‘Magic Man’ to bring his sorcery to big Emperors Palace showdown
Having received the stamp of approval from Lennox Lewis no less, Ricardo Malajika will continue his march to the top when he headlines the “Power House” tournament at Emperors Palace on March 9.
This will be the first of Golden Gloves’ five major shows in 2024.
Malajika earned approving nods from the former world heavyweight champion during a torrid workout session at Brian Mitchell’s gym recently and looked very impressive in his last fight, a 12-round blitz of Argentina’s Kevin Luis Munoz in September that earned him the IBO super-flyweight belt.
Braithwaite, the British and Commonwealth champion, has made a name for himself boxing up and down Britain. “The Chosen One” has topped cards in Liverpool and Sheffield and also punched his card at small hall shows where he has earned a reputation as a fast, energetic slickster.
Malajika holds no terrors for him. “I will fight anyone,” says Braithwaite. “I have proved that time and time again. It is down to my coach and my promoters to make the best decisions for me.”
With nine stoppages in a dozen wins, Malajika is by far the bigger puncher – Braithwaite has a single win by knockout – but is also capable of boxing smart. We saw as much against Munoz, when he produced effective counters and combination punching, all at volume, to take the fight away from Munoz.
In an important development, all five of Golden Gloves’ major Saturday tournaments will be followed the day after by a “Young Guns” event that shines the light on up and comers.
