Wohlman Feeling More Comfortable in the Ring

Zachary Wohlman defeated Eddie Cordova by unanimous decision last Saturday at the Forum. Wohlman told The Jewish Boxing Blog that his victory was "a good win mentally," although he recognizes he has things to work on in the ring. The fight was the first match in a big time venue since his November 2012 loss to Alonso Loeza at the Staples Center, a fact that made Wohlman admittedly nervous.

Interestingly, Wohlman-Cordova was scheduled as a swing bout, meaning that the fighters did not know at what time they would be in the ring until the last moment. But Wohlman explained that the bout took place over an hour earlier than he expected. "My hands weren't even wrapped when they told me it was time."

The scheduling miscommunication actually aided Wohlman, because he was nervous heading into the fight due to the legacy of the Forum. Since the fight time was earlier than he had thought, Wohlman didn't have a chance to be extra nervous in the moments before he strolled to the ring.

The win not only allowed Zac to move past being starstruck by big venues, but he felt more comfortable in the ring than before. He talked about working on sitting down on his punches more, but acknowledged that he likes his current box and move style. He said tongue in cheek, "It's called boxing, not stand there and get punched in the face."

With regards to his perceived lack of power, Wohlman discussed his admiration for the legendary Jewish boxer Benny Leonard. Zac noted, "They never talk about how much power he had; they talk about how smart he was." Wohlman also expressed his respect for the recently retired former champion, Yuri Foreman, "Personally, I love his style."

Wohlman plans to get back into the gym tomorrow. He feels rededicated to boxing after a recent visit to Israel and a moving tour of Yad Vashem. Wohlman explained that the trip had a profound impact on him. "When I got my tattoo (of the Star of David on his torso), I was 21 years old and I thought it was a religious thing. But seeing all of those flags at Yad Vashem, I realized it's bigger than that. I have the flag of a whole country on me. I feel the responsibility that comes with it."