Muay Thai boxer Ahavat Hashem Gordon landed in Israel on Monday morning to a stormy welcome at Ben Gurion Airport.
Hundreds of supporters waved Israeli flags and waited for him, less than 48 hours after he defeated his Turkish opponent by knockout in the ring in Lithuania.
At a special press conference held upon his arrival, Gordon addressed the dramatic victory, the tension surrounding the fight, and his personal feelings as a religious boxer representing Israel on the international stage.
The bout, held under the Lithuanian UTMA organization, had already drawn international attention before it began due to antisemitic remarks made by his Turkish opponent, Ali Koyuncu.
“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for my entire life," he said emotionally. “Everything is from Hashem [G-d]. Especially when the fight was against a Turkish opponent who is antisemitic. If I had spent time thinking about everything that was happening, it would have thrown me off balance and I would have stopped this fight."
He recounted a conversation with his Turkish rival: “I asked him why he wrote what he wrote and told him not to do it again. I do respect that he stepped into the ring because that takes a lot, but beyond that, I don’t respect him."
He revealed that he and his family were subjected to a wave of antisemitic responses on social media and during the event in Lithuania. “Even in the crowd I heard about various incidents. We are doing what we need to do, and we are doing the right thing," he said.
Gordon added, “It’s crazy and it’s a privilege. I used my strength and showed that a Jewish Israeli goes up with a kippah and tzitzit and doesn’t hide who he is."
He went on to describe the support he received from IDF soldiers: “The emotional messages I received were from IDF soldiers. Soldiers who watched the fight in Gaza - it moved me almost to tears."