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!

Zachary Wohlman Has Died

Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman died on Sunday, February 14 at the age of 32. He was a charismatic and kindhearted man. I got a chance to know him, and I'm devastated that he's gone.

I was fortunate enough to have some nice long talks with him on the phone. During our first talk he flattered me by saying that he always checked out The Jewish Boxing Blog's articles about his fights first, even before he read the mainstream outlets such as The Ring, known as the Bible of Boxing. He claimed he cared more about my opinion than that of the big shots in the industry. It was a very gracious thing to say. I would come to learn that he said gracious things because he was a gracious person.

I met him in person in Brooklyn at the first ever boxing event at Barclays in 2012. I was there to cover Dmitriy Salita and Boyd Melson, and he had traveled from California to support his stablemate Peter Quillin and his friend and idol Paulie Malignaggi. He was full of energy and optimism about his nascent career. We met at a bar in the arena and watched a couple fights together. He was there with friends, a drink in each hand, while I was there alone, but he was so welcoming I felt like I belonged in his circle.

A few weeks later he suffered his first lost, and I attempted to console him. I remember him grasping for reassurance, "A lot of great fighters have lost before, right?" We continued to have talks on the phone; the kind that left you feeling good afterwards. We emailed a lot, too. He always called me with news of his career, but more and more we discussed other things. We talked about being Jewish in this country, debated about other boxers, and, well, just talked about life in general.

I know he truly admired his coaches, Freddie Roach and Eric Brown, and he looked up to Malignaggi like an older brother, soaking up his advice.

While training Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines one time, Roach said something nasty to a Jewish reporter. I was angry, and I wrote an article about it. Zac read it and called me, not necessarily to defend his mentor but to explain. He walked me through the rough upbringings many boxers endure and the culture of a boxing gym. I could see how the remark wasn't meant to be malicious to a group of people. He made me understand. And afterwards, my anger over the comment completely dissolved.

I loved his hit-and-don't-get-hit style in the ring. He once told me tongue-in-cheek, "It's called boxing, not stand there and get punched in the face." As smooth as he was inside the ring is as affable as he was outside of it. But no one's perfect. He struggled with alcoholism and self-doubt. Zac was able to rebound after his first lost and in that comeback victory he explained, "I wasn't concerned with my opponent. I was concerned with myself. The thoughts that were going through my head, that was the real fight." Coming back from the loss showed Zac that he has "a lot more character than I give myself credit for."

Sadly, we fell out of touch. It was nothing more than the drift of time. My attention focused more on family and work while Zac continued to be in the public eye and soon finished up his career. He married and moved to Texas to help disadvantaged kids find an outlet in boxing. He also worked with those who possess special needs.

And now he's gone. It hurts a lot. May his memory be a blessing.

Zachary Wohlman Working with Ring of Hope

California native Zachary Wohlman moved to Texas last year to run the Ring of Hope Boxing Club in South Dallas, which aims to help at-risk youth find direction through boxing. He currently runs two programs with a third opening up in the Dallas area shortly.

You can click here to watch an inspiring video of Wohlman showing former world champion Paulie Malignaggi around the gym and explaining what the program is all about.

To learn more about Ring of Hope, click here for their website and click here for their Facebook page.

The JBB is Back! An Update

The Jewish Boxing Blog is now back. I apologize for not providing any updates and for not getting back to anyone kind enough to email me. I am thrilled to announce the reason I was incommunicado is because my wife and I had twins. They are now a year and a half, and my head is finally just above water.

Since The JBB's last post in January of 2017, not a ton has happened in the world of Jewish boxing. Yuri Foreman hasn't been in the ring since that last post, but he is considering a comeback according to hints he's dropped on Facebook.

After suffering competitive defeats to the best light heavyweights in the world, Sergiy Kovalev, Olexandr Gvozdyk, and Eleider Alvarez, Isaac Chilemba beat Blake Caparello, an Australian boxer whose three losses have been to world class opposition. After the victory in March, Chilemba lost a decision to Dmitry Bivol, a Russian fighter who might be the next light heavyweight star. Chilemba is now 25-6-2 with 10 KOs.

Boyd Melson retired with a 15-2-1 record and flirted with a run for Congress, even raising money for the endeavor.

Carolina Raquel Duer lost two split decisions to Maria Cecilia Roman on August 4, 2017 and then exactly one year later. Duer's record is now 19-5-1 with 6 stoppages.

Tony Milch, the British junior middleweight, out-pointed a 90-fight veteran Arvydas Trizno in May of 2017. Afterwards, Milch suffered his first two career losses. A fifth round stoppage loss to 17-1 (at the time) prospect Matt McCarthy took place on October 10, 2017. Fewer than four months later Milch dropped a close decision to 47-fight veteran Danny Little, who picked up only his seventh victory. Perhaps the 37 year old jumped into the ring too quickly after the TKO loss.

