2025 IBA World Championships Round Up

Three Jewish fighters fought in the 2025 IBA World Championships in Dubai, UAE. Two have fought professionally and another non-Jewish Israeli pro boxer took part in the tournament. Yan Zak, Miroslav Kapuler-Ishchenko, and Daniel Ilyushonok all made respectable showings in the amateur championships.

Cruiserweight Yan Zak, a 25 year old with a pro record of 5-0 with 3 KOs, reached the quarterfinals with two victories in the tournament. He outpointed Portugal's Jose Antonio Dos Santos Rodriguez in the round of 32 and then beat Ecuador's Marlo Delgado Suarez. Zak suffered a cut above the left eye heading into his quarterfinal fight against Armenia's Rafayel Hovhannisyan. Zak, who had won a grueling pro fight against Abdul Ubaya on November 29 and two bruising amateur fights within the week, ran out of gas and was outboxed by Hovhannisyan.

Middleweight Miroslav Kapuler also made the quarters, but he had to win an extra bout to get there. Kapuler is 3-0 as a pro, but it has been several years since he participated in a prizefight, choosing to fight primarily as an amateur. A nasty headbutt busted up Kapuler's nose and blackened his eyes in his opening contest against Osward Talaka of the Solomon Islands. The fight was stopped in the second and Kapuler won on points.

The southpaw Kapuler faced further damage against Kenya's Edwin Owuor, mostly caused by Owuor's head. Kapuler was slick and smart in taking another victory and avoiding an injury stoppage. The 28 year old Israeli next faced Juan Gonzales, and outboxed the Colombian. He was scheduled to face Sabrizhan Akkalykov of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals, but Kapuler was unable to compete due to the continued damage he had endured throughout the tournament.

Light heavyweight Daniel Ilyushonok is a 23 year old southpaw who has yet to turn pro. A stand-up boxer, he has become one of the better amateurs in Israel in recent years, representing the country in many of the big tournaments. He comfortably outboxed Tautuarii Nena of French Polynesia in the round of 32. In the round of 16, Ilyushonok faced the far more experienced Agejev Artjom, who was able to get inside against Daniel and take the victory.

Ahmad Shtiwi, a 26 year old Israeli, made the light welterweight quarterfinals. A 9-0 pro, he won two fights before coming up short against Yertugan Zeinulinov of Kazakhstan.

The IBA has been banned from running the Olympic boxing tournament for repeated egregious corruption. A new amateur entity, World Boxing, runs a competing amateur world championships. Though many countries have defected to World Boxing, Israel currently remains a member of the IBA.

2025 Israeli National Amateur Championships

It's time to be bullish about Israeli amateur boxing. The national championships, which took place on a basketball court in Lod this past week, was littered with pugilistic talent.

Nothing exemplifies that point better than Alex Karchevski's early round exit this year. The 33 year old light heavyweight is a multi-division national champion and is 1-0 as a pro. But he fell to Rony Partouche in a highly-skilled battle. Karchevski kept his guard high and tight, looking for openings to unleash power shots. Partoushe used fluid combinations, picking his punches well, on route to a quality upset victory. But the 80 KG division in Israel is such that Partoushe lost in the next round of the tournament.

International stalwarts Yan Zak, Daniel Ilyushonok, and Miroslav Kapuler were also present in the ring. The 27 year old Kapuler is perhaps the most successful Israeli amateur boxer of his generation. Now a middleweight, he won the national title in a grueling fight against Ahmad Jabarin. Kapuler's 3-0 as a pro, but hasn't fought for pay in over three years. Fans of Jewish boxing would love to see the slick intelligent boxer back as a prizefighter.

Yan Zak had the most impressive performances in the tournament. The 25 year old heavyweight, who has had a number of successes on the international stage, stopped each of his three opponents. If he goes pro, he would instantly be a highly rated prospect in the cruiserweight or heavyweight divisions. Fans hope he goes in that direction soon.

Ilyushonok, a light heavyweight born in 2002, is a little younger than Kapuler and Zak and needs just a little more seasoning before jumping into the pro ranks. But he has all the tools to go a long way, particularly length and power.

Cruiserweights David Bazov, a 21 year old southpaw who nearly went pro in 2023, and Arik Prilutsky, who is younger and bigger than Bazov, fought in a competitive final at 86 KGs. Prilutsky scored a knockdown in the first, but was bloodied in that round. Bazov boxed, landing many sneaky right hooks in a rough fight that was fought at a high level. Bazov was awarded the victory, much to Prilutsky's chagrin.

Tomer Benny, a southpaw welterweight, flirted with the pro ranks last year. The 20 year old dominated his first fight, but was badly cut in the semifinal. That should put his pro debut on hold for a while until he heals. Igor Novokov eventually won the gold.

Another Benny, Benny Nizard, fared the same fate in the junior middleweight final. The former French national champion is 1-0 as a pro. He relocated to Israel in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks. The 20 year old southpaw was cut by an accidental butt when his taller opponent leaned into him in the second round. The fight was stopped and the victory was awarded to his opponent, Muhammad Isa. Afterwards, Nizard teased an upcoming announcement about his pro career.

