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)

Sagiv Ismailov-Nikita Basin Preview

One hundred years ago, Jews regularly fought one another in the ring. As the century progressed, fights between two Jews became exceedingly rare. A few Israeli Jews battled each other during the first decade of the common era's new century, but Ismailov-Basin, which will take place on September 15 in Ashdod, Israel, is the first all-Jewish professional boxing match The Jewish Boxing Blog, which began in 2010, has covered.

On what should be an exciting night of boxing including a total of four Jewish pro boxers and many other Jewish amateurs, Sagiv Ismailov and Nikita Basin may just steal the show. Both men are power punchers with a come-forward style. They're both willing to let their hands go and focus more on offense than defense. It should be fun.

Ismailov (2-0, 2 KOs) is a 20 year old who last fought professionally 21 months ago. He has the faster hand-speed and the better defense. He uses his fleet feet and good upper-body movement to avoid the opponent's punches. Sagiv switches to southpaw on occasion and is a vicious body puncher. Having only fought a total of eight minutes and 42 seconds in his pro career, his punches have sometimes been a bit wide, and he occasionally was too squared up within the opposition's punching range. He sparred with kickboxing star Itay Gershon for this fight.

Basin is a 35 year old with a 4-2 record (4 KOs). Nikita has been more active, fighting twice in 2021. He fought fellow Jewish boxer Mikhael Ostroumov in an exhibition bout this summer. Basin's the naturally bigger man. In half of his fights he's been over the light heavyweight limit; Ismailov has fought under the super middleweight limit in his two fights. Basin, who sparred with retired former world title challenger Ran Nakash for this bout, has also fought the better competition. While his four victims didn't have good records, his two conquerors, Joel McIntyre and Kyle Lomotey, were quality opponents.

Against Lomotey, Basin kept a tight guard: elbows in, gloves protecting the chin. That posture will negate Ismailov's body assault, but it'll leave his temple exposed. Basin has power, but he sometimes lunges with his punches, and his hands move like tortoises.

Basin signifies a tough test for Ismailov's third fight, but the younger man should be considered the favorite in this one.

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.

Ostroumov Overcomes Injury, Beats Basin

Mikhael Ostroumov defeated Nikita Basin in an all-Jewish exhibition match at Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv, Israel tonight. The bout was a four-rounder.

Southpaw Ostroumov, 24 years old, outboxed the 35 year old Basin. Basin relentlessly pressed forward with his hands up, but as soon as he began to fire, Ostroumov initiated quick counters. Ostroumov injured his left shoulder during the fight and relied mostly on movement and his jab. He occasionally showed the left but couldn't muster much power with those punches.

In a comical- though not funny- moment after the fight, referee Shlomo Niazov raised Ostroumov's left hand in victory. Everything was normal at first, but something quickly changed. Ostroumov began howling in pain. Unfortunately, his yell sounded exactly like one gives after they win, an elated, "Ahhhh!" Though the fight was an exhibition, Mikhael had just recovered from an ACL injury, so that level of excitement wouldn't have been out of place. Niazov must have assumed the yell was a happy one and didn't immediately release Ostroumov's arm. After breaking free, Mikhael was able to celebrate with his team shortly after and no additional damage was done.

An electric atmosphere burst inside the Dizengoff Center for the event, promoted by former bantamweight world champion Hagar Finer. This was a far cry from boxing events in Tel Aviv about ten-fifteen years ago when polite claps occasionally interrupted the awkward silence.

For Ostroumov, who goes by "Mikhael" on Instagram and "Mikhail" on his trunks, it was surely a bittersweet fight. His knee held up, but his shoulder gave out. Since it was an exhibition, Ostroumov remains 3-0-1 with one KO and Basin is still 4-2 with 4 KOs.

courtesy of Tomer Ben Shalom's IG story

Mikhael Ostroumov to Face Nikita Basin in Exhibition

Mikhael Ostroumov and Nikita Basin are scheduled to face each other in a four-round exhibition at Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv, Israel on Monday, July 4. The fight is the main attraction of an event put on by former bantamweight world champion Hagar Finer. World title challenger Ran Nakash is helping out. Former pro boxer and Olympian Shlomo Niazov is set to be the referee of the main event.