Zachary Wohlman went1-1-1 in 2017. His win was a stoppage victory, Kid Yamaka's second career KO. Each of the three fights were against boxers with more professional fights than Wohlman, but each opponent had a losing record. Wohlman last fought on November 3, 2017, a 4th round KO loss. He is 10-3-2.

After falling to undefeated prospect Charles Foster, Sam Horowitz has faced two opponents with quality records. He lost to David Murray in April of 2017 and then drew with Daniel Najera four months later. He also knockout Skylar Thompson, but the fight was later ruled an exhibition because Thompson weighed too much. Sam retired with a 6-3-2 and 5 KOs.

Dustin Fleischer retired in May of 2017 with a 6-0 record and 5 KOs.

Two young fighters have surfaced since 2017. David Kaminsky is an 18-year old southpaw junior middleweight. The 3-0 boxer punches in combination and attacks the body. He has scored two knockouts thus far and is promoted by Top Rank. Benny "The Jewish Bulldog" Sinakin is a 21 year old light heavyweight from Philadelphia. The former amateur standout is 2-0 as a professional with one knockout and one shutout decision victory.

Wohlman Returns

After a 19-month layoff, Zachary "Kid Yamaka" began his comeback Saturday night. He didn't show much rust in cruising over Lionel Jimenez at the Marriott Convention Center in Burbank, California.

Jimenez lost to Dustin Fleischer by decision on January 16. The 28 year old is likely the first man in 60 years to lose to two different Jewish boxers within a two month span. He is now 2-11 with two KOs. Jimenez has never been stopped.

But the real story was Wohlman and his triumphant return. At 149.5 pounds, he was the heaviest of his career, surpassing his previous high of 148. Yet he was able to showcase his typical movement. Two judges scored the fight 40-36 and one had it 39-37. Wohlman moves to 9-2-1 with 1 KO.

Wohman to Return in March

Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman is scheduled to return to the ring on March 6 at the Civic Auditorium in Glendale, California. Wohlman (8-2-1, 1 KO) is coming off of a decision loss against Paul Velarde last August, which snapped a four-fight win streak.

Wohlman's fight is scheduled for six rounds. No opponent has yet been named.

Wohlman Returns to the Ring

Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman is scheduled to be back in the ring on January 17 at the Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme, California. Wohlman is coming off of a decision loss to Paul Velarde in August.

Wohlman (8-2-1, one KO) was the lightest of his career- 141.25 pounds- against Velarde. That fight was the first time Wohlman boxed as many as six rounds. Zac is a slick and skilled boxer who can hurt opponents, but doesn't possess knockout power. He's had issues with stamina and injuries during his career.

Wohlman's opponent will be Vicente Guzman (2-4-1), a surging welterweight from California. Vincente's record and moniker are both misleading. Nicknamed "Manos de Cemento," Guzman has no knockouts, but he has won his last two fights. All four of his losses came against undefeated fighters. He won a six-round split decision against Manuel Alejandro Reyes in November. Wohlman will be the most experienced opponent of Guzman's career.

This bout is slated for six rounds.

Wohlman Falls to Velarde

Coming in at the lightest of his career, Zac Wohlman suffered his second career defeat last night at the Glendale Civic Auditorium in Glendale, California. Unheralded Paul Velarde won by unanimous decision.

As in his first defeat, a stoppage loss to Alonso Loeza in 2012, a lack of stamina was Wohlman's issue. He was unable to box and move as Velarde applied relentless pressure. Velarde was more skilled fighting on the inside, which was the primary location of the fight.

The judges' scores were 59-55, 58-56 twice. Wohlman is now 8-2-1 with one KO. Velarde moves to 4-4-3.

Wohlman to Face Velarde

Zachary Wohlman is scheduled to face Paul Velarde tomorrow at the Civic Auditorium in Glendale, California. This will be Wohlman's first scheduled junior welterweight bout of his professional career.

Wohlman (8-1-1, 1 KO) is the bigger man. He has weighed in for all ten of his bouts between 142 and 149 pounds. Riding a four fight win streak, Wohlman has shown flourishes of pop in recent contests without losing his identity as a boxer.

Velarde (3-4-3) has fought his entire career as either a lightweight or a junior welterweight. The California native has lost his last three fights. He hasn't stopped any of his opponents, but he hasn't been stopped either.

The fight is scheduled for six rounds.

Wohlman Feeling More Comfortable in the Ring

Zachary Wohlman defeated Eddie Cordova by unanimous decision last Saturday at the Forum. Wohlman told The Jewish Boxing Blog that his victory was "a good win mentally," although he recognizes he has things to work on in the ring. The fight was the first match in a big time venue since his November 2012 loss to Alonso Loeza at the Staples Center, a fact that made Wohlman admittedly nervous.