Shlomo Niazov, a 1984 Olympian with a pro record of 4-1, graced the fans and boxers with his presence.

Israeli boxing is in need of funding and hopefully some deep-pocketed benefactors will see the opportunity for the sport to grow in the country. The tournament is neither streamed nor televised. Exposure will only inspire the next generation. National champs don't automatically get to fight in international tournaments because of a lack of funding. They miss out on a chance to improve against better boxers. This needs to be corrected for Israeli boxing's future.

Unfortunately, the Israel Boxing Association is still affiliated with the corrupt International Boxing Association (IBA). The IBA was suspended from running the boxing tournament at the 2020 Olympics and subsequently banned for repeated corruption. A new- hopefully less corrupt- organization called World Boxing hopes to take up the mantle and keep the sport in the Olympics. The Israel Boxing Association should recognize which way the winds are blowing and change course.

Kapuler Advances in Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament

In the final qualifier for the 2024 Olympics, Miroslav Kapuler and Yan Zak have made the round of 32 in their respective weight classes.

Junior middleweight Kapuler faces Tiago Muxanga, a 23 year old from Mozambique, on May 28 in the afternoon session (Bangkok, Thailand time). Muxanga has some quality experience in the amateur ranks for a young guy. Kapuler beat Carl Hield 5-0 in the round of 64. Muxanga stopped his opponent in the first round.

Heavyweight Yan Zak next fights on May 30 in the afternoon session. He faces the gigantic Mucahit Ilyas of Turkey who had a bye. Zak beat Malcolm Preston Matthes 4-1. A southpaw, Matthes led with his head costing him two points. Zak suffered a cut by his right eye when Matthes initiated a butt in the second round.

Two Jewish Pros to Compete in Final Olympic Qualifier

David Alaverdian and Miroslav Kapuler are scheduled to represent Israel in the final Olympic qualifier beginning tomorrow. The event, to be held in Thailand, is the last shot for boxers to make the 2024 Paris Olympics. The last Jewish boxer to fight in the Olympics was Miroslav's brother, Pavlo Ishchenko, who competed for Ukraine in 2012.

Alaverdian is 8-0-1 with 6 KOs as a pro. Professional boxers have been allowed to compete in amateur tournaments since 2016. David will fight in the flyweight (51 KG) class. He is one of 51 boxers competing for four qualifying spots. His first bout is scheduled for Saturday against Chon Ryong So of North Korea. So won bronze at last year's Asian Games.

Kapuler is a 3-0 pro. The southpaw fights in the junior middleweight division (71 KG), which has 70 boxers vying for five Olympic spots. Miroslav faces Carl Hield of the Bahamas on Sunday in the round of 64. Hield is a battletested 37 year old who is 6-0 as a pro, all in Colombia.

Yan Zak and Daniel Ilyushonok are two Israeli amateurs who will take part in the qualifying tournament. Zak is a heavyweight (92 KG). One of 42 boxers battling for three spots, Zak fights Malcolm Preston Matthes of New Zealand on Monday. Ilyonshonok fights as a light heavyweight (80 KG). Fifty four light heavies are aiming for one of four spots. Ilyushonok takes on Paul Andrei Aradoaie of Romania on Saturday.

Follow the tournament here.

Miroslav Kapuler Egregiously Robbed in Quaterfinals

The IBA, formerly known as AIBA, is a cesspool of corruption and incompetence. Officials and judges care nothing for fairness, honor, or healthy competition. They are more concerned with selling their precious medals to the highest bidder. The IBA is so maligned within the often seedy world of sport that even the International Olympic Committee wants nothing to do with them, banning the corrupt boxing organization from running the Olympic tournament.

Miroslav Kapuler, four days shy of his 27th birthday, was a casualty of the IBA's blatant corruption today in Belgrade, Serbia at the European amateur championships. Or, giving the IBA the benefit of the doubt, was simply a matter of inexcusable incompetence? Regardless, the Israeli junior middleweight is out of the tournament instead of assuming his rightful place in the semifinals.

In a competitive first round, Kapuler's jab proved accurate against Vasile Cebotari, a fellow southpaw from Moldova with a 15-0 pro record. Cebotari countered Kapuler's jab with varying degrees of success, but Kapuler's punches were certainly cleaner and more plentiful. Each of the five judges spent the first round carefully investigating their own colons rather than watching the bout, the only possible explanation for why all five gave the round to Cebotari.

In the second round, Kapuler snapped back Cebotari's head so often it was as if the Moldovan was listening to some imperceptible techno music. Cebotari had two nice spurts in the round but spent most of those three minutes eating punches. Even the highlights after the round confirmed the demolition that took place. Three judges gave credit to Cebotari's face for the damage it inflicted upon Kapuler's gloves. By the end of the second, three judges had improbably scored the bout 20-18 for the 22 year old from Traspol.