Ostroumov is a 24 year old southpaw prospect. He went 3-0-1 with one KO to start his career in 2020 but suffered a knee injury which has slowed his progress. Ostroumov fought in the 2021 Israeli amateur championships but hasn't been in action since.

Basin is a 35 year old with a 4-2 record. Beginning in 2019, he won his first four fights by KO. After a 21 month layoff, Basin took a giant leap up in opposition.  He was stopped against former English light heavyweight champ Joel McIntyre and undefeated prospect Kyle Lomotey in his last two fights, both in England.

Ostroumov is younger, taller, and more skilled. Basin has been more active, is tough, and has power. Admission to the entire event, which starts at 7pm local time, is free. Since it's an exhibition, the result won't count on the fighters' official records. The point is to grow the sport of boxing in Israel, which currently has a few very dedicated fighters and coaches but not much of a fanbase.

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!

Tough Night For Two Jewish Boxers

Igor Lazarev and Nikita Basin both fell tonight in separate bouts at Bolton Whites Hotel in Bolton, England, United Kingdom. Lazarev dropped a six-rounder on points to Greg McGuinness. Basin was stopped in the second round of his fight against Kyle Lomotey.

Lazarev came out boxing in the first. Greg McGuinness, a southpaw, charged forward. He landed a left but ate a right for his trouble. Both guys had some success doing what they wanted in the opening period. Another left off McGuinness's jab as he moved in was a harbinger of things to come. Meanwhile, Lazarev landed an overhand right and some body shots. It was a close round.

The second and third rounds saw McGuinness's pressure wear down Igor. Lazarev landed some nice rights in the second, but it was clear the home fighter's punches thudded harder. McGuinness spent some time mauling the Israeli on the ropes. At times, Igor bent down and McGuinness took what was given him, landing on the top of Lazarev's head.

Exhausted in the corner, Igor found a spark in the fourth. After taking a right hook and a jab, Lazarev connected with a big left hook of his own. He moved his head effectively and his feet kept him out of danger. In the middle of the round, he turned into the Magic Johnson of boxing, throwing no look punches as he bent at the waist. Those blind shots connected with astonishing accuracy. He slipped oncoming fire like a defensive master.

McGuinness finished the fourth strong, but it wasn't enough to take the round. In the fifth, Lazarev continued to show off his defensive skills, but those brilliant no-look bombs were mostly a relic of the previous round. McGuinness trapped him in the corner and raked him with some more lefts. The Brit's overhand left seemed to carry the day.

Both men were in excellent condition. Even in the final three minutes, McGuinness lingered on Lazarev like a loiterer. He wouldn't stop throwing punches. Igor dodged many of them though. At one point, he was caught on the ropes once again, so he spun and landed a one-two in return. By the end of the fight, both men were trading fire. Though McGuinness missed many of his punches in the final round, enough slammed off Igor to take it.

Referee Jamie Kirkpatrick scored the bout 59-55 for McGuinness, or five rounds to one. In certain fights in Britain only the referee scores the contest. The Jewish Boxing Blog scored the bout 59-56 or four to one with one even. Lazarev is now 8-2 with 3 KOs while McGuinness improves to 3-0 with one KO.


Nikita Basin started his fight using the bob and weave tactic as he pressed forward. When he wasn't punching, he kept an unusually tight guard to protect against punches down the middle and keep his chin safe. His speed wasn't quite enough to catch Kyle Lomotey, a slick southpaw. Basin landed a snapping jab that caught Lomotey off guard, but the home fighter soon figured out Basin's style.

Lomotey boxed well and held his left glove up to guard against the overhand right, Nikita's best shot at victory. Kyle landed some good right hooks, a clean straight left, and threw a well-timed jab. Though Basin's chin was in the clear, his temple was exposed and Lomotey zeroed in. A right hook just before the bell to end the opening round put Basin down to the canvas.

