Daniel Ivanovski to Face Anthony Price

Daniel Ivanovski is scheduled to face Anthony Price on August 9 at the Bluegrass Harley Davidson in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. This is a battle between undefeated cruiserweights.

Ivanovski, a 24 year old Israeli, turned pro last September. He now sports a record of 4-0 with 3 KOs. He's a skilled operator with a varied attack. The prospect has been susceptible to overhand rights in the past, but that won't be a problem against Price, a 33 year old southpaw from Stockbridge, Georgia.

Price had his pro debut in 2022. He pummeled 18-fight veteran Jalyn Anthony for just over five minutes, scoring five knockdowns. Price's straight left is his best punch, which he can use either to the head or to the body. He forced Byron Harkley to quit after the second round of their 2023 clash in Atlanta. His last fight was over a year ago against Matthew Caleb Esch, the son of hard-punching fan favorite Butterbean. In the second round, Price pawed with a straight left to the head, which brought up Esch's guard. The Georgian then went to the Esch's exposed body with a straight left. Esch crumbled in pain, writhing on the canvas. The fight was halted.

Ivanovski has the age and pro experience advantages. Price is listed at 6'1", so Daniel also has a slight height advantage. Ivanovski's hands are faster, but both men have very good technique. Price keeps a tight, responsible guard and uses subtle foot movement in and out to set up his punches. He hasn't shown much of a right hand yet during his brief pro career, though.

Ivanovski's career has been akin to the first line of a Dickens novel. He dominated his two fights in Louisville, where this one will take place. But in a fight in Philadelphia last year, Ivanovski was tagged by Marcus Smith's right repeatedly. In a close fight, Daniel stopped Smith with 14 seconds left in the contest to salvage a victory. Ivanovski's last fight was not his strongest performance. A clash in North Carolina against Romelle Terrell was his second in eight days and Daniel wasn't as sharp as usual. He also suffered a bad cut late in that fight which put him out of action for several months.

Price represents a very stern test for the Israeli prospect. Ivanovski will need to pull out more of his Louisville magic to get the victory. The left hook and right uppercut will likely be the key. This bout is scheduled for four rounds.

David Malul Off August 23 Card

"King" David Malul's next fight will have to wait. The undefeated welterweight prospect suffered an injury in camp recently. A fractured nose was the issue. He tried to push through but soon realized it was smarter to take some time off. Malul had been scheduled to fight on August 23 at Suffolk Theater in Riverhead, New York, USA.

On Instagram, Malul announced that he would be back in a few months. The prognosis is about six months of recovery time. Malul is 22 year old from Jamaica, Queens, New York. He trains at the Main Street Gym under Mike Stellate. David boasts a record of 3-0 with 2 KOs.

The Brief Career of Dino "Casino" Berkowitz

Dean Allan Watt was born on January 20, 1957 in Mount Holly, New Jersey to Raymond Watt and Beryl Berkowitz Watt. Dean came from a big family with five siblings. In his early twenties, he became a barber and hairstylist. He worked hard and eventually owned multiple salons.

Around this time, Watt added boxing to his busy schedule. He was trained by Joe Tete, a decorated bodybuilder and boxing coach. They worked out of the Moorsetown Gym in New Jersey, a hotbed for fighters in the area at the time. Watt assumed his mother's maiden name, Berkowitz, for his boxing career. Dean was an avid gambler and loved to make the hour drive southeast to Atlantic City, so his nom de box was Dino "Casino" Berkowitz.

"He just wanted to be a fighter," Coach Tete told The Jewish Boxing Blog. "He never had any amateur fights, just a lot of guts and some training."

Berkowitz turned pro on June 26, 1983 at the age of 27. Fighting just above the lightweight limit, he faced fellow debutant Joey Whitfield at the Cherry Hill Inn in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. A writer at the Courier-Post was unimpressed. "Believe it or not," the scribe wrote, "a Mount Holly hairdresser named Dean Allan Watt will make his pro debut on the bill, fighting under the moniker Dino 'Casino' Berkowitz. C'mon, give me a break." Whitfield didn't give Berkowitz a break and stopped him in the third round.

Casino Berkowitz next fought on October 9, 1984 on a card promoted by Don Elbaum. He took on Charlie Briscoe of Philadelphia at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Berkowitz knocked out Briscoe at the end of the first round. He was in tough in his next fight on November 20 at the same venue. Casino's opponent was Johnny Bizzarro Jr. of Youngstown, Ohio. Bizzarro was only 1-1 at the time but would go on to have a very good career. He stopped Berkowitz fifty seconds into the second round.

Berkowitz floored by Bizzarro

Berkowitz retired from the ring with a record of 1-2, all three fights ending early. "I love that guy. He was a real character," Coach Tete remembered. "He was a tough guy, a good guy, and had a great following." Dino loved the beach and was always spotted with a tan. He lived in Florida for a time, but moved back to New Jersey where he always made it a point to visit the casinos in Atlantic City.

On November 20, 1995 Dean Watt died under tragic circumstances. He was just 38 years old.

Sources

Interview with Joe Tete.

Marder, Phill. "Rossman Readies for 'step two' in his attempt to regain the title." Courier-Post. Jun. 11, 1983. Pg. 9.

Snyder, Craig. The Boxers of Youngstown, Ohio. 2018.

Watt, David. "Dean Allan Watt." Find a Grave.

"King" David Malul Back in Action in August

"King" David Malul is scheduled to make his fourth pro start on August 23 at the Suffolk Theater in Riverhead, New York, USA. Malul, a 22 year old native of Queens, is 3-0 with 2 KOs.

Malul has shown tremendous power early in his career as a prizefighter. He exhibited improved skill in his last fight, a unanimous decision victory over Shaquille Rushing last March. This fight will be about an hour's drive east of the Paramount Theatre, the venue for Malul's first three fights.

David observes Shabbat, so his fight won't start until after sundown, which will arrive at 7:37pm on August 23 in Suffolk. Its eastern location benefits David, because the sun will set earlier in the day than in a more western city in the same time zone.

No opponent has been announced as of yet, but whoever he faces can expect an assault to the body.