Interestingly, Wohlman-Cordova was scheduled as a swing bout, meaning that the fighters did not know at what time they would be in the ring until the last moment. But Wohlman explained that the bout took place over an hour earlier than he expected. "My hands weren't even wrapped when they told me it was time."

The scheduling miscommunication actually aided Wohlman, because he was nervous heading into the fight due to the legacy of the Forum. Since the fight time was earlier than he had thought, Wohlman didn't have a chance to be extra nervous in the moments before he strolled to the ring.

The win not only allowed Zac to move past being starstruck by big venues, but he felt more comfortable in the ring than before. He talked about working on sitting down on his punches more, but acknowledged that he likes his current box and move style. He said tongue in cheek, "It's called boxing, not stand there and get punched in the face."

With regards to his perceived lack of power, Wohlman discussed his admiration for the legendary Jewish boxer Benny Leonard. Zac noted, "They never talk about how much power he had; they talk about how smart he was." Wohlman also expressed his respect for the recently retired former champion, Yuri Foreman, "Personally, I love his style."

Wohlman plans to get back into the gym tomorrow. He feels rededicated to boxing after a recent visit to Israel and a moving tour of Yad Vashem. Wohlman explained that the trip had a profound impact on him. "When I got my tattoo (of the Star of David on his torso), I was 21 years old and I thought it was a religious thing. But seeing all of those flags at Yad Vashem, I realized it's bigger than that. I have the flag of a whole country on me. I feel the responsibility that comes with it."

Wohlman Outboxes Cordova

Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman defeated Eddie Cordova by unanimous decision earlier tonight at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Wohlman outboxed a game Cordova throughout the four-round affair.

After the opening bell, Wohlman and Cordova raced at each other and traded punches. Wohlman got the better of the exchange by sticking to the body first and then working his way up to his opponent's head. Halfway through the round, Wohlman transitioned to boxing. He slipped Cordova's attack while landing jabs and left hooks.

Wohlman landed more blows over the next two rounds as he backed up. By moving as he punched, Wohlman neutralized his own power, however. He also fell into a tendency of releasing one punch at a time, although Zac was very accurate. Cordova gallantly chased Wohlman, but couldn't cut off the ring and was thus ineffective. In the second round, Cordova featured a cut over his left eye. By the third, Cordova began to slow down.

Before the third round, Wohlman's trainer, Eric Brown, advised Zac to come forward and back up Cordova. Wohlman eventually tried in the fourth, but his natural inclination when on the inside is to hold. Since Cordova's only real hope was to land something when both men were in close, Zac expertly pinned Cordova's arms so Eddie was unable to throw punches. Wohlman would then potshot the journeyman from the outside.

Though the fourth round was more competitive, the outcome of the fight was never in doubt. Tony Crebs scored the fight 40-36 while David Mendoza and Raul Caiz Jr. both saw it 39-37. The Jewish Boxing Blog had it 40-36 in favor of Kid Yamaka.

Wohlman improves his record to 8-1-1 with one KO. Cordova is now 4-8-1 with one KO.

Wohlman to Fight This Week

Welterweight Zachary Wohlman is scheduled to be back in the ring on Saturday at the Forum in Inglewood, California on the undercard of Juan Manuel Marquez-Mike Alvarado. Wohlman's opponent is slated to be journeyman Eddie Cordova.

Wohlman (7-1-1, 1 KO) has won his last three fights, including a majority decision over Luis Hernandez in February. The 25-year old California native is a slick boxer who has been more aggressive at times in recent fights. In his lone loss to Alonso Loeza in 2012, stamina was a problem.

Cordova (4-7-1, 1 KO) is a 35-year old from Utah. Cordova has lost 6 of his last 7 fights. The only win came over Hernandez last summer. Cordova lost two unanimous decisions in April as a junior middleweight. Last July, Eddie was stopped in the first round against Olympian Errol Spence after a body shot. Cordova is a come-forward fighter who is often off balance.

This fight is scheduled for four rounds.

Wohlman Wins By Decision

Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman won by majority decision against Luis Hernandez at the Florentine Gardens in Hollywood California. The judges scored the bout 39-37 (twice), 38-38.

Wohlman came in the lightest of his career, weighing in at 142.8 pounds. He grabbed his third consecutive win and pushes his record to 7-1-1 with one KO. Hernanadez, who was coming off Hernandez is now 2-6 with two KOs.

Wohlman to Fight in February

Welterweight Zachary Wohlman is scheduled to fight on February 6 at the Florentine Gardens in Hollywood, California in a four-round bout.

Wohlman (6-1-1, 1 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Steve Conkin in November. This will be Wohlman's fourth fight at the Florentine Gardens and his second consecutive at the venue.

An opponent has not yet been named.

