‘The Ricardo Malajika runaway freight train almost derailed at Emperors Palace on Saturday night, but a late flurry gave him a vital win against rugged Vince Paras in defence of his IBO super flyweight championship.
The South African had to overcome a first-round flash knockdown and several periods of heavy pressure against a man who never stopped advancing and had a dangerous right hand.
Paras was the aggressor throughout, walking Malajika down and forcing him to cover up and counter.
Malajika survived the knockdown, partly motivated by the shouts of his daughter ringside – “Go daddy! Go daddy!” – and by his goodwill trip to the WBC convention. He flew just hours after his victory to press the flesh and state his case to many of world boxing’s senior statesmen.
Malajika could barely rest as Paras set a furious pace and looked dangerous every time he winged punches from out wide. Fortunately his workrate and courage under fire proved telling and he ended strongly.
The one score of 117-110 was wide of the mark, but the other two (115-112, 116-111) were a fairer measure of the contest.
THYSSE ‘SURVIVES’ 10-ROUND WAR
In a contender for SA Fight of the Year, Brandon Thysse and Shervantaigh Koopman went to war over 10 riotous rounds in a semifinal for the “Survivor” junior middleweight series.
In the end the judges gave Thysse the decision (94-93, 95-93, 95-92), which was generous given that he was twice decked and never appeared to have the edge.
It earned Thysse bragging rights and also avenged an earlier defeat to his local rival, who must now rebuild after back-to-back defeats.
Koopman started strongly and when he caught Thysse in the second round with a cracking right hand, sending him sprawling, it looked like his opponent would be in for a long night.
Thysse was down again in the fifth, having been knocked out of his rhythm. But he came on strongly and walked Koopman down. Presumably this knocked Koopman off kilter as he soon opted for a diet of holding and tying Thysse up. It degenerated into a spiteful scrap and when Koopman was docked a point in the ninth round it wasn’t before time.
The fight concluded with wild action, which the big Emperors Palace crowd lapped up.
Given his luck at getting the nod, Thysse ought to have headed to the roulette table.
BIG ALBERTS DELIVERS THE GOODS
It’s taken just seven fights, but already Juan “The Gentleman” Alberts has built up a passionate following.
It’s not hard to see why. His deadpan persona, intimidating size and fighting ability make him a natural draw.
On Saturday, he varied his game to outwork Michael Pirotton of Belgium, winning a unanimous decision over eight rounds.
Fast and loose for a big man, Alberts was barely troubled. He easily absorbed several hard cracks, but dished out far more, not least in the fourth when the Belgian was on wobbly legs.
The fight became a mauling affair in the later rounds, which Alberts would have enjoyed. He needs the rounds and the work Piritton gave him will come in handy as he starts his third year as a pro in January.
ROARKE ROLLS ON IN STYLE
Roarke Knapp’s redemption continues.
The popular junior middleweight was expected to be tested by the big-punching Kagiso Bagwasi of Botswana, but he dominated his opponent to win the first-round match of the “Survivor” series.
Knapp worked the body viciously, whipping in hard shots to the body and alternating with punches upstairs to put a halt to Bagwasi’s unbeaten run.
By the third round the popular South African was well in control. Bagwasi, in turn, had lost the snap in his punches. Knapp bust him up and after four rounds his corner smartly withdrew Bagwasi.
Knapp will now contest the “Survivor” final against old foe Brandon Thysse.
KHUMALO BLOWS AWAY TAME VAN HEERDEN
After all the hype, a whimper.
The Phikelelani Khumalo-DonJuan van Heerden fight had percolated for months, and the enmity between the pair was real, but when the two finally met in the ring it flamed out after 80 seconds.
An innocuous jab beneath Van Heerden’s ribs appeared to affect him like a bullet as he went down, evidently in excruciating pain. Khumalo followed up with three loose shots, but there was no getting up for Van Heerden, who was promptly counted out.
Khumalo retained his national middleweight belt and also annexed the ABU championship, although where Van Heerden goes to from here is anyone’s guess.
There had been high hopes of a rousing contest, but the moment he weighed in two kilograms over the limit, the signs of disappointment were writ large.
And so it proved.
PETERS GETS THE JOB DONE IN A HURRY
There had been a fair bit of hype around the professional debut of SA amateur super heavyweight champion Ethan Peters.
Now we know why. The big man needed less than two minutes to blow Sibabalwe Mnani away, his jack hammer right hand doing its job.
Mnani wasn’t especially formidable, but the way Peters went about his business demonstrated a fighter with both the shape and the sizzle to make an impact. It’s early days, but Golden Gloves might have unearthed a special fighter.
