luke Wheelan, Gershon fought mostly as a righty. That would be a wise strategy against Kovaci. Fighting as a righty would neutralize Armi's jab. He's also susceptible to the left hook as the Bicchi fight showed, and Gershon has a good one. Kovaci is a tough opponent for a debutant. If Gershon looks impressive against him, that would be an endorsement to continue boxing.

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.