Defining moment in the life of Malajika as a boxer gives him sleepless nights

Ricardo Malajika’s mind is undergoing an intense chemical and physiological shift driven by excitement and anticipation. That’s because the defining moment in his life as a boxer is drawing closer by the day.

It is now 10 working days remaining before his name is added in the list of African fighters who won the WBC belt. But that depends on the outcome of his WBC junior bantamweight title fight on September 27 in Tokyo against Japanese Tomoya Tsuboi.

The anxiety is making it tough for Malajika to fall asleep, he says.

Famously known as “Magic Man”, he can’t wait to perform his sleight-of-hands and leave Tsuboi perplexed.

Just recently, Malajika’s stablemate Siyakholwa “One Way” Kuse and Bernice “The Badger” Ferreira have successfully won WBC titles, following in the footsteps of Thulani “Sugar Boy” Malinga, Dingaan “The Rose of Soweto” Thobela and Kevin “Two Guns” Lerena who were the first South Africans to win that most-sought-after WBC belt.

Malajika, his younger brother Charlton, trainer Manny Fernandes and manager Brian Mitchell will jet out to Japan on Wednesday. That will be the first time 28-year-old Malajika fights outside South Africa as a professional boxer rather than an amateur.

I began seeing the light. I was supposed to defend against Jackson Chauke but I told my team that I want to challenge him for his IBO flyweight belt and become a two-weight world champ—  Ricardo Malajika

But the seven-times SA amateur champ — who turned pro in 2018 — is in good hands in Fernandes and Mitchell who are no strangers to travelling with fighters.

“Now and then I don’t fall asleep easy — thinking what will I do on the night,” said Malajika yesterday.

The realisation of the enormity of the fight will hit when the media circus, the cameras and Tsuboi are physically standing inches away from him at the press conference.

“With the amount of work that I put out, I will come out victorious,” he said, describing his journey as being solid preparation. “It started 21 years ago when I was seven years old.”

Having turned professional in 2018, Malajika won the IBO junior bantamweight world title two years ago. He defended it successfully six times.

“I began seeing the light,” he said. “I was supposed to defend against Jackson Chauke but I told my team that I want to challenge him for his IBO flyweight belt and become a two-weight world champ.”

He went down a weight division and stopped Chauke in the second round in March last year. His world ranking improved after that historic victory. Then came the the offer to fight for the WBC belt.

“I was so excited … I did not believe it until I signed the contract,” said Malajika, whose fight against Tsuboi will be staged by Hall of Fame promoter Akihiko Honda.

Tsuboi, 30, is a decorated amateur who won a gold medal at the 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships, bronze medals at both the 2022 Asian Games and 2022 Asian Amateur Boxing Championship.

Their championship bout will serve as part of a major world title tripleheader under the Prime Video Boxing 16 banner. The stacked card is headlined by the highly anticipated bantamweight world title rematch between Takuma Inoue and Tenshin Nasukawa.

“I give Glory to God and also thank all the people who have been part of my journey from day one,” said Malajika.

Without divulging the figures, Malajika said the purse money is good. “I have always appreciated everything in terms of purse money that came my way,” said the married father of three.