Tel Aviv Vice Mayor challenges NYC Mayor Mamdani to boxing match
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
Tel Aviv Vice Mayor Guy Avner has publicly challenged New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to a charity boxing match, citing what he called the American mayor’s repeated anti-‘Israel’ statements and accusing him of hatred toward Jews.
The challenge came in a video Avner posted to Instagram on Monday.
“Mayor Mamdani, you’ve been saying a lot of horrible stuff, creating a lot of hatred towards the Jewish people,” Avner said in the video.
“As the Vice Mayor of Tel Aviv, I’m going to stand strong. I love America, I love New York City, but you, Mamdani, you’re bad news.”
“You and me, in the ring, charity event,” adding that all proceeds could go to a charity of Mamdani’s choice.
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Avner continued, “And you’re going to stop dissing the Jewish people and the great state of Israel. I’m coming for you. There’s nowhere to run. There’s nowhere to hide. It’s time. You and me, face to face. Let’s go.”
In the video caption, he encouraged viewers to share the clip until Mamdani accepted and noted the bout could be held in Tel Aviv, quipping, “We can have it in Tel Aviv – don’t worry you won’t get arrested.”
The remark referenced Mamdani’s earlier comments to The New York Times about potentially detaining ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court warrant if he visited New York for the UN General Assembly—comments the mayor later walked back, acknowledging his administration lacked such authority.
In a follow-up statement to The Jerusalem Post, Avner explained his motivation: “Mayor Mamdani has repeatedly thrown punches at Israel, the IDF, and many Jews around the world with his rhetoric. Instead of fighting through headlines and social media, I invited him to step into the ring, where there are rules, respect, and accountability.”
Mamdani, sworn in as New York’s 112th mayor on January 1, 2026, is the city’s first Muslim and Asian American mayor and a democratic socialist who has drawn criticism from ‘Israeli’ officials and Jewish leaders over his rhetoric on ‘Israel’ and Gaza.
