Cruiserweights Yan Zak and Peter Msyoka Make Weight

Yan Zak and Peter Msyoka both made weight ahead of their clash tomorrow at the Meydan Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Zak came in at 199.8 pounds. His range has been between 190 and 202, but he has primarily straddled the cruiserweight limit by a pound of two. The 26 year old is 8-0 with 6 KOs. He arrived in Dubai yesterday for his fifth pro fight in the emirate.

Msyoka, a 32 year old from Tanzania, weighed 198.4 pounds. His range has been between 178.5 and 200. Peter must be commended for his professionalism in always making weight. With a record of 15-2 and 15 KOs, Msyoka is making his third appearance in a ring outside of his native country.

After the weigh-in, Zak refueled with electrolyte gels and a sports drink. He had rice cakes and water. He then enjoyed a meal of white rice and fish with a bottle of peach Vitamin Well Antioxidant.

Zak-Msyoka is scheduled for ten rounds and will be streamed on iFL TV. For The Jewish Boxing Blog's preview of the fight, click here.

Preview of Yan Zak vs. Peter Msyoka

Cruiserweight prospect Yan Zak faces Peter Msyoka this Saturday at the Meydan Hotel, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Though Msyoka, a 32 year old from Tanzania, is no pushover, Zak must be considered the favorite.

Zak is a 26 year who represents Ashdod, Israel. A member of the Tyson Mireli team, Zak has amassed a sterling record of 8-0 with 6 KOs. The Terminator is a classy boxer-puncher who has developed more of a pro style in recent fights. Instead of revealing all of his arsenal at once, Zak has been going through the gears to establish dominance before disposing of his opponents.

Msyoka (15-2, 15 KOs) is a skilled fighter, but not on Zak's level. All of his wins have come against substandard opposition, primarily novices. A 2025 win against journeyman George Dimoso was his lone victory over someone who could actually fight. That one ended when Dimoso took out his mouthpiece in the fifth, put it back in, and then spit it out.

The ending of the Dimoso fight is illustrative of how many of Msyoka's fights finish, though Dimoso wanted to continue. While Msyoka's knockout wins are not necessarily fixed, they almost always end strangely, which could be a function of his opponents looking for a way out. 

Early in 2025, Msyoka fought Ally Pori, who was apparently knocked unconscious by a body shot. For boxers, the frustrating aspect of absorbing the perfect body shot is that they're acutely aware of their surroundings, they know the pain is temporary, and yet they are powerless to get up. Pori evidentially didn't get the memo until he magically awoke a little after the count.

Msyoka's wins have also come against opponents with physical limitations. The most extreme case came versus Alex Mwakibete, who was significantly shorter and rounder in the middle than Msyoka. After showing some tricky footwork, Mwakibete was knocked out cold by the wind of a Msyoka missed punch.

Though Mwakibete is 40 years old, he isn't one of the several Tanzanian opponents Msyoka has faced who was born during the Julius Nyerere administration.

Peter traveled abroad twice for fights, and neither went well. He was drastically out of his depth against Faton Tulaj, a decent but unspectacular fighter based in Germany. Earlier this year, the Tanzanian fought Dhruv Supeyia, a Canadian, for the not-particularly-appropriate IBO Asia-Pacific cruiserweight title. Supeyia won a wild brawl by second round TKO.

Msyoka, who customarily wears light blue trunks with white trim and colorful ribbons dangling from his beltline, has a good left hook and throws effective body punches. He has some deceptive combinations, going up and down. He throws his right to the head more like a football, but his right to the body is a thudding shot. Zak cannot take Msyoka lightly, but the Israeli has fought tougher guys like Abdul Ubaya and Arshdeep Singh. He should take care of business early.

Zak-Msyoka is scheduled for ten rounds for a couple of belts.

David Malul to Fight in November

"King" David Malul announced on Instagram that he will return to the ring in November. He had been scheduled to fight on October 10 at the Paramount Theatre, his familiar stomping grounds. Instead, he'll fight on November 14 in Newark, New Jersey.

The 23 year old boasts a 5-0 record with 3 KOs. He last fought in June, an impressive second round knockout of Julius Thomas in Atlantic City.

His first three fights were on Star Boxing cards. He fought last November on his own King David Promotions show in his home borough of Queens. Last fight was part of a Boxing Insider event.

The details of Malul's next fight have not been announced yet.

Feldman Decisions Brits in Dog Fight

Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Joshua Feldman bested the tough Emile Brits by unanimous decision today at Makers Landing in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Feldman captured a gritty fight with a mixture of supreme skill and strong resolve.

