David Malul showed some more of his skills in his third fight, a unanimous decision victory over Shaquille Rushing last Saturday. His jab and his dedication to the body were two key factors in his win.
"I believe in my jab," Malul told The Jewish Boxing Blog. "It was the gameplan to use the jab and I saw openings for it." The importance of the jab is espoused by his coach Mike Stellate at the Main Street Gym. "Everything is based off the jab," Malul said.
Bodywork is also stressed. "Body in Hebrew is behtan (בטן). Everybody in the gym knows the word behtan, because I say it so much." David understands just how essential body punches are. He's learning how to use them to break down opponents. "When you see it work, you believe it. Going to the body wasn't just the gameplan for this fight. It's the gameplan for every fight."
In November, Malul scored a devastating knockout of Zachary Davis. In the second round of that fight, he loaded up on head shots. "If I see an opening, I'm going to take it," the 22 year old explained. "He had an awkward frame that wasn't sturdy. I knew his punches wouldn't hurt me even if he caught me, so it was low risk," he said of his second pro fight. "If I can take you out early, I'll put you to sleep. I don't get paid overtime." In the third round, he set up the vicious knockout blow with a couple of shots to the ole behtan.
Malul was originally scheduled to fight Rushing on February 13, but the fight was delayed five weeks because of an illness to a main event fighter. David himself suffered from the flu in early February, having to cut weight and spar while sick. He was initially disappointed with the postponement because he had pushed himself so hard to get ready. But Coach Stellate helped him reorient his mentality. "My coach said, 'Now you have more time to train and have a better performance.'"
Curiously, Rushing is listed as a southpaw on BoxRec. Malul had seen his first fight and was prepared for him to fight from an orthodox stance, but he was ready for anything. He brought in "Lefty Gunz" Matthew Gonzalez to spar in case Rushing fought as a southpaw.
At the weigh-in, a fighter in another matchup refused to show up, which delayed the proceedings for over an hour. Coach Stellate kept Malul focused and reframed the situation. "Just imagine how hungry your opponent is," the coach told his charge.
Once the fight started, David trusted his skills more. "Slowly, the ring is becoming a home to me," he said. One skill he's had to learn is tuning out the crowd. His fans are boisterous and it affected him in his debut, a fight in which he was knocked down twice in the first before winning by knockout that same round. "When I say I didn't have much experience, it's not just the ten amateur fights. I didn't have experience with the crowd. Now I'm zoned in. I had to learn to dial out the crowd."
For the Rushing fight, David wore "Bibas" on his orange trunks to honor Shiri, Ariel and Kfir. The mother and her two sons were kidnapped and murder by Hamas in 2023. Yarden Bibas, who was released after 484 days in captivity, wrote a note of appreciation to David for the gesture. "I wanted to win to honor them," David said.
While his commemoration of the Bibas family has gained some publicity, flying under the radar is the fact that David flew out wounded Israeli soldiers and bought them front row seats to show his gratitude for their sacrifice.
David's heart is in the right place, but so is his head. When asked what he can improve in the ring, he was adamant, "My whole game entirely," he said. "My jab, my right hand, everything. I'll be working on it in the gym. I truly believe my best skill hasn't come out yet."
When it does, the crowd will surely be rocking and the opponent will soon be sleeping.
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