As a promoter who has seen it all in the business of boxing promotion, Rodney Berman is not ready to slow down as he believes that 2026 is going to be a big year for his promotional outfit Golden Gloves.
After promoting six tournaments at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, last year, Berman is planning to go big this time around.
Golden Gloves’ year starts with Simamkele Tutsheni challenging for the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) female junior-featherweight title when she squares up against Pole Laura Monika Grzyb in Poland on Saturday, 14 March.
“Our stable of fighters is incredible. We’ve got the women’s IBO title on the 14th of March,” Berman, who’s the managing director at Golden Gloves, remarked.
And in the home front, Golden Gloves will have its first tournament of the year at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday, 28 March.
“This is going to be a big year for us. I’m very excited for 2026. We will have one or two new signings. It’s going to be a big year for Ricardo Malajika. And we are going to have our first tournament on the 28th of March where Siyakholwa Kuse will be figting against Joey Canoy,” Berman said.
Highly-rated Beaven Sibanda is one of the boxers that Berman hopes to unleash this year. However, the Golden Gloves boss will wait until Harare-born Sibanda fully recovers from an Achilles injury he picked up in September while he was preparing for a clash against Joey Canoy from the Philippines.
“We are waiting for Sibanda to heal. The good thing is that we asked the WBC at its convention that Sibanda’s rating should not be jeopardised by the injury and they agreed with us. Hopefully, he will fight for the IBO world title, which is a stepping stone to greatness,” Berman said.
Currently, Sibanda is rated fourth by the WBC, seventh in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) ratings and is rated 12th by the World Boxing Organisation (WBO).
Berman went on to say: “I’m confident about Charlton Malajika. It’s a pity that he got injured while preparing for his fight against David Mwale. We also have Juan Alberts who’s growing by leaps and bounds. He’s going to become a great champion.
“Ethan Peters is still new in the professional ranks and he’s showing a lot of promise. We also have Sanele Sogcwayi whom I’ve got big plans for. Sanele is a great prospect and I need him to fight at the Emperors Palace regularly. I want him to get great exposure in front of the boxing public.” – Monwabisi Jimlongo
