Legendary Promoter Don Elbaum, 93, Dies

"I lost an old friend Don Elbaum today, as did the sport of boxing, which just became less interesting and fun," wrote Teddy Atlas upon hearing the news that the eccentric Hall of Fame boxing promoter died yesterday at the age of 93. Elbaum, who promoted boxing events for nearly 70 years, began his legendary career at a time when the International Boxing Club ruled the roost.

Born on August 6, 1932 in Cincinnati, Ohio to a Belgian immigrant named Max and a New Yorker named Sally, Donald Elbaum grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania from the age of 6. Sally was a concert pianist, and Don claimed he was a child prodigy on the piano, first playing at four years old. His uncle Danny Greenstein took him to his first boxing match, and Don fell in love. He claimed to have met the original editor of The Ring, Nat Fleischer, at the age of 13. A lightweight, Don fought numerous times as an amateur before he was shipped out to Korea.

While serving during the Korean war, Elbaum found his calling. He pitted American soldiers and Koreans in boxing matches. When he returned home to the U.S., he began promoting small shows in and around Erie. Elbaum represented both boxing's delightful irreverence and its foundational flaws.

He worked with all-time greats Muhammad Ali, Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, and Roberto Duran.  "Sugar" Ray Robinson and Willie Pep too, although both were old enough to be grandfathers at the time. At an honorary dinner, he once presented Robinson with the very gloves Sugar had used in his pro debut... or so he said. Robinson was touched by the gesture until he saw the two gloves. Both were for left hands.

Elbaum occasionally filled in for no-shows on cards he promoted. When a doctor didn't turn up, he fooled the commission by sticking tongue depressors into the mouths of the fighters and deeming them physically fit to fight on his show. He also brought another outlandish future nonagenarian into boxing, an ex-felon named Don King. "And I've been apologizing to the world ever since," Elbaum explained.

A great storyteller, he often blurred the lines between fiction and reality. He hustled, fibbed, and worked hard at his craft. In one feature story, he acknowledged to a writer that he sometimes said he was 45 years old even though he was actually 49. In truth, he was almost 60 at the time. But he promoted thousands of shows, taking risks all the while. He put on nearly 200 shows at the Tropicana in Atlantic City and was elected to that city's boxing Hall of Fame.

In 2019, he was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. It was the culmination of a colorful career. "He has a core of decency about him," Teddy Atlas said, "having done so many things on a shoestring, living out of a suitcase." The writer Jack Obermayer summed Elbaum up more succinctly, "The bum is a great man."

Paradoxically, Don Elbaum was the archetype of a crusty old amoral boxing promoter and yet he was one of a kind. May his memory be a blessing.

Yan Zak Embarasses Victor Chvarkou

Cruiserweight Yan Zak performed a balletic beatdown of veteran Victor Chvarkou by unanimous decision in a six-rounder at Vere Basketball Palace in Tbilisi, Georgia today. After a slow start, Zak embarrassed his tough Belarusian foe.

Entering the ring to hardcore sounds of No Sons of Mine's Not Meant to Strive, Zak began the fight cautiously. Chvarkou, a 39 year old, feinted, slipped Zak's jab, and used his counter right to carry a slow first round.

After the first, Zak's cornerman Artur Zlatopolsky waved a towel in front of his fighter's face ostensibly to cool him off. Instead, it served to light a fire under the 25 year old Israeli. Zak looked like the Jewish Ali in the second round: boxing, dancing, and punching circles around the befuddled bearded Belarusian.

From the second round onward, the difference in class was as a wide as the Black Sea. Zak's cheetah-like hand-speed made Chvarkou's rather pedestrian punch-quickness look slower than a snail. As a result, Chvarkou decided to keep his hands close to home, only attempting to win in the opening round and at the beginning of the final one.

Zak landed some ridiculous shots. At one point, he connected with a clean lead right, brought his hand back, and smashed the same lead right onto the left side of Chvarkou's skull. Zak hit the target with a counter left uppercut from the outside. He kept both hands down in the pocket and then unleashed a four-punch combination from the oddest angles; each punch hit the mark. He also left his right hand out with his legs in an orthodox stance, but his body titled like a southpaw. Chvarkou was confused and couldn't block the left hook that came out of that bizarre setup.