With the fight all but secured, Cebotari wisely held most of the third round, becoming intimately familiar with Kapuler's choice of cologne. Kapuler did all he could to coax his low-quality Green Hill pillows into scoring a knockout, but as much as his gloves pummeled Cebotari, Cebotari's senses would not scramble. The highlights after the round were basically all of Miroslav's continuous onslaught. Kapuler's only mistake all fight was being overeager. He hit on the break on several occasions, receiving a warning each time.

The verdict was announced as a split decision victory for Cebotari. The shameful scores curiously were not even revealed. Instead, the broadcast quickly moved to the next fight. Kapuler handled the indignation with grace; it was just another robbery in a frustratingly long list of them.


Update: The scores were 4-1 in favor of Cebotari. The Serbian judge, Maria Petrkovic, unbelievably scored each round for Cebotari, perhaps because the winner would face a fighter from Serbia.

Miroslav Kapuler Advances to Quarters in Europeans

Junior middleweight Miroslav Kapuler won his first two fights at the European amateur championships in Belgrade, Serbia run by the EUBC. The EUBC is affiliated with the IBA, who has been banned by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) from running the boxing tournament at the Olympics because of corruption. So this tournament is not an Olympic qualifier. Last year's European Games served as a qualifying tournament instead.

Kapuler, a southpaw who will turn 27 on April 28, is the lone pro boxer from the Israeli contingent. Pro boxers are allowed to fight in amateur tournaments since a rule change in 2016. Kapuler, who also uses the surname Ishchenko, is 3-0 as a pro and last fought for money in 2021. Prospect Yan Zak and Yonatan Arnon, also competed in the tourament for Israel.

Kapuler won his first preliminary bout by unanimous decision over Lithuania's Aleksandr Trofimcuk by boxing beautifully in the pocket: launching intelligent combinations and slipping Tromfimcuk's counters. In the round of 16 the next day, Kapuler completely controlled the contest against Pavel Kaminin, an Estonian from the ethnically Russian eastern city of Narva. Kapuler showed more aggression than usual and loaded up on sledgehammer lefts while Kaminin, who is 2-0 as a pro, mostly held Kapuler as if they were attending a high school dance. Referee Anar Babanli missed an early third round knockdown by Kapuler and then admonished the Israeli for rabbit punching when Kaminin turned his head and scolded Kapuler for arguing that point, but he was fair otherwise.

Heavyweight Yan Zak dominated 2020 Olympian Uladzislau Smiahlikau in the round of 16 by unanimous decision behind his jab and adroit footwork. Smiahlikau suffered a cut by his right eye in the third round. Astonishingly, two judges awarded the Belarussian with a round. In the quarterfinals, Zak faced his rival Loren Alfonso Dominguez of Azerbaijan. A slippery boxer in the Cuban mold, Alfonso fights with his hands down and embarrasses his opponents by making them miss and making them pay from odd angles. He was more serious than usual against Zak and seemed to barely edge the first two rounds. Zak pummeled Alfonso in the third, but three judges incredibly gave the round to Alfonso. Nevertheless, the right man won.

Middleweight Yonatan Arnon was stopped in the last second of his bout by an experienced opponent from Serbia, Almir Memic, in the round of 16. Arnon landed some counters and potshots, but was outclassed by Memic's pressure and looping right. Memic scored three standing eight counts and knocked out his Israeli opponent's mouthpiece several times.  A bit unfairly, the referee stopped the contest with no time left.

Kapuler fights in the quarterfinals against Vasile Cebotari, a Moldovan who is 15-0 as a pro, on Wednesday April 24 in the evening session.

Kapuler Out of European Games

The International Boxing Association (IBA, formerly AIBA) was deemed to be so corrupt by the International Olympic Committee that it was barred from running the boxing tournament at the Olympics. The European Games have proven to be no better. As a result of some bizarre scoring, junior middleweight Miroslav Kapuler is out of the tournament.

Kapuler faced a fellow southpaw, Vakhid Abbasov of Serbia. Kapuler usually boxes, but he was the aggressor against Abbasov. Miroslav landed a hard overhand left early in the contest that wobbled Abbasov. The 26 year old Israeli had Abbasov off balance several times during the opening round.

Only one of the five judges gave Miroslav the first round. It's important not to make unfounded allegations, but it sure seemed as if Abbasov then knew the fix was in, because he ran the next two rounds. As long as he stood upright, he knew he was going to win. In the second, Abbasov tried to pot-shot from the outside with his hands down. It was a slow round, but Kapuler got the better of the few exchanges.

Tactics and infractions are supposed to be part of the scoring criteria in amateur boxing. Abbasov's tactics in the final round were to run and when Kapuler caught him, foul. Incredibly, all five judges gave both the second and the third rounds to Abbasov. Kapuler was composed after seeing the scores following each round, but it was hard to miss an undercurrent of frustration bubbling under the surface the rest of the way.

