Ricardo Malajika to fight for WBC title in Tokyo — TimesLIVE
South African boxer Ricardo Malajika will fight for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight title on September 27 in Tokyo, Japan. His opponent will be Japanese boxer Tomoya Tsuboi, who will be fighting at home.
The 28-year-old Malajika holds the International Boxing Organization (IBO) light flyweight belt. He has recorded 17 victories in the professional ring, 12 of them by stoppage, and has suffered two defeats. The 30-year-old Tsuboi has three victories in three professional bouts, including a stoppage win over former Mexican world champion Carlos Cuadras.
The journey from Johannesburg
As TimesLIVE reports, Malajika grew up in the South Hills area of Johannesburg, South Africa. He lived with his parents, five brothers and other residents of the house, including, according to him, car thieves and people who used drugs.
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The boxer said that as a child he saw stolen cars brought into the yard and dismantled for parts. His father Alex, who worked as a carpenter, tried to keep his sons away from that environment: after school, they went to the gym and also attended youth and church events. As a teenager, Ricardo won the first of his six South African titles.
Team support
Malajika's younger brother Charlton, his training and sparring partner, travelled to Japan with him. In November, Charlton is due to fight for the IBO title in a lighter weight division. He recalled that during periods when their father had little work, the brothers sometimes went to school and the gym hungry.
Coach Manny Fernandez said the team aims to make history. Earlier this year, he guided Siyakholwa Kuse to the WBC minimumweight title. Malajika's manager Brian Mitchell also expressed confidence in the boxer, despite bookmakers considering him an underdog.
