Israeli Boxers Compete at European Championships in Sofia
The European Boxing Championships are currently underway in Sofia, Bulgaria, with several Israeli athletes participating. David Zakhari, competing in the under-50 kg category, has advanced to the quarterfinals. He secured his spot by defeating Alexandros Mavromatis of Greece with a unanimous 5-0 decision in his first match. Zakhari is set to face Rudolf Garboyan of Armenia in the next round, who is the reigning European U22 champion and a bronze medalist from the 2025 World Championships.
Other Israeli boxers faced early exits from the tournament. Farid Khreish (under-55 kg) lost his opening bout 0-5 to Bashkim Bajoku of Kosovo. Abdullah Rahal (under-60 kg) was defeated 0-5 by Giuseppe Canonico of Italy. Ahmad Shtivi (under-65 kg) lost 1-4 to Oier Ibarreche of Spain, an Olympian from Paris. Tomer Benni (under-70 kg) was eliminated after a 0-5 loss to Gabriele Guidi Rontani of Italy. Miroslav Kapuler (under-75 kg) lost 0-5 in the round of 16 to Pilip Akilov, who represents Hungary and is a bronze medalist from the 2025 World Championships. Daniel Ilyushonok lost his first fight 0-5 to Pavlo Ilyushov of Ukraine. Yonatan Barashi (under-85 kg) also lost his opening match 0-5 to Marvin Ghilarducci of Italy.
