Deniega loses IBO World Youth title bout to South Africa’s Malajika

Deniega loses IBO World Youth title bout to South Africa’s Malajika


deniega

Charlton Malajika (left) and RV Deniega (right) await the decision of their IBO championship bout. | Photo from Sanman Boxing

CEBU CITY, Philippines — RV Deniega suffered a one-sided unanimous decision loss to South Africa’s Charlton Malajika in their International Boxing Organization (IBO) World Youth bantamweight title clash on July 5 in Kempton Park, South Africa.

Malajika controlled the fight from the opening bell, earning convincing scorecards of 100-90, 100-90, and 98-92 to deny the 25-year-old Filipino the title.

Deniega, who fights out of the Sanman Boxing Gym in General Santos City, dropped to 10 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw, with 7 knockouts.

The win improved Malajika’s record to 8-1, with 3 knockouts. It was his eighth straight victory since 2023—all fought and won in South Africa.

The bout began as a tactical affair, with both fighters cautiously probing each other. But as the rounds progressed, Malajika found his rhythm, using his jab to dictate the pace and disrupt Deniega’s timing.

Malajika repeatedly launched well-timed combinations that kept Deniega on the defensive. The Filipino boxer struggled to let his hands go, often relying on counterpunching while Malajika stayed busy with jabs and crisp one-twos.

Deniega’s left eye began to swell midway through the fight, the result of Malajika’s consistent targeting with sharp jabs and sneaky straight shots. The South African also showcased superior hand speed and movement, slipping Deniega’s punches and controlling the ring.

By the later rounds, Malajika had fully asserted control, landing the cleaner, more accurate shots. Deniega showed signs of frustration and managed to land a few significant blows, but it was too little, too late.

In another undercard bout, Filipino boxer Richard Garde (11-3, 9 KOs) also suffered defeat, falling to Zimbabwe’s Beaven Sibanda (9-1, 3 KOs) via fifth-round knockout in their battle for the vacant IBF International minimumweight title.

RELATED STORIES

Baricuatro denied gold in controversial World Boxing Cup decision

Maquilan K.O’s Canete, bags WBC Asian Continental title in Blow-by-Blow mainer 



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.



Your subscription has been successful.

Read Next

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.



Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *