South African boxing fans have been starved of boxing action in recent months but can now look forward to an action-packed bill for Saturday night at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park.
South Africa’s Ricardo Malijika and the slick Kevin Luis Munoz from Argentina, who holds the IBF Latino bantamweight title, will meet for the vacant IBO world junior bantamweight title.
The 25-year-old Malijika (11-2; 9) was an outstanding amateur before making his pro debut on 21 October 2018. He won his first seven fights in style before suffering losses to Sabello Ngebinyana and Sikho Nqothele, both on points.
However, after these setbacks he has come back to win his last three bouts in style, all inside the distance.
Malijika goes in against the more experienced Munoz (16-1; 6), who has won his last four fights in style with the only loss on his record being against Angel Nicolas Aquino, who stopped him five rounds.
Munoz is not known as a puncher and, with the fight possibly going the distance, the odds are that the South African will win on a hard-earned points decision and take the title.
Munoz will be fighting in the bantamweight class after competing at junior featherweight in his most recent fight.
Other potentially exciting fights on the bill are Roarke Knapp against Poland’s Przemyslaw Zysk in a ten-round international junior middleweight fight, and Shervantaigh Koopman, who defends his South African junior middleweight title against Brandon Thysse.
The tournament will be shown live on SuperSport.