Zachary Wohlman vs. Steve Conkin

November 14, 2013
Florentine Gardens
Hollywood, California


Wohlman: white trunks
Conkin: green trunks

Wohlman on His Last Fight and His Future

Welterweight Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman talked to The Jewish Boxing Blog about his last fight and his future. Wohlman outboxed Steve Conkin on November 14 and won a unanimous decision to move his record to 6-1-1 with one KO.

Of his opponent, Wohlman said, "I've got to give him credit. He was tough. He was crafty. I talked to him after the fight and he said he had 70 fights amateur fights." Wohlman, who took the fight on one and half week's notice, said he was initially scheduled to face former Dmitiriy Salita victim Roberto Valenzuela, but the California commission did not approve the bout.

Wohlman was pleased with his performance, "I worked on the inside. I felt comfortable. I boxed early, then I went off on him. Then I boxed again when I realized I wasn't going to get him out of there." Wohlman was satisfied with his stamina. In his lone loss, which took place a year ago, Kid Yamaka punched himself out in the first round and was stopped afterwards.

Wohlman was offered a spot on a Salita Promotions card in New York in December, but he said there were logistical issues. Nevertheless, Wohlman anticipates his next fight will be six rounds. He said he doesn't foresee any stamina issues and is excited because, it takes him a couple of rounds to warm up, so, as a boxer, if there are more rounds scheduled, he has a better chance to succeed.

Zac also had kind works to say about other Jewish boxers, specifically Salita, Yuri Foreman, Boyd Melson, and Cletus Seldin.

Zachary Wohlman on Freddie Roach's Comments

Last Wednesday, Freddie Roach made an off color comment about reporter Elie Seckbach calling him a "fucking Jew." Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman has trained in Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California with the five time BWAA trainer of the year for six years. The two men are close; Roach even attended Wohlman's Bar Mitvah celebration.

Of Roach, Wohlman told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "He doesn't have a racist bone in his body." Wohlman noted that Roach has worked with and cared for people of all different races and faiths.

Zac believes that Roach doesn't argue well and isn't always calm and levelheaded in a confrontation. He went on to explain that people in boxing have also been brought up in places of hardship and that can color how they handle conflict. Often in boxing, people are defined by their ethnic or racial makeup, and that may have also played a role into the insults hurled during Wednesday's altercation.

Wohlman Wins Second Straight

Welterweight Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman defeated Steve Conkin by unanimous decision at the Florentine Gardens in Hollywood, California. Wohlman is now 2-0 in 2013 after returning from a broken jaw.

Wohlman weighed in at 146.5 pounds, seven more than his opponent, who took the fight on short notice. The pace favored Wohlman who controlled the action from start to finish.

Sporting a thick beard, Kid Yamaka established range with his jab in the first round. At one point in the round, he threw a double jab and landed a hard right that sent Conkin stumbling backwards. Wohlman also connected with a combination that featured a left hook to the body and then one to the head.

Conkin, who showed good upperbody movement, had no answer offensively in the first round. In the second, Conkin was busier with his hands, but Wohlman outboxed him from the outside with his jab. Wohlman found Conkin's feints unconvincing because the latter did not possess the hand speed or punching power to bother Zac. Wohlman landed a couple of nice left hooks in the round.

In the third, Wohlman knocked Conkin back with a combination and then attacked the body. Conkin was pinned against the ropes as Wohlman fired away. But Conkin landed a right to the top of Wohlman's head and Zac realized the knockout wasn't coming. He spent the next round and a half controlling the fight from range with his sharp quick jab and intelligent lateral movement.

Wohlman won with three scores of 40-36. Conkin (4-7-1), from Canada, has now lost six fights in a row after starting his career with four straight victories. Wohlman advances to 6-1-1 with one knockout.

Wohlman "Felt Amazing" in Last Fight

Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman grabbed his first win in a year on July 13 when he defeated Omar Avelar by way of unanimous decision. Wohlman advanced his record to 5-1-1 with one KO with the victory.

Wohlman hadn't fought since his first career defeat lat November. In an interview with The Jewish Boxing Blog, Wohlman described being back int he ring, saying it "felt amazing... I had a blast in the ring."

When asked if he was nervous, Wohlman admitted, "I wasn't concerned with the opponent; I was concerned with myself." He explained that while in the dressing room, "The thoughts that were going through my head was the real fight."

Zac also noted that he has made certain lifestyle changes since the loss and has developed a new confidence as a result.

Wohlman Wins Comeback Fight

Zachary Wohlman earned his first win in a little over a year with his unanimous decision victory over Omar Avelar at Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, California last night. Wohlman outboxed Avelar on his way to winning with three scores of 40-36.

This win against an over-matched opponent is just the first step for Zachary towards recapturing the status he held before last November's loss. Wohlman advances his career mark to 5-1-1 with one KO. Avelar falls to 2-8 with one KO.

Before the fight, Wohlman was featured in an article in The Hundreds.