Trainer Manny Fernandes is cooking up a secret tactical surprise for when his charge, Ricardo Malajika, fights for the World Boxing Council (WBC) super-flyweight crown later this year.
The WBC has ordered Malajika, the No 2 contender, to fight Japanese star Tomoya Tsuboi, the top-rated challenger, for the vacant belt, although the venue and date have yet to be negotiated by the fighters’ teams.
But Malajika and Fernandes haven’t wasted any time, kicking off their camp at the Brian Mitchell Boxing Academy in Edenvale, Ekurhuleni, this past week.
With the right game plan, I don’t see us losing this one. I think Ricardo has got the reach; he’s got the style to beat this guy
— Manny Fernandes, boxing trainer
The veteran coach — fresh from helping Siyakholwa Kuse become South Africa’s fourth WBC champion when he dethroned minimumweight titleholder Melvin Jerusalem of the Philippines at Emperors Palace last month — was radiating optimism.
“With the right game plan, I don’t see us losing this one. I think Ricardo has got the reach; he’s got the style to beat this guy.”
Superior ring skills
Stylistically it’s a similar task to that faced by Kuse when he used his superior ring skills to outbox the champion last month.
“This guy [Tsuboi] is short, stocky and jumps forward and backward, similar to Filipinos. They rely a lot on power, so if you can box him, give him angles — that’s what it’s about here.
“Not that I’m overconfident; I’m just very confident in Ricardo’s ability to use angles, and I think he’s got the right style to beat this guy with speed and the jab. We’ve got to have a very effective jab in this fight.”
But Fernandes promised to inject something extra to Malajika’s arsenal for the fight. “We’re going to change something slightly with Ricardo. We’re not going to talk about it now, but we’re going to change something on the night.”
Malajika’s main sparring partner for the fight will be his younger brother Charlton, who is preparing for a big bout himself in Lusaka, Zambia, next month.
The two showed little brotherly love inside the ropes as they set about honing each other’s skills this week.
Impressive performance
Malajika, 27, has made four successful defences of the marginal International Boxing Organisation (IBO) junior-bantamweight belt he won in September 2023. In that time, he also dropped a division to lift the IBO flyweight title in an impressive performance against countryman Jackson Chauke.
But getting the nod for the shot has made him feel like a brand new boxer again.
Malajika beamed as he spoke about his preparations to become only the fifth South African to win the green strap, the most coveted in boxing.
The best I can do is use my experience of the 12 rounds I’ve been going through and make sure I pull him into deep waters
— Ricardo Malajika
“I’ve always wanted to be undisputed,” said Malajika, one of five boxing brothers who grew up rough in South Hills, south of Johannesburg. “That’s my dream from [when I was] a kid. I’ve always been hungry for that.”
It feels like yesterday when Malajika, a national age-group amateur champion 12 years ago, told me about his dreams of becoming a world champion.
“It makes me feel like it’s my first fight again because I wasn’t expecting [this opportunity] anytime soon. It’s like my first pro fight again, but on another level. I feel excited.”
Solid amateur pedigree
Tsuboi, 30, has had only four professional bouts, but he has a solid amateur pedigree, winning a bronze at the 2023 Asian Games.
He rocketed into contention by scoring an impressive eighth-round stoppage of Mexican Carlos Cuadras, a world champion from 2014 to 2016.
Malajika, with a record of 17 wins and two defeats, has fought 119 rounds and lasted 12 rounds on three occasions, while Tsuboi, with three wins and a no-contest, has been 10 rounds once in a paid career totalling just 22 rounds.
That is where Malajika wants to press his advantage. “The best I can do is use my experience of the 12 rounds I’ve been going through and make sure I pull him into deep waters.”
Mitchell, Malajika’s manager, admitted he would love to see the fight taking place on September 27 — which would mark the 40th anniversary of when he won the World Boxing Association (WBA) junior-lightweight crown at Sun City, sparking an historic journey during which he made 12 successful defences and lifted the International Boxing Federation (IBF) version of the world title.
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