If there was a round to give Abbasov, it was the first, but Kapuler deserved to win the fight. Instead, three judges scored the bout 30-27, one had it 29-28, and another 30-26 all for Abbasov. One of the judges was from Algeria, which doesn't even recognize the state of Israel. Frankly, he should not have been allowed to judge the contest. In fact, an Algerian boxer even refused to compete against Kapuler during March's IBA World Championships because of politics. But the Algerian judge didn't even turn in the worst card. Mohamed Thowfeek Safrask of Sri Lanka somehow called the third round a 10-8 for Abbasov. He should not be allowed to judge boxing anymore.

Kapuler has a style suited for the amateur ranks, but the judges screw him regularly. A slick boxer, he showed some dog in him during this bout. He's 3-0 as a pro and can make a nice career as a prizefighter if he can find a good situation.

Kapuler Advances in European Games

Miroslav Kapuler Ishchenko advanced to the round of 32 in the junior middleweight division at the European Games in Krakow, Poland. The European Games are a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In many cases, reaching the semifinals is good enough to qualify.

Kapuler, a 26 year old who is 3-0 as a pro, won by unanimous decision against Milos Bartl of the Czech Republic. Bartl, a native of Prague, is two years older and 2-0 as a pro. Both are southpaw boxers who use in-an-out styles, but Kapuler was more effective.

Miroslav was clever and elusive the entire bout. His timing was better partly because Bartl bounced, a bad habit because the Czech fighter had to set his feet to throw a punch. Kapuler used good upper-body movement and punched off angles. Bartl was more one-dimensional, coming straight in-and-out. Kapuler's timing forced Bartle to be the aggressor, and Kapuler took advantage with sneaky counters.

Three judges called it a shutout, 30-27, while two others scored it 29-27, all for Kapuler. He faces Vakhid Abbasov of Serbia on Sunday. A fellow southpaw, Abbasov is 6-0 as a pro and won gold at last year's European Amateur Championships in the welterweight division.


Note: Fellow Israeli Ahmad Shwiti (8-0 as a pro), who isn't Jewish, lost to Narek Hovhannisyan of Armenia 3-2. Junior welterweight Shtiwi boxed well, but Hovhannisyan's volume carried the day.

Kapuler Comes Up Short

Miroslav Kapurler Ishchenko lost a decision to Aslanbek Shymbergenov of Kazakhstan in the round of 16 at the 2023 IBA Men's World Amateur Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Shymbergenov was the clear winner on all of the judges' cards.

The first round was chess match with both fighters attempting to get the better foot placement.  took the round with a few clean jabs upstairs. The biggest moment of the second round came when both fighters' heads smashed together. The round was halted four times: twice so the doctor could check Kapuler's cut by his left eye that started after the butt, once when Kapuler's mouthpiece slipped out, and another so Shymbergenov could have his shoe tied.

The Israeli southpaw landed some smart jabs and finished the second with a nifty 1-2, but Shymbergenov deserved to win the round. He landed more jabs and snuck in some crafty short right counters. The repeated- though justified- stops in action may have impacted Kapuler more because he's a rhythm boxer.

Kapuler went for broke in the final round and connected with a big left. But Shymbergenov showed great counter-punching ability and used Kapuler's aggression against him. The veteran Kazakh continued to find a home for his short right counters. With just over a minute to go, Shymbergenov fired a straight right to the face. The referee gave Kapuler a standing eight-count and then walked him over tot he doctor to check on the cut a third time.

To his credit, Miroslav continued to go for the konockout the restof the way, but that isn't his style. He's an intelligent boxer, not a slugger. Two judges had Shymbergenov winning 30-27 while three judges scored the fight 30-26 for the fourth ranked fighter in the light middleweight division. The Jewish Boxing Blog had it 30-27 for the Kazakh.

*****

The IBA is an organization under fire for years of corruption. The IOC has barred it from running the Olympic boxing tournament in '24, and numerous countries have boycotted this year's championships. The IBA has blocked the stream of its fights in the U.S. in retaliation.

Kapuler, 3-0 as a pro, can still compete in next year's Olympics as the IBA's world championships are no longer a qualifying tournament for the Games. The 25 year old southpaw will be able to qualify for the Olympics at the European Games beginning on June 23.

Miroslav Kapuler Advances to Round of 16

Israeli light middleweight Miroslav Kapuler Ishchenko advances to the round of 16 in the 2023 IBA Men's Amateur World Championships with a walk-over victory over Youcef Islam Yaiche of Algeria. Yaiche refused to fight against an opponent from Israel, so Kapuler advances.

Athletes from different countries and backgrounds will of course have political disagreements. Those athletes have every right to voice those opinions. They should be encouraged to use their platform to speak out for what they believe in. There is nothing wrong with the idea of protest in sports. But the refusal to compete against Israeli athletes by those in certain countries is antithetical to the idea that sport can bring people together.

Hopefully these athletes will soon change course. Competition can dissolve disagreement and help those with different backgrounds gain respect for one another. Sports can break down barriers. But only when it's allowed to happen.

