Tel Aviv Vice Mayor Guy Avner challenged New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to a boxing match, citing the American mayor’s anti-Israel statements and accusing him of fomenting hatred towards the Jewish people.
“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 posted to Instagram on Monday. “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 then issued the challenge, telling Mamdani, “You and me, in the ring, charity event.”
He added that the proceeds of the event could all go to a charity of the New York City Mayor’s choice.
“And you're going to stop dissing the Jewish people and the great state of Israel,” Avner added. “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.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers a speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States of America at City Hall in New York, NY, US, July 3, 2026. (credit: Anna Connors/Pool via REUTERS)In the caption attached to the video, Avner encouraged viewers to spread the video around until Mamdani accepted the challenge.
"We can have it in [Tel Aviv] - don't worry you won't get arrested," Avner wrote, a reference to comments Mamdani made to the New York Times in July when he said his administration was considering detaining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit New York for the September UN General Assembly.
The New York City mayor later walked back the threat, admitting that his administration did not have the authority to execute the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
In a statement to The Jerusalem Post following the publication of his video, Avner said he decided to challenge the NYC mayor to a boxing match because “boxing is about facing your opponent directly.”
“Mayor Mamdani has repeatedly thrown punches at Israel, the IDF, and many Jews around the world with his rhetoric,” Avner continued. “Instead of fighting through headlines and social media, I invited him to step into the ring, where there are rules, respect, and accountability.”
TLV Mayor Avner: 'Words have consequences'
Asked why he chose this moment to issue the challenge, Avner said “words have consequences” and pointed to the elevated rates of antisemitic incidents around the world, a tide that rose precipitously in the wake of the Hamas-led massacres in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
“At a time when antisemitism is rising around the world, and Israel continues to face existential threats, public leaders have a responsibility to lower the temperature, not inflame it,” Avner said. “I felt it was important to draw a line and challenge the normalization of rhetoric that many Jews experience as deeply hostile.”
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