IBO world title shot moment of truth for Ricardo Malajika.
Ricardo Malajika has come a long way in just 13 professional bouts. One of South Africa’s most accomplished amateurs of recent times, he started his pro career amid much fanfare. Great things were expected of him, but it proved to be a bumpy ride.
He won his first seven fights in the paid ranks, all but one inside the distance. Along the way he collected the WBA Pan African belt with an off-the-floor eight round stoppage of unbeaten Mnqobi Mkhize.
Then things started going wrong. He dropped a split decision to rugged Sabelo Ngebinyana. Two fights later another close decision loss followed, this time against Sikho Nqothole. Malajika seemed unsure about himself, often switching stances in the ring, throwing himself off balance.
Still, trainer Vusi Mtolo and Malajika persisted and continued ironing out the crinkles in the gym. Malajika seemed to settle into a more orthodox style and there was a marked improvement in his fundamentals.
After two wins, it was time to roll the dice again and this time he was matched with Filippino, Adrian Lerasan. Lerasan was riding a five-fight win streak and was ranked number 10 in the world by the WBC. There were those who thought that he bit off more than he could chew and that his team was throwing him to the wolves.
In his toughest test yet, Malajika proved the naysayers wrong and turned in a career best performance. He took control from the start, tightening the screws on his opponent with each round until the end came in the fifth. Malajika trapped Lerasan in the corner and punished the body before going back to the center of the ring. Then he brought his left hook into play, throwing it off the jab. A big right moments later sent Lerasan to the canvass. He got up but Malajika continued to take him apart. When a right uppercut from Malajika twisted his head upwards, he indicated to the referee moments later that he had enough, and the fight was promptly waved over.
It was a solid win on the international stage, a win that bore fruit in the form of a world title shot.
Saturday night at Emperor’s Palace in the co-main event of “Palace Knights,” Malajika will be facing the tricky Kevin Luis Munoz from Argentina with the vacant IBO world junior bantamweight title on the line.
Munoz sports an excellent record of 16-1. In his last fight, he won the IBF Latino bantamweight title, scoring a unanimous decision over unbeaten Isaac Arias.
With six knockouts on his ledger, Munoz is not a terrific puncher, but he has a busy well-schooled jab that he uses to good effect to set up openings and pile up points. He has an awkward rhythm and is hard to nail from a distance.
Dropping down a division from his last fight, he is also the naturally bigger man.
Will Malajika go home with the IBO belt, or will he hit his ceiling against Munoz?
Tune into Supersport, your Channel of Champions and find out.