Refusing to participate in a sport because an athlete disagrees politically with an opponent is, frankly, nonsensical. It's a cop out. Fighting an Israeli doesn't mean Yaiche suddenly agrees with the politics of the government of Israel. It doesn't even mean he has to acknowledge the existence of the country. The truth is, Yaiche knew he would lose to Kapuler, so he quit before the fight.  And that is true of all athletes who refuse to fight Israeli opponents. They fear losing to an athlete that belongs to a country considered a political enemy.

Kapuler's next fight is against Aslanbek Shymbergenov, a 29 year old from Kazakhstan, on May 9. Shymbergenov is the number four seed in the light middleweight tournament and has been fighting at the senior level since 2012. Kapuler is 3-0 as a pro and a fellow southpaw. The winner will be one step away from the medal round.

Miroslav Kapuler Advances in World Championships

Miroslav Kapuler Ishchenko advanced to the round of 32 in the IBA 2023 Men's Amateur World Champions with a decision victory over Esad Avdic. The light middleweight from Israel controlled nearly all of the action again his Austrian foe.

A southpaw, Kapuler boxed beautifully in the first round. He stunned Avdic with a clean left to punctuate a combination. The left precipitated a standing eight count. Miroslav's defense was nearly impenetrable thanks to effective upper-body movement and half-steps in and out.

Kapuler (3-0 as a pro) made one mistake in the first and it resulted in a knockdown. He opened up with a wide overhand left, Avdic touched him with a well-timed counter right, and Kapuler lost his balance. Kapuler's gloves scraped the canvas and a knockdown was called.

In amateur boxing, standing eight counts and knockdowns don't count extra, so Kapuler deserved to win the first comfortably, yet one of the five judges somehow gave Avdic ten points.

The second round was even better for Kapuler. He was barely touched and continued to land off his foot movement. Incredibly, two other judges scored the round for Avdic, so the bout was in doubt heading into the final round.

The IBA is notorious for producing head-scratching decisions. The organization has been so blatantly corrupt the IBA is no longer allowed to run the Olympic boxing tournament. The World Championships aren't even a qualifier for the Olympics anymore.

Avdic had a better third, landing here and there, but it wasn't enough to override Miroslav's impressive body work. Four judges were sensible enough to give the Israeli the round and the fight; one judge may need to visit an ophthalmologist. Kapuler is slated to face Youcef Islam Yaiche of Algeria on May 6. Algeria has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and Algerian athletes have refused to participate against Israeli athletes in the past, so we'll see if the match takes place.

2023 Israeli Amateur Championships

Several pro boxers took part in the Israeli national amateur championships last week. Pros have been allowed to take part in amateur boxing tournaments for several years now. Some weight classes in Israel have enough fighters to have a quarterfinal round while other divisions have fewer competitors.

David Alaverdian (7-0-1, 6 KOs) won the bantamweight (119-pound) title when his opponent didn't come out for the third round. There aren't many Israeli bantamweights, so David only needed one win to capture the title. He had announced his retirement from amateur boxing last May after a head-scratching decision went against him in the European championships. David has a pro fight scheduled for April 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Miroslav Kapuler (3-0, one KO) won the junior middleweight (156.5-pound) title. He advanced on a walkover in the quarterfinals and then beat his next two opponents 5-0 on points. Kapuler last fought as a pro in September 2021. The 25 year old is a skilled southpaw.

Alex Karchevski dropped a decision to David Bazov in the light heavyweight (176.4-pound) final. Karchevski won his pro debut yesterday. He beat his semifinal opponent 3-2 on February 3, lost to Bazov 5-0 on the 4th, and won his pro debut on the 9th, a truly old school schedule. Bazov was scheduled to go pro last fall but his transition to prizefighting has since been delayed.

Frustratingly Unfair Decisions

There is an old anti-Semitic trope that asserts Jews run the world, and since boxing is part of the world, they run boxing, too. This line of thinking is particularly deleterious, because it casts suspicion on any individual Jew who achieves success. At one time, Jews were certainly overrepresented as boxing promoters, but overrepresentation, of course, does not equal control.

If, for some peculiar reason, we accept the anti-Semites' view that Jews control boxing, it certainly hasn't helped Jewish boxers. This year has seen several frustratingly bad decisions go against Jewish fighters.

The worst decision came in Poland this past March. Igor Lazarev dominated the local kid, Dominik Harwankowski. The Jewish Boxing Blog scored the bout 59-55 for Lazarev, but the local judges disagreed. Eugeniusz Tuszynski, Tomasz Chwoszcz, and Arek Malek scored the fight 59-55, 58-56, and 58-56 respectively for their fellow countryman. The JBB soon learned that Arek Malek had a significant conflict of interest considering he was Harwankowski's mentor.

On November 11, David Alaverdian showed off his skills against local prospect Angel Geovanny Meza Morales in Mexico. The JBB scored the fight 59-55 for Alaverdian. The judges' scores are a bit of a mystery, but one had it 59-55 one way, another scored it 56-58 the other way, and the third judge saw it 57-57 for a spit draw.

