Determination and a will to win are what have kept Ricardo Malajika going as he has never looked back since his last loss, which was during a fight against Sikho Nqothole in April 2022.
Following the loss to the Mthatha-born Nqothole, Malajika went on to notch a seven-fight winning streak, which includes capturing both the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) flyweight and junior-bantamweight titles.
And now Malajika is scheduled to defend his IBO junior-bantamweight crown against Filipino opponent Jayson Mama at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday next week.
“Preparations have gone very well for Ricardo. Charlton (Malajika), after one week, he was back in the gym helping Ricardo for the fight against Jayson Mama,” Manny Fernandes, who trains the Malajika brothers, said.
“We have been working very hard doing cross training at Turffontein Racecourse. Every Monday we do circuit day and on Wednesdays we do another circuit at the Brian Mitchell Boxing Academy in Edenvale. Then we do sparring on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.”
Fernandes added: “I’m expecting a very good performance from Ricardo. He’s getting better and better. I think he’s gonna unify the titles in time to come.”
Meanwhile, Malajika will be fighting for the first time since he dropped to the flyweight division earlier this year and dethroned former IBO champion Jackson Chauke at the same Kempton Park venue. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
