Israeli kickboxer Ahavat Hashem Gordon maintained his unbeaten run on Saturday, defeating Turkish fighter Ali Koyuncu, who had taunted him ahead of the clash with a series of anti-Israel posts on social media.

Gordon, 19, was widely seen as dominating the fight, organized by the Lithuanian UTMA combat sports organization and held at the Zalgiris Arena in Kaunas, the country’s second-largest city.

Tension had been building in the days before the contest as Koyuncu posted on social media anti-Israel comments and threats against Gordon. Relations between Israel and Turkey have been particularly strained since war broke out in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, with Turkey backing Gaza and sharply criticizing Israel’s military campaign against the Palestinian terror group.

At the pre-fight weigh-in, Koyuncu tried to grab Gordon by the throat, and as officials strove to hold the two men back from attacking each other, the Turkish fighter sent a kick to the Israeli’s stomach.

“I brought a doctor to fix your face after the fight,” Gordon told Koyuncu, according to a report from the Ynet outlet. “Now there’s no mercy.”

In the opening round, both fighters........

© The Times of Israel