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One of Israel’s Best Fighters Says Jews Need To Get Tough

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by Alan Zeitlin

When Israeli Itay Gershon steps into the kickboxing ring September 4, he will face only one opponent-Frenchman Guerric Billet in a lightweight matchup in Rotterdam, Netherlands as part of Glory 78. It will be a fair fight. But what Gershon, 28, doesn’t like is seeing clips of Jews in America getting beaten up, at times when it’s 10 people against one.

“I’m angry but I’m not surprised at the violence in America,” Gershon said in a phone interview from Jerusalem. ” I always thought people considered it cool to hate Jewish people. We are the nerd of the class so anti-Semites want to go with the bullies. We have to be like the people in Dagestan who adopt adopt a lifestyle of marshal arts. I don’t understand that with some many enemies who have wanted to kill us how fighting is not one of our traditions. It should be. Jewish people need to be warriors. Not just have the Israeli Defense Forces. If you go to Dagestan, everyone knows how to fight. Even Israelis aren’t tough enough. Maybe more than American Jews, but we all need to be tougher.”

Gershon is 4-1 while fighting in Glory, is the first Israeli to sign with the kickboxing organization and he grew up in Katamon, Jerusalem. He said his loss to Luke Whelan was due to a decision he didn’t agree with. He said some judges are just bad and he hopes it had nothing to do with him being Israeli but he said he knows it’s not beyond the realm of possibility. Gershon describes himself as a nice guy with bad intentions in the ring and has an overall record of 17-50- with six knockouts. He won the bronze medal in the 2017 World Games. Billet, 25, is 3-2-0 with one knockout in Glory and has an overall record of 32-4-10 with 14 knockouts.

Like other Israeli mixed martial artists such as Haim Gozali, Noad Lahat and Natan Levy, he’s gotten anti-Semitic comments on social media.

“People mess with me online with bad comments online,” he said. “Anti-Semitism will never die. They want me to lose and they want me to die because I’m Israeli but I don’t care.”

Online one person expressed solidarity with him, writing that in France it’s a tradition to be anti-Semitic.

He said the best fight of his career was his last battle, when he defeated Li Sanjin in a majority decision.

“He was a good fighter full of action but I was able to counter him,” he said.

At 5’9 and 157 pounds, Gershon knows he is more David than Goliath and often fights at 145 pounds.

“I’m not a big guy but when I kick someone in the face they feel the big pain,” Gershon said.

The Jerusalem resident is ranked fifth in the lightweight division while his opponent is ranked 10th. Gershon said he missed not fighting during the pandemic.

“We couldn’t go out of our homes in Israel and when Glory wanted to do events it was cancelled,” he said.

The fighter said he’s beginning to be more involved in grappling and to get more money and prestige he may one day try to jump jump to Bellator or Ultimate Fighting Championship which require more training. In kickboxing there are three three-minute rounds and the fight never goes to the ground, whereas in Bellator and UFC, the fight often goes to the ground where there is grappling and wrestling and a fighter can win by submission.

That doesn’t mean he hasn’t gotten hurt. Gershon said he’s broken several bones including one bad injury to his chest-bone, which took several months to heal.

“I’m definitely thinking about the future and I have more to learn to be in Bellator or UFC, but right now I have things to accomplish in kickboxing,” he said.

He said he puts teffilin on but is not observant while his wife is shomer shabbat.

He said it’s a misnomer that fighter aren’t romantic. He knew his girlfriend Sapir, from Givat Gonen High School in Jerusalem. In fact, when it was time to propose to his wife Sapir, she took her on a private helicopter and proposed. She accepted. But there was one problem.

“She puked,” he said with a laugh. “But I love her of course. i think it was her first time on a plane like that.”
Unlike most fighters, he has a regiment where he fasts between 16 and 20 hours a day.

“When I’m training I definitely miss candy and I miss pizza,” Gershon said.

He said he’s competed against Muslim fighters before and they were always respectful. He said one difference is that in kickboxing there is less trash-talking than Bellator and UFC.

“I take pride in representing Israel,” he said. “I want to show the world what I can do.”

He said those who only learn krav maga to defend themselves are mistaken and that people who learn it should combine it with a ring sport like boxing, or kickboxing.

He runs several times a day and does sparring and will travel to Tel Aviv or Bat Yam to work out.

He said he loves playing with his two children and is building a future for them.

:I want to be the best version of myself for them and Sapir,” he said, adding that he doesn’t take the aggressiveness from practices or matches home with him. With an overall record of 17-5-0 with six knockouts, he said he will be looking to make a name for himself in the nest fight. He said he’s been training since his bar mitzvah and has gotten financial support from the Israeli government. He said mixed martial arts is becoming more popular in Israel but has a ways to go.

He said one great quality he has is focus.

“When I’m fighting, all I care about is winning,” Gershon said.

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