Basin couldn't get much going in the second round. To his credit, he pushed forward even as Lomotey picked him off. The Brit, who reps his Ghanaian heritage, punched around the tight guard when he went to the body. He then landed an overhand left and a right hook that wobbled Basin. Lomotey followed up by teeing off on the Israeli. Referee Jamie Kirkpatrick jumped in to wave off the contest. Basin stared at the ref as he was escorted back to his corner and shrugged in resignation.

This is the second time in a little over a month Basin has been stopped. His ledger is now 4-2 with four KOs. None of his fights have gone into the fourth round. Lomotey is now 10-0 with two KOs.

Kudos to both Lazarev and Basin for showing courage by fighting tough foes on short notice in the opposition's home country.

Igor Lazarev and Nikita Basin in Tough Tonight

Lightweight Igor Lazarev and light heavyweight Nikita Basin are both in tough tonight in separate bouts against undefeated opponents at Bolton Whites Hotel in Bolton, England, United Kingdom. Lazarev faces Greg McGuinness while Basin battles Kyle Lomotey.

Lazarev (8-1, 3 KOs) will give up three a half pounds to McGuinness, a southpaw. Lazarev weighed in at 133.5 pounds while McGuinness tipped the scales at 137. McGuinness (2-0, one KO) scored a stoppage victory against another debutant in 2019 and earned a points victory over a journeyman with more than 100 losses in March of 2020. This will be his first fight in twenty months.

Lazarev has more experience and has been more active. He fought three times in 2020 and once this year. Both are listed at 5'8", but McGuiness, at 30 years old, is five years younger than Igor. This bout is scheduled for six rounds.

Basin (4-1, 4 KOs) will enter the ring with a 13 pound weight advantage. At 169 pound, Basin qualifies as a light heavyweight. At 156 pounds, Lomotey (9-0, one KO) is just two pounds above the junior middleweight limit. Basin was stopped in thirty seconds in his last fight on October 23, but fortunately Lomotey doesn't appear to be a puncher; he possess a KO ratio of just 11%. Only one of Lomotey's wins came against an opponent with a winning record.

Lomotey, who is British, is a 31 year old southpaw. That gives him a four year age advantage over Basin. But with the Israeli's size and knockout power, he has a puncher's chance. This bout is also scheduled for six rounds.

Basin Stopped in the First

Nikita Basin took a huge step up in facing Joel "El Toro" McIntyre tonight at South Parade Pier in Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. McIntyre, a former English light heavyweight titlist, was a veteran of 22 fights and 122 rounds heading into tonight's fight. Basin, by contrast, had acquired just six rounds of pro boxing experience in four bouts.

McIntyre spent little time in dispensing with his Israeli foe, who was a last-minute replacement. El Toro landed a huge right hand that stopped Basin thirty seconds into the contest.

This was a cruiserweight bout as the scales read 182 pounds for McIntyre and 181.3 for Basin at yesterday's weigh-in. This was the heaviest of Basin's career and the second heaviest of McIntyre's. Both were coming off of career-long layoffs. Basin hadn't fought in 21 months while McIntyre last fought three years ago.

Basin is now 4-1 with 4 KOs. McIntyre is 19-4 with 4 KOs.

Nikita Basin to Fight Joel McIntyre Saturday

Light heavyweight Nikita Basin is scheduled to fight Joel "El Toro" McIntyre on Saturday, October 23 at South Parade Pier in McIntyre's hometown of Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom. Basin is a late replacement for Lewis Van Poetsch. Coincidentally, Lewis has fought and fallen to two Jewish boxers, Danny Ahrens and Tony Milch.

Basin was born in Belarus and now lives in Israel. After a late start in the pro game, he is 4-0 with 4 KOs. Basin has fought a total of six professional rounds. All four of his fights took place between July 2019 and January 2020. He last fought in a professional boxing match 21 months ago. His opponents sported a combined 1-15 record when he faced them. McIntyre is a giant step up.

McIntyre's career can be spun in different ways. On the positive side, he is a former English light heavyweight champion with a 18-4 record. All of his losses have been at the hands of men who have held the English light heavyweight belt at some point in their careers. Two of them came against Miles Shinkwin and another to Liam Conroy. His other loss came in a funky tournament in which he dropped a three-round decision to Doc Spelman after dropping him in the second stanza.