The most bizarre incident dates to Mor Oknin's fight on February 26 in Agua Prieta, Mexico. Oknin claims he defeated Jose Cariaga by fourth round TKO. BoxRec lists the result as a third round TKO victory for Cariaga. The JBB investigated and was told by an editor of BoxRec that the site has "lots of problems with wrong reports." BoxRec posts whatever result the local commission reports. This fall, Oknin told The JBB that an effort to overturn the result was ongoing.

There has been no evidence of anti-Semitism as a motivation for any of these bad decisions. They were almost certainly erroneous decisions made to favor the local fighter regardless of the background of the opponent. The pro game is so decentralized that local commissions can pretty much do whatever they want. 

Jewish boxers also suffered from bad decision in amateur boxing this year. During the European Amateur Championships in May, Alaverdian and Miroslav Kapuler were the victims of curious judging. In Alaverdian's fight, two judges inconceivably scored the third round for his opponent. Kapuler clearly controlled the second round of his bout, but two judges inexplicably scored the round for his opponent. Judge Johany Maden of France was the common denominator in both decisions, scoring against the Israelis regardless of their performance in the ring.

The IBA, which ran the European amateur champions, is so corrupt it has been barred from running the Olympic boxing tournament. That corruption is the likely culprit for those bad decisions.

For all the power a faceless group of Jews supposedly possesses, it sure hasn't helped actual Jewish boxers. Those boxers have been on the short end of some terrible decisions this year, not because of their religious persuasion, but because the amateur game is shrouded in corruption and the pro game is so decentralized that results are determined by the whims of individual commissions.

Miroslav Kapuler Drops Controversial Split Decision

Miroslav Kapuler Ishchenko lost a controversial split decision to Salvatore Cavallaro today at the 2022 European amateur championships in Yerevan, Armenia. Though the ultimate decision was not an outrageous travesty, the bout was marred by two of the judges.

Kapuler, a 25 year old representing Israel, came out of the red corner in ring A pressing forward, but the southpaw quickly reverted to fighting off the backfoot. Cavallaro, a 20 year old from Italy, was effective in close. Kapuler's timing and balance seemed just a bit off. At one point he lunged forward with a 1-2 that came up short and Cavallaro capitalized. Kapuler had his moments in the round, including a counter left early, but three judges gave what was a close round to the Italian because of  some nice body work.

The second was a bit messy early, but Kapuler fell into a rhythm and controlled the round. The Israeli landed many counter right hooks and counter lefts. He moved well so that Cavallaro couldn't return fire. Halfway through the round, Cavallaro was visibly frustrated. He threw down his arms and shook them; they were stiffening up because Miroslav was not allowing him to release his punches. Kapuler landed a beautiful left and got out as the round waned. He slipped when the Italian tried to throw. It was a great round for the Israeli.

Amazingly, two judges scored the second for Cavallaro. At best, Johany Maden of France and Maciej Robert Dziurgot of Poland are incompetent at judging boxing matches, but at worst, a few extra Euros helped them determined their scores, which were baffling.

The third was a competitive round because Cavallaro intelligently began to shoot rights to Kapuler's chest since the southpaw proved too slick to fall victim to head shots. Later in the round, the Italian landed the right uppercut, another smart choice since Miroslav leaned forward at times. But Kapuler connected with some good lefts from the outside. He landed plenty of jabs, a left to the body, and a big left over the top. He punctuated the fight with an eye-catching combo and seemed to do enough to win the round and the fight. Four judges gave him the third.

But the only judge he needed sided with the Italian. The judge from Czechia agreed with his colleagues from France and Poland, giving Cavallaro a 29-28 victory although in a more reasonable manner than the other two. Antonin Gaspar only gave Kapuler the second while, curiously, Maden and Dziurgot only gave him the third. Judges Geir Dahlen of Norway and Recep Itmez of Turkey both had it 30-27 for Kapuler. Cavallaro moves on to the quarterfinals in a very unsatisfying decision thanks to Maden's and Dziurgot's scoring of the second round.

Two Pro Jewish Boxers Competing at European Amateurs

David Alaverdian and Miroslav Kapuler are professional boxers representing Israel at the 2022 European amateur championships, which begin today in Yerevan, Armenia. Professionals have been allowed to take part in major amateur competitions for the past few years. This event is particularly meaningful to Alaverdian whose father is Armenian.

David is seeded fourth in the flyweight tournament. The U.S.-based Israeli is 6-0 with 5 KOs as a pro. The 28 year old's style is more suited for the pro game because of his power and his body attack. Alaverdian faces Akritidis Panagiotis of Greece on May 25 in the afternoon session. The man from Greece does not seem to have much experience at big tournaments. In a previous meet, he fought at bantamweight and his first and last names were reversed as they are on BoxRec.

