The boxing buzz may be with the Malajikas after Ricardo caused an upset in Japan by winning the WBC title a fortnight ago, but Landile Ngxeke is unfazed ahead of his clash against Ricardo’s younger brother Charlton for the IBO title next month.
Ngxeke faces Malajika for the vacant IBO bantamweight title at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park on November 21, determined to spoil the Malajika party while also making amends for his own world title loss in his previous bout.
The bout will mark the resumption of working relations between Ngxeke’s manager Colin Nathan and Golden Gloves Promotions (GGP), which promote the Malajika brothers after their fallout years ago.
With the Malajika family riding the crest of the wave after Ricardo’s stunning win over Tomoya Tsuboi in Japan to lift the vacant WBC junior bantamweight belt, becoming the sixth SA boxer to do so, Ngxeke is viewed as a party pooper.
This is amplified by Charlton’s last bout when he was considered unfortunate not to be awarded the WBC international belt despite dominating local hero David Mwale in Zambia in July.
The fight was scored a draw, sparking an outcry from GGP with promises of ensuring Malajika finally gets his day in the sun.
Emboldened by Ricardo’s performance in Japan, where he accompanied and assisted him with his preparations, Charlton will now vie to continue with the celebrations by bringing yet another piece of silverware to the family.
But Nathan said Ngxeke was unfazed by the odds stacked against him in his second world title shot.
“Ngxeke is in the right frame of mind with preparations going according to plan,” he said.
“We are working on the game plan with plenty of sparring sessions to ensure we leave nothing to chance.
“We know Charlton is a good fighter and the fact that his brother Ricardo has just made the family proud will make Charlton try to continue the good run for the Malajikas.”
KuGompo City boxing-bred Ngxeke will be vying to redeem himself after he failed to win the IBF world title when he was stopped in seven rounds by Mexican Jose Salas Reyes in December 2025.
He rebounded to winning ways, stopping outgunned Namibian Jonas Matheus in eight rounds in May to revive his world title aspirations.
While he was the decided underdog against Reyes in his own Mexican backyard, Sada-born Ngxeke is in with a shout against Malajika, having faced better quality opponents.
The loss against Reyes was his second, with promises of a rematch if he could get back to winning ways.
Though Nathan-managed boxers rarely contest for IBO belts, the offer to win a world title was too good to turn down, as it would get him back to the world stage.
“We are definitely bringing the IBO title home, no two ways about it,” Nathan. said
