New Opponent for Doron Zinman's Debut

A debuting fighter has a lot of new things with which to deal, and a change in opponent doesn't make anything easier. Doron Zinman was originally scheduled to fight Hope Cindi on November 23 at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa. Thankfully, the time and place will remain the same, but the opponent won't. Zinman is now scheduled to fight Masibulele Mjoli.

Mjoli, who is from the nearby province of Mpumalanga, will also be making his professional debut on November 23. He received his pro license this year.

This bout is scheduled for four rounds.

Odelia Ben Ephraim to Challenge Tania Alvarez for European Title

A potential fight of the year candidate is on the schedule for November 30 when Odelia "Thunder" Ben Ephraim faces the European junior featherweight champion Tania Alvarez at Casal Cultural i Recreatiu in Castellbisbal, Spain. This is a big opportunity for the former French featherweight champ.

Ben Ephraim won the French featherweight title a year ago. She had the chance to fight Sheila Martinez for the European featherweight title in January, but sustained an injury. She came back in June when she lost her national title by disputed decision. Following that disappointment, Ben Ephraim said, "I think I deserve a strong comeback." She told The Jewish Boxing Blog, "I've been working hard since July, and I feel more ready than ever."

Ben Ephraim will be going down in weight for this title challenge. All eight of her career fights have been at featherweight. She has spent much of this camp in Israel where she's already made the featherweight limit. She admits cutting to 122 will be a little hard, but she'll make it.

The 25 year old from Blagnac, France comes into the fight with a 5-3 record. Her three losses were all close contentious decisions against tough opponents. She faces another tough foe at the end of the month.

Nicknamed "La Violencia," Tania Alvarez is a 22 year old from Barcelona, Spain who began boxing at the age of 14. She fights like a whirlwind, running toward her opponent to get inside. Once there, she repeatedly fires combinations until her arms inevitably tire as the fight progresses. Alvarez keeps her hands low and with her volume punching, she is very open to counters. Tania's chin is tungsten tough, however. She doesn't block or slip punches, at least not intentionally, instead she uses that chin to break the will of the opponent.

Boasting an 11-1 record, Tania's only loss came against the brilliant boxer Skye Nicolson, who exposed Alvarez's crude brawling style. Nicolson stuck-and-moved, but Alvarez's constant pressure wore down Nicolson in the later rounds. One reason Alvarez lost to Nicolson was because the fight took place in Madison Square Garden. Alvarez's other fights have been at home, and she has gotten the benefit of the doubt in several close fights.

Vanesa Caballero had a lot of success in 2022 against Alvarez, but only one judge gave her so much as a round. That same year, the judges gave Alvarez a majority decision victory over Enerolisa de Leon in a very close fight. This past April, Maria Cecchi was incredulous when Alvarez was announced the winner of the vacant European title. All of those bouts took place at Casal Cultural i Recreatiu. The fight against Ben Ephraim will be Tania's tenth at the venue.

Ben Ephraim could try and keep Alvarez at range with her jab and then pivot to find new angles, similar to how Nicolson won her fight. Alvarez runs straight through the door, so angles could help neutralize her offense. Odelia, however, tends to stand in the pocket and throw combinations, just as Alvarez does. The champ's punches are wide, designed to go around the opponents guard in close. Odelia could punch with her, but even if she gets the better of the exchanges, the judges may not agree. If she makes it a firefight, body punches will be essential, because Alvarez's chin is too strong. A blend of boxing and brawling could keep Alvarez off balance.

This will be Ben Ephraim's first ten-rounder. Alvarez has gone the twenty-minute distance twice.

New Opponent for Joshua Feldman

Joshua Feldman was scheduled to fight Tumi Nakedi on November 23 at Box Camp Booysens in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nakedi is now out and Brian Ontshiametse Shakoane is the new opponent.

Feldman is a real-life Spiderman. Just before his debut, he was bit by a spider, which must have been radioactive because the 20 year old from Cape Town has looked superhuman on his way to a 4-0 record with 2 KOs. He doesn't shoot webs from his hands, though, just straight lefts and right hooks.

The southpaw last fought on September 20 and earned a dominating first round knockout victory. "I was pretty pissed off because the guy never made weight," Josh told SA Boxing Talk. "I was coming to hurt him in that fight."

Shakoane is a 31 year old who grew up in Brits, North-West, South Africa. A tough guy, Brian sports a noticeable scar across his left cheek. He has been boxing for over ten years and turned pro in 2019. Since then, he has amassed a record of 1-3.

Unlike Feldman's previous two opponents, there's no doubt Shakoane will come to fight. In his debut against Ashton Davis, he showed a crisp jab early. He reached with wide power punches, but launched his shots with mean intentions. Davis placed a combination to the body in the first round, which caused Shakoane to retreat to the corner and cover up. The referee waved off the bout shortly thereafter.

Two years later Shakoane was involved in a wild fight against the taller Xolani Selimane. Both men came out firing wild clubbing shots like the old Toughmen contests in the U.S. Shakoane was hampered by defective footwear as he kept sliding around the ring. His corner took off his shoes after the first round, and he actually fought the final three rounds barefoot. Brian managed to bloody Selimane's nose and score a knockdown in the fourth round, but a left hook to the body ended his chances.

In 2022, Phumelelo Cele stopped Shakoane in the first round, his third stoppage loss in three fights. But Brian came back last month to score his first career victory with a first round TKO win.

This fight will be a good test for Feldman. Shakoane has power, so Feldman will need to be a bit cautious early. He also leads with his head and since Josh is a southpaw, an accidental butt is a real possibility. Feldman can opt for straight counters down the middle, or uppercuts when Shakoane's head leans forward. The key to a knockout will be body shots, but that can be risky against a shorter fighter with power.

This bout is scheduled for six rounds, a distance neither fighter has gone yet. Feldman believes he'll be even better when his fights are scheduled for more rounds, which makes sense. In previous fights, he rushed his power punches, aiming for a knockout. With more time, he'll be able to establish his jab and and can take the time to set up his power punches. He's also a vicious body puncher, a skill which will have more effect in longer fights.

Feldman-Shakoane will be streamed on DAZN and Vision View TV.