Lurking on David's side of the bracket is the favorite, Artur Hovhannisyan, who owns the number one seed. Hovhannisyan, who is from Armenia, competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and won gold at the 2019 European championships, but the 26 year old earned these accolades at light flyweight.

Miroslav, 25 years old, has alternately fought with the surnames Kapuler and Ishchenko. For this competition, he's listed as "Miroslav Kapuler Ishckenko." He is 3-0 as a pro, but his style is more suited for the amateur ranks than Alaverdian's. A slick, intelligent boxer, Kapuler is willing to simply touch his opponent to score points. Though he still has more of an amateur style, he has thus far been very impressive during his young pro career.

Kapuler is the fifth seed and earned a bye in first round of the junior middleweight tournament. On May 26 during the evening session he's scheduled to face the winner of the fight between Scotland's Stephen Newns and Italy's Salvatore Cavallaro. In this division, Yurii Zakharieiev from Ukraine is the favorite. The 19 year old won gold at the 2021 World Championships and holds the number one seed.

The International Boxing Association (IBA, formerly AIBA) was suspended from running the boxing tournament at last year's Tokyo Olympics due to repeated acts of corruption. These European championships fall under the umbrella of the IBA, however.

Kapuler Wins Amateur Title

Miroslav Kapuler won the 71 kg (156.5 pounds) Israeli national amateur championship last weekend. For the second year in a row he beat Chananya Davids (also spelled Hanania Devida) by decision. Last year's amateur championships were postponed due to covid-19, so the 2021 Israeli nationals took place in August.

Kapuler, who sometimes performs under the surname Ishchenko, also fights professionally. These days boxers can straddled the amateur/professional line. Kapuler is 3-0 with one KO as a pro. His last prizefight was in September.

As a pro, Kapuler has fought as a junior middleweight and as a middleweight. Standing 6' tall, he's a slick southpaw with speed and skill. Miroslav, who is 24 years old, might have a foot in the amateur game with an eye towards to 2024 Paris Olympics, which is only a bit over two years away.

2021 Year in Review in Jewish Boxing

For the second year in a row, covid-19 dominated the storyline. Fighters contracted the virus, fights were canceled or postponed, and a new variant threatens to continue the trend into 2022. In addition, Zachary Wohlman tragically passed away in February.

Despite the pandemic, some Jewish boxers were able to fight this past year. The biggest win came in October when Cletus Seldin knocked out William Silva in the seventh round of their fight in Brooklyn. One of the alphabet organizations ranks the 35-year-old Seldin in their top ten in the junior welterweight division. The New Yorker seeks a big fight in 2022.

Other world class competitors, Yuri Foreman and Isaac Chilemba, weren't able to secure wins this year. Foreman dropped a majority decision to Jimmy Williams in June after testing positive for covid-19 in March. Chilemba had a controversial draw with Fedor Chudinov in February and a unanimous decision loss to Pavel Silyagin in November. Chilemba called Silyagin a future world champion.

David Alaverdian and Shawn Sarembock both went 3-0 in 2021. Alaverdian, a flyweight, is 5-0 with 4 KOs. Sarembock, a junior middleweight, is 7-0 with 7 KOs. Miroslav Kapuler, a junior middleweight, won two fights in 2021 to improve his record to 3-0 with one KO. Mor Oknin won his debut in April.

Former two-division world champion Carolina Duer and powerlifting world record holder Dr. Stefi Cohen also had a successful year in the ring. At the age of 43, Duer won a decision over Silvia Fernanda Zacarias in August. Cohen has started her career 1-0-1. She stopped Haydee Zapa in the third round of their fight in the Dominican Republic in June. Cohen fought Marcela Nieto to a draw in September.

Igor Lazarev was 1-1, Benny Sinakin went 0-1, and Nikita Basin was stopped in both of his bouts after a twenty-month layoff.

John Jarrett's The Great Benny Leonard, Jeffrey Sussman's Holocaust Fighters, and J. Russell Peltz's Thirty Dollars and a Cut Eye were all published in 2021.

A big thank you to everyone who followed The Jewish Boxing Blog this year and a special thank you to those who offered their support on BuyMeACoffee.com. Stay tuned for big things in 2022!

Kapuler Dominates on Route to Decision Victory

Miroslav Kapuler outboxed 20-fight veteran Yevheniy Kondratenko in Zvenyhorodka, Ukraine this afternoon. The southpaw junior middleweight looked quite impressive throughout the bout.

Kapuler wore light blue trunks with white trim. A gold Star of David adorned the left side of his trunks, and the beltline displayed his initials "MI" (for Miroslav Ishchenko, his birthname) in gold. He wore knee-high white socks and used black gloves to land a left to the body and then a left to the head stunning Kondratenko mere seconds into the fight.

Kondratenko attempted to fight back early, but Kapuler dissuaded him of any notion of returning fire with a series of lead lefts from the outside sprinkled throughout the opening round and a sustained combination with 45 seconds left in the first that spun Yevheniy around. For the rest of the fight Kondratenko remained in survival mode.

