Just a few days after hosting yet another successful boxing tournament, promotional outfit Golden Gloves has announced its next show.
The 29th November tournament will be headlined by hard-hitting Ricardo Malajika, who will be making the fourth defence of his International Boxing Organisation (IBO) junior-bantamweight title, against Filipino opponent Vince Paras at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni.
Not only will the bout be Malajika’s title defence, it’s also going to be an International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-bantamweight number two eliminator.
The 27-year-old Malajika will go to the Paras fight on the back of a fifth round stoppage win over another Filipino boxer Jayson Mama two months ago.
Having a record of 16 wins with 12 knockouts and two losses, Malajika has successfully defended his IBO title against Mama, East London’s Yanga Sigqibo and Marcel Braithwaite from the United Kingdom since winning the crown when he defeated Argentine boxer Kevin Luis Munoz in September 2023.
The former IBO flyweight champion is on an eight-fight winning streak, which includes three successive stoppages against Mama, Jackson Chauke and Sigqibo. The last time Malajika lost a fight was in April 2022 against Sikho Nqothole from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.
Malajika is rated third by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and is eighth in the IBF ratings. On the other hand, Paras is rated fourth by the IBF and 12th in the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) ratings.
Meanwhile, former national champion Shervantaigh Koopman will face off against South African titleholder Brandon Thysse in a “Survivor” junior-middleweight semi-final.
The winner of Koopman’s fight against Thysse will face either Roarke Knapp or Kagiso Bagwasi from Botswana, who meet in the other semi-final clash, in the final early next year.
On the other hand, current SA middleweight champion Phikelelani Khumalo will collide with African Boxing Union (ABU) titleholder DonJuan van Heerden in a winner takes all clash.
And unbeaten heavyweight boxer Juan Alberts, who is fresh from a first round stoppage win over Namibian opponent Khareb Shitana, has a date with Michael Pirotton from Belgium.