Zak told The Jewish Boxing Blog he carried an injured right hand into the fight, "So we decided to fight slowly all six rounds. We also wanted experience." The injury explains why he started too slowly in the first and why he didn't press too hard for the knockout. Zak said he couldn't hit hard with the damaged right. The only problem with going rounds against Chvarkou is that Zak is several levels above and could develop some bad habits against lesser opposition It's rare that a 3-0 fighter should step up the competition, but Zak is just that skilled.

The judges' scores were not announced, but Zak won by decision. The JBB scored it 59-55 for Zak. He's 3-0 with 2 KOs. Chvarkou tumbles to 6-26 with 3 KOs.

Yan Zak and Victor Chvarkou Make Weight

Yan Zak and Victor Chvarkou both made the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds ahead of their clash tomorrow at Vere Basketball Palace in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Zak, a 25 year old Israeli with a 2-0 record, has weighed 199.3 and 200.3 pounds in his two pro fights, according to BoxRec. He arrived in Tbilisi on Tuesday. This will be his second prizefight in the city.

Chvarkou is a 39 year old Belarusian with a ton of experience. His 6-25 record belies his quality as a fighter. He has almost always been the B-side in the opponent’s hometown. As a result, he’s been ripped off more than once.

Chvarkou has typically fought as a heavyweight but has campaigned in the cruiserweight division more and more. Two hundred pounds is still on the lighter side for the bearded Belarusian, who has another fight scheduled for September 13.

Zak-Chvarkou is scheduled for six rounds. Visit here for a preview.

Yan Zak to Face Viktar Chvarkou

Cruiserweight prospect Yan Zak is scheduled to face veteran journeyman Viktar Chvarkou on July 25 at Vere Basketball Palace in Tbilisi, Georgia. Chvarkou is a tricky opponent for a relatively inexperienced pro.

A 25 year old, Zak is 2-0 with 2 KOs. The resident of Ashdod, Israel has been particularly impressive in his first two professional fights. He completely dominated Darshan Singh in May in Zak's debut. Three weeks later, he forced Mukkhiddin Rajapbaev to quit after the first round. Trainer Artur Zlatopolsi has Zak ready to face a tough opponent in his third career bout.

Chvarkou's 6-25 record isn't stellar, but it's actually an indicator that the 39 year old can fight. Born in the Soviet Union in what is now Kazakhstan, Chvarkou represents Belarus and lives in Poland. He turned pro in 2016 and has been in tough ever since.

Standing about 6'4", Chvarkou is the consummate B-sider. His main goal is not to be knocked out, so he can fight again quickly. If he feels like he can win, he'll try, but if the opponent becomes too dangerous, Viktar will fight to survive. Early in his career, he opened up more and targeted the body. Evgeny Romanov clobbered him with a hellacious left hook in Chvarkou's second pro fight, earning a third round stoppage victory.

Georgia will be the ninth country Chvarkou has traveled to, fighting hometown favorites all along the way. In his third fight, the judges stole the bout from him and awarded it to Zamig Atakishiyev. It's not the only time he has been on the wrong side of a bad decision.

Trained by Andrej Gronovs, Chvarkou knows how to survive. He understands distance and mostly avoids the midrange. On the outside, he paws with the jab and looks to land counter rights. On the inside, he holds, especially against tall British heavyweight prospects such as Tommy Fletcher, Luis Wright, and Lewis Williams. The Belarussian isn't adverse to using foul tactics when needed and was disqualified for intentional headbutts in a 2019 bout against Christian Thun that Viktar was winning.

Chvarkou has lasted the distance against some known opponents. He heard the bell both times he fought Callum Johnson, who once knocked down Artur Beterbiev. He has only been stopped three times: in his second fight against Romanov, due to an injured right hand against Nelson Hysa, and against Arlo Stephens he was caught cold in the first by a looping right hand that he didn't see.

Unless he thinks he can win, Chvarkou will approach this contest against Zak cautiously. He just lost a decision last week and has a fight scheduled for September. He presents a challenge for the young prospect, though. The veteran is going to try to muck things up on the inside and stay out of range on the outside. It's up to Zak to find the right punches to stop the tough Belarussian. Chvarkou drops his hands a bit when he throws, which could leave him open to Zak's counters, but Yan will most likely need to lead in this contest. Combinations that start with jabs or hooks to the body and end with rights to the chin, could be the ticket for Zak.

This bout is scheduled for six rounds in the cruiserweight division.