The 22-year-old southpaw from Cape Town landed repeated right uppercuts and relentlessly assaulted Brits's body. Feldman had never gone more than six rounds before, but he showed impressive stamina in this fast-paced ten rounder. He exhibited a mature game plan against the toughest opponent he has faced.

Brits, a 30 year old South African, connected with clean straight rights throughout the fight. Feldman's sturdy chin was tested too frequently for his fans' liking although he slipped a number of those rights. After a dominant first round, Feldman quickly took control of center ring in the second. The strategic shift happened too early in the fight, and Brits had a strong round despite a cut above his right eye. The blood percolated down his cheek in the waning seconds of the round, but his corner did a fantastic job of preventing a gorier scene.

Feldman's constant mashing of the midsection wore down the durable Brits. If there was a criticism of Feldman's right uppercut, it's that he initiated the failsafe tool when Brits was still fresh. Though the punch was there all night, Feldman could have possibly scored a knockout by holding off on showing that weapon until Brits faded. The element of surprise is a key aspect of securing a knockout.

By the end of the fifth round, Feldman was in complete control as Brits wilted. The question of a stoppage seemed to be a matter of when and not if. But in the sixth, Brits showed tremendous guts and got back into the fight. He took the next two rounds by slim margins thanks to a ton of straight rights. Feldman's left eye reddened in the seventh. 

Referee Elroy Marshall somewhat unfairly subtracted a point from Josh's ledger in the eighth due to low blows. In the face of the infraction, Feldman's body attack didn't relent, however. He won the ninth round convincingly and closed the show in the tenth as Brits tired down the stretch.

Two judges scored the fight 97-92 while a third had it 95-94, all for Feldman. The Jewish Boxing Blog saw it 96-93. The bout was awarded fight of the night, making the two combatants 10,000 Rand richer. After the contest, Josh acknowledged he fought on the front foot too frequently, spurred on by the hometown crowd.

Feldman's record is now 8-0 with 3 KOs. Brits falls to 6-4 with 3 KOs. He has never been stopped.

Joshua Feldman: Makes Weight, Ready for Step-Up Fight

Junior middleweights Joshua Feldman and Emile Brits both made the 154 pound limit ahead of their ten-round contest tomorrow at Maker's Landing in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. The winner will capture a minor belt.

Feldman weighed in at 153.2 pounds. With a record of 7-0 (3 KOs), the native of Cape Town has been remarkably consistent with his weight throughout his young career. He's been within a pound and a quarter for all of his fights. After the weigh-in, he refueled on Pasta Napoletana with chicken and bread.

Over the past year, the 22-year-old southpaw has been working with Brandon Woods at DLX Gym in Las Vegas. "His knowledge and ability to breakdown the fundamentals is unparalleled," Josh said of his coach.

Woods apprenticed for over a decade under the watchful idea of Kenny Adams, a legendary teacher and Hall of Fame trainer. The student helped the great Nonito Donaire prepare for his clash against Naoya Inoue, perhaps the best fighter in the world. Illness prevented him from working the corner that night.

A classic boxer when he first traveled to Vegas, Feldman has added weapons to his arsenal. "I'm very excited to show my progress in this fight." he told The Jewish Boxing Blog. "I've completely transformed the past year." One area of improvement has been his inside game. After sparring against Mexican contenders, Feldman realized his infighting needed work.

"Brandon has given me a great understanding of how to fight on the inside, using glove manipulation techniques, and moving my body in perpetual motion to create offense," Feldman told The JBB. That doesn't necessarily mean that's the game plan for tomorrow night against Brits, but it's a realistic option now.

Feldman and Brits sparred a little over two years ago. Josh felt he got the better of the session though he acknowledged Brits's team said their man was out of shape. "I know I've progressed a ton in the last two years," explained Feldman.

That progress has come about thanks in part to sparring with the likes of Francisco Veron, Stevie McKenna, and the Terteryan twins, Sebastian and Nikolai - the latter an Olympian. "It's given me a ton of confidence," Feldman said. "I couldn't have hung with them when I first got here last year, but I now can give great work to any 154 pounder out there." He credits Coach Woods with that development.

Brits, a 6-3 (3 KOs) 30 year old from Kraaifontein on the outskirts of Cape Town, weighed in at 152.6 pounds. He's a tough veteran of combat sports who has never been stopped. Splitting his time between welterweight and junior middle, the five and a half year pro has faced the far stiffer competition under the lights. A rough come-forward fighter, Brits signifies Feldman's toughest opponent to date. It's a challenge Josh will face without Woods, who couldn't make the trip to Cape Town.

The fight is scheduled to be shown on Ignition TV in South Africa.