Wattage shoots up ahead of ‘Powerhouse’ at the Palace
The stage is set for a dazzling event at Emperors Palace this Friday when Golden Gloves presents “Powerhouse”, an international fight card headlined by Ricado Malajika’s IBO world super-flyweight defense against Marcel Braithwaite of the UK.
The challenger arrived in town last week flushed with confidence and is determined to wrest championship honours from the hometown hero.
The pair will come face to face for the first time at the pre-fight medical at the casino on Tuesday (11.30am) followed by the weigh-in on Thursday (11.30am). The fights start at 6pm on Friday with live coverage on SuperSport.
The stacked tournament includes two compelling local heavyweight bouts – SA champion Keaton Gomes against Shaun Potgieter and Chris Thompson against Jean Roux – and a junior-middleweight clash featuring fast-rising Darrin Rossouw against ever-dangerous Brandon Thysse.
Dylan Prosser and Dean Promnick, both young aspirants from Cape Town, will also be looking to make an impression under the lights. Prosser has made a fast start to his pro career, scoring three knockouts in as many starts in just four months last year.
Prosser, meanwhile, makes his debut against Sanele Mbatha at light-heavyweight.
“There’s a real buzz around this show,” said promoter Rodney Berman. “I suspect it’s because locals have been starved of good fights on home soil and the talent on show ranks among the most exciting around. Malajika is matched extremely hard, and we know how heavyweights go with the bombs they bring. The youngsters, too, bring a lot of promise, so I’m expecting a lot of high-class action.”
