Tel Aviv’s Vice Mayor accused NYC Mayor Mamdani of ‘creating hatred’ toward Jews, and challenged him to a boxing match

Tel Aviv Vice Mayor Guy Avner has challenged New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to a boxing match. Avner made the challenge in a video posted to Instagram on Monday, accusing the mayor of making anti-Israel statements and fueling hatred toward Jewish people.

Avner said Mamdani’s comments have caused harm to Jewish communities. He said he wanted to confront the mayor directly over these remarks rather than simply criticize him from a distance.

The video quickly drew attention from Israeli media outlets, including The Jerusalem Post, which first reported on the challenge.

Vice Mayor says boxing means facing an opponent face to face

In the video, Avner said, “Mayor Mamdani, you’ve been saying a lot of horrible stuff, creating a lot of hatred towards the Jewish people.” He added, “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.” Avner spoke directly to the camera throughout the video, addressing Mamdani by name and repeating his criticism of the mayor’s public statements.

He said he chose boxing as the format for his challenge because the sport requires two people to face each other without stepping back. In a statement given to The Jerusalem Post after the video was posted, Avner explained that boxing is about facing your opponent directly, rather than exchanging criticism online.

The statement did not include a specific date, location, or set of rules for the proposed match. It also did not confirm whether Mamdani had responded to the challenge in any way. Avner’s video adds to a series of disputes between Mamdani and Jewish community figures since he became mayor. 

Mamdani has drawn criticism before over his stance on Israel, including his plan to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli leader visited New York for the UN General Assembly. That statement drew significant attention at the time, given the diplomatic sensitivities involved in such a move.

Avner holds the position of Vice Mayor of Tel Aviv. He used his title in the video while stating his intention to stand up to Mamdani’s comments and represent the city’s response to them. Mamdani has also faced pushback for becoming the first major politician to mark Nakba Day, a move that drew criticism from some Jewish leaders who saw it as a departure from typical mayoral practice.

As of writing, Mamdani did not publicly respond to Avner’s challenge.