Having easily made the required weight during an official weigh-in on Friday, there’s absolutely no pressure on Ricardo ‘Magic Man’ Malajika going to his fourth defence of the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) junior-bantamweight title on Saturday.
However, a win over Filipino boxer Vince Paras at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, is very much needed as it will take Malajika a step closer to realising his dream of getting a shot at the World Boxing Council (WBC) title.
Already, Golden Gloves managing director Rodney Berman has provisionally booked Malajika on a flight to attend the WBC Convention in Thailand. Firstly, Malajika must win against Paras in order for him to hop on to a plane to Thailand.
Currently, the WBC junior-bantamweight title is held by American boxer Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez. Not only is Rodriguez a WBC champion, he’s also the holder of the World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) titles as well as being a Ring Magazine champion.
On the other hand, the 27-year-old Malajika, who has won his last eight fights, is rated number three by the WBC. Malajika has not lost in more than three years, having registered his last loss during a fight against Sikho Nqothole in April 2022.