McIntyre has virtually all of the advantages heading into this fight. At 33 years old, he's a bit younger than Basin. He has loads more pro more experience, has fought the better opposition, and he's fighting in his hometown.

On the negative side, McIntyre has only three wins against fighters with a winning record. In his second pro fight, he beat a 13-12 opponent on points. Another win came against Shinkwin, who he has lost to twice. And the other win came against a 7-2 foe in a three-round decision in that weird tournament.

McIntyre has only three KOs on his record; Basin has four. Despite having more experience, El Toro has been inactive longer. All of Basin's pro fights have come since McIntyre last entered the ring. After winning the English light heavyweight title against Shinkwin in 2016, the pinnacle of Joel's career thus far, Conroy stopped him in the second round of their fight the following year. McIntyre scored a momentum-changing knockdown in the second round of his fight with Spelman, but became overconfident and was knocked down himself in the same round before dropping the decision.

McIntyre had a shot to regain the vacant English title in 2018. His opponent, for the third time, was Miles Shinkwin. At the end of the ten-rounder, the judges declared Shinkin the winner. "I’ll be honest, I was fed up with boxing," McIntyre told The Portsmouth News about the loss.. "I didn’t put on a pair of gloves for about a year- didn’t hit anything for about a year- I was totally done with it."

Though McIntyre has only three KOs, he's not a light-hitting boxer. He'll mix it up. But he can be hurt. He's been knocked down and cut in several fights. Basin is a puncher and roughing up McIntyre on the inside and trading punches with him is probably his best chance for what would be a huge win for the Israeli.

Basin-McIntyre is slated for six rounds.

Basin and Abramov Win

Nikita Basin and Arthur Abramov each won by way of first round stoppage on a card in Holon, Israel on January 25. Basin won by TKO with thirty seconds remaining in the opening round against Mykhaylo Ihnatiuk.

Basin is now 4-0 with 4 KOs. Ihnatiuk, a Ukrainian who had a six-pound weight advantage heading into the fight, is winless in seven tries. He has been stopped in each of his fights, including against Nur Rabia last October.

Abramov, a 24 year old from Jerusalem, made his debut that night against Alaa Abu Naji. Both fighters came in over the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds. Abramov landed a couple of overhand rights to score the knockout after two minutes and 45 seconds of action. Naji, a 23 year old from Nazareth was also making his debut.

Basin Wins Third Fight

Light heavyweight Nikita Basin, a 33 year old from Israel, had his hand raised in victory after his contest with Andrii Chamaidar in Myrhorod, Ukraine.

After two minutes and forty seconds of the first round, referee Shlomo Niyazov stopped the contest. Basin won by technical knockout. Basin had a significant weight advantage weighing in at 178.5 pounds to Chamaidar's 172.

Basin is now 3-0 with three KOs while Chamaidar, a 21 year old Ukrainian, is 1-9 and has been stopped nine times.

Nikita Basin to Fight in Ukraine

Nikita Basin, a light heavyweight from Israel, will take part in his third professional boxing match on Sunday against Andrii Chamaidar in Myrhorod, Ukraine.

The fight will take place one day after Basin's 33rd birthday. Basin won his debut in July when his opponent, Yuriy Tkachenko, couldn't come out for the second round. Basin won by TKO last month against the debuting Vladyslav Dynnyk. Both fights took place in Ukraine against Ukrainian fighters.

Both cards featured another Israeli boxer, Nur Rabia, a 23 year old super middleweight. So far, Rabia has forced both of his opponents to surrender after the second round in each of his two bouts. The opponents had a combined 1-11-1 record at the time Rabia fought them. While their records were poor, they did have far more pro experience than did Rabia and both had significant weight advantages.

Basin's opponent, Chamaidar, is a 21 year old from Kharkiv, Ukraine. He is 1-8 with all eight of his losses coming by knockout. On paper, he has the look of a soft touch, but Chamaidar did win his last fight by first round KO.

This bout is scheduled for four rounds.