With his fight against Charlton ‘Baby Pain’ Malajika just over a month away, Landile ‘Man Down’ Ngxeke has said that whoever wants his South African bantamweight title must wait until he becomes a world champion.
Ngxeke is sweating at the gym, preparing for the vacant International Boxing Organisation (IBO) bantamweight title fight against Malajika. This fight is scheduled for the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday, 1 November.
“My SA title will be vacant when I become the world champion next month. I’m still hungry for the world title thus I have been working very hard at the gym, preparing to meet Malajika,” the former SA junior-bantamweight title holder said.
“I have looked at the opponents Malajika beat and compared them to the ones I faced. I can say that there’s no strong boxer that he has beaten. Be that as it may, I’m not going to underestimate him because I know that he’s a good boxer. I’m going to give my all during the fight.”
Ngxeke, who was unsuccessful in his bid to win the International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight title in December last year, has ruled the same division in South Africa without defending his crown since he won it via a fourth round stoppage of Lusizo Manzana at KuGompo City’s International Convention Centre (ICC) in December 2023.
Sada-born Ngxeke suffered a seventh round stoppage loss to Mexican boxer, Jose Salas Reyes, when they fought for IBF bantamweight title in Distrito Federal, Mexico City.
“I have been a South African champion since I defeated Manzana in December 2023. That’s a long time ago. Strangely, I have never defended the SA title since winning it. Truth be told, the title has done nothing for me. Even the SA junior-bantamweight did nothing for me as I only defended it once against Lindile Tshemese,” Ngxeke remarked.
Ngxeke is yet to lose to a South African opponent as he picked up his only two defeats against Jay-r Raquinel from the Philippines and Reyes. And in his last fight, Ngxeke stopped Namibian boxer, Jonas Matheus, in the eighth round in May. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
