Guy Avner, a senior Tel Aviv-Yafo municipal official, has challenged New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to a charity boxing match and suggested Tel Aviv as a possible venue. So far, Mamdani has not publicly responded, and no date, venue or organizer has been announced.
An unusual challenge has emerged from Tel Aviv to New York.
Guy Avner, who is officially listed by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality as Deputy to the Mayor (המשנה לראש העירייה), published a video on August 2 challenging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to face him in a charity boxing match.
According to the earliest report located by the Jerusalem Post, Avner proposed that proceeds from the event could go to a charity chosen by Mamdani. He also suggested Tel Aviv as a possible location for the fight.
Avner later told The Media Line that boxing was not the only option. If Mamdani preferred, he said, the two could compete in basketball or chess instead. Those alternatives were raised after the original boxing challenge.
Why did Avner challenge Mamdani?
The challenge follows a series of controversies surrounding Mamdani’s positions on Israel.
Mamdani has publicly defended the BDS movement, describing it in a 2025 interview as a “legitimate movement” aimed at seeking compliance with international law.
He has also faced criticism over his response to the slogan “Globalize the Intifada.” Mamdani has said the phrase is not language he personally uses, but when asked directly on NBC’s Meet the Press whether he condemned it, he declined to do so, arguing that a mayor’s role should not be to police speech.
Another dispute concerns Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mamdani previously said he intended to act on the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu if Netanyahu came to New York. In July 2026, however, Mamdani acknowledged that New York City does not have independent legal authority to enforce the warrant.
He did not abandon his underlying position. Instead, he called on the federal government to act and continued to argue that Netanyahu should face the ICC.
Who is Guy Avner?
Official Tel Aviv-Yafo municipal records identify Avner as המשנה לראש העירייה, a senior deputy-to-the-mayor position.
He serves on the City Council and holds the municipality’s Aliyah and immigrant absorption portfolio. He is affiliated with Yisrael Beiteinu and is also a lawyer.
Although several international reports have described him simply as Tel Aviv’s “Deputy Mayor” or “Vice Mayor,” the municipality’s current Hebrew listing uses the title Mishneh LaRosh Ha’Ir, or Deputy to the Mayor.
Is the boxing match actually happening?
Not at this stage.
As of August 9, no public response from Mamdani, his office or the New York City government had been located.
There is also no evidence so far of official Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality involvement in organizing the proposed event.
No date has been announced, no venue has been booked, no promoter has been identified and no charity has been formally selected.
That means the proposed Tel Aviv fight remains a public challenge rather than a scheduled event.
Antisemitic hate crimes in New York also form part of the backdrop
The exchange comes as antisemitic hate crimes remain a major concern in New York.
According to NYPD data cited by Israeli media, 205 confirmed anti-Jewish hate crimes were recorded in New York between January and July 2026, compared with 189 during the same period in 2025.
Those reports say Jewish victims accounted for approximately 57% of all recorded hate crimes in the city during that period.
However, there is no verified evidence establishing a causal connection between Mamdani’s rhetoric and the increase in antisemitic incidents as of yet, although it is too early on to even create such a report. We believe that soon there will be an official report establishing a factual connection.
For now, Tel Aviv is waiting for an answer
Avner’s boxing challenge has attracted attention largely because of its unusual format: instead of another exchange of political statements, a Tel Aviv municipal official has invited New York’s mayor to settle their disagreement in a sporting event for charity.
Avner has already suggested Tel Aviv as a potential venue and has indicated that Mamdani could even choose the type of competition.
But until Mamdani responds, the proposal remains exactly that: an invitation.
For now, there is no fight, no date and no tickets to buy. There is simply an open challenge from Tel Aviv waiting for an answer from New York.