Kapuler spent much of the rest of the affair dancing and landing lead lefts from the outside. He showed off his fancy footwork and his educated jab. Miroslav has several jabs. He has a range-finding jab, which is essential for a taller fighter. The six-footer also has a power jab. He has a show-jab that distracts the opponent from his best punch, the straight left. He can also double up the jab and land that straight left behind it.

Late in the third round Kapuler unleashed an overhand left from distance. Upon absorbing the blow, Kondratenko froze. Miroslav waited, perhaps a beat too long, to jump on his wounded foe. Kondratenko managed to withstand Kapuler's barrage as the bell saved the journeyman.

At this point in his career, Kapuler is a bit too cautious when his man is hurt. Against Alexander Benidze in April, Miroslav also failed to capitalize when his opponent was all but finished. In today's bout, Kapuler didn't press the fight in the fourth even after Kondratenko was shaken up at the end of the third. Instead, he relied on his classy boxing to carry him to victory. But in fairness to Kapuler, both Benidze and Kondratenko are far more experienced than the usual pushovers many prospects are fed early in their careers. Miroslav swept the cards with one judge scoring the bout 40-35 and the other two seeing it 40-36.

Kapuler is a 24 year old with a lot of skills and ability. He can go far in the sport if he's so inclined. His jab and left hand are excellent. After landing some of his shots, he shifts to a different angle and lands some more. His right hook isn't bad by any means, but he throws it a bit wide. A tall southpaw in possession of a short counter right hook to the temple is a very dangerous fighter. Nevertheless, Kapuler is a speedy and flashy boxer who is now 3-0 with one KO. Kondratenko falls to 5-16 with 3 KOs.

Miroslav Kapuler to Fight on Thursday

Junior middleweight Miroslav Kapuler is scheduled to fight on Thursday in Ukraine against Yevheniy Kondratenko. This would be Kapuler's third pro fight, all in Ukraine.

Kapuler, who sometimes goes by his birth surname of Ishchenko, is 2-0 with one KO. The 24 year old southpaw dominated the competition in last month's Israeli amateur championships. He won the gold in the 71 kilogram division as the lines between prizefighting and amateur boxing become increasingly blurred.

Kondratenko is the right kind of opponent for Kapuler at this stage of his career. Kondratenko, from Myrhorod, Ukraine, is 5-15 with 3 KOs and has experience in MMA. He has never beaten an opponent with a winning record, but has never lost to an opponent with a losing record. Kondratenko lost his first seven fights, won his next four, and has lost his last seven dating back to 2016. He has fought in his native Ukraine, as well as Russia, Latvia, Germany, and Finland.

Kapuler should handle the naturally smaller Kondratenko, but Yevheniy is no pushover. He's the type of guy who is an opponent for good young prospects early in their careers, not someone to boost an inflated record. One of his losses was to a guy who is now 21-1 and whose only career defeat came at the hands of former world champ Rob Brant. Another loss came to another guy who is also 21-1 and has only lost to hot prospect Rene Tellez Giron.

Kondratenko will take what's given to him. If an opponent takes control early as Denys Lazarev did in their 2015 bout, Kondratenko will fight off the backfoot and throw punches with little conviction. But if Kondratenko feels he has a chance, he'll push forward firing combinations. Though he has been stopped six times, he can take a good punch; he just can't withstand two or three in quick succession.

Kapuler has a three inch height advantage and he has been more active. He last fought professionally in April while Kondratenko's last pro boxing match was a bit before the pandemic began in December of 2019. This bout is scheduled for four rounds.

2021 Israeli Amateur Championships

The lines between the amateur ranks and the pro game have become increasingly blurred in boxing. Some Jewish boxers who have turned pro were able to fight in last week's Israeli amateur championships. After going pro, Miroslav Kapuler, Yotham Shalom, Mikhael Ostroumov, and Arthur Abramov all took part in the tournament held in Oranit.

Kapuler, who has also fought under the surname Ishchenko, dominated the 71 kg division. He stopped his first opponent in the second round and then swept his next two foes five to nothing on points. Miroslav is 2-0 as a pro with one KO. He last fought professionally in April.

After a bye in the quarterfinals, Shalom edged a victory in the semis by the score of 3-2. He swept the finals of the 57 kg division 5-0 on points. Yotham is 2-0-1 as a pro with one KO. His last fight for pay was a decision victory in 2019. He has been scheduled to fight professionally since then, but his fights have fallen through due to covid-19 restrictions.

Ostroumov stopped his opponent in the semis of the 86 kg division in the first round of the contest after earning a bye in the quarters. The tough body-assaulting southpaw dropped a decision in the final to 21-year old Yan Zak. Mikhael, sometimes spelled Mikhail, is 3-0-1 as a pro with one KO.

Abramov was stopped by Zak in the third round of their semifinal encounter. Arthur won his lone pro fight by way of first round knockout. That bout took place in January of 2020.

The entire tournament results can be viewed here.