Golden Gloves Survivor Blockbuster delivers title defence and high-stakes drama
Ricardo Malajika successfully defended his IBO World Super Flyweight title in a thrilling 12-round bout as Golden Gloves’ Survivor Blockbuster delivered high-octane boxing at Emperors Palace.
Boxing fans created an electric atmosphere when Golden Gloves hosted the Survivor Blockbuster at Emperors Palace on November 29.
In the main event, Ricardo Malajika defended his IBO World Super Flyweight title against Vince Paras in a 12-round showdown, winning by unanimous decision.
The bout went the full distance, with Malajika earning the judges’ favour with scores of 117–110, 115–112 and 116–111.
Despite being knocked down in the opening round, he recovered strongly and dominated the later rounds to secure the victory.
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The Survivor Series opened with two high-stakes semifinals, each representing a career-defining opportunity for the boxers involved.
The first semifinal, billed as the Grudge Match Reloaded, saw Shervantaigh Koopman take on Brandon Thysse over 10 scheduled rounds.
Photo by: Masego Mashilo
Thysse, winner of the Survivor Eliminator Super Welterweight semifinal, said winning meant everything to him as he was determined to redeem his previous loss to Koopman.
“This fight was a tough one. I wanted to show everybody that the first fight wasn’t who I am; I lost because of other circumstances.
Shervantaigh wanted to give me a tough fight, but I wanted to do this for my family, that’s all I thought of,” Thysse said.
“I think Shervantaigh fought very well. Rematches are always harder because you know each other a bit more.
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“I knew he was going to come hard at me. He put up a good fight, and I think we gave the fans the fight of the night. Winning means a lot to me now because when I lost the first fight, my son had just been born, so redeeming that loss means a lot,” he added.
This rematch was one that fans had eagerly anticipated.
Koopman entered with confidence after a previous TKO victory over Thysse, but Thysse, the current South African champion, was described as “much improved” going into this contest.
The event signalled the official launch of Golden Gloves’ highly anticipated Survivor junior middleweight tournament, a brutal elimination series carrying a total purse of R2.5 million.
The stakes could not be higher, with four elite local junior middleweights competing for the chance to reach the 2026 final.
The winner will walk away with a massive 60% share of a R1.2 million champion’s purse. Four fighters entered, and only two advanced: Brandon Thysse and Roarke Knapp.
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Knapp faced Kagiso Bogwasi of Botswana in the second semifinal. A former African Boxing Union champion, Knapp was in urgent need of a definitive result following a knockout loss earlier this year.
He delivered when it mattered, emerging victorious to secure his place in the Survivor final.
Another memorable moment came when Ethan Peters made his professional debut, scoring an impressive victory.
Before turning pro, Peters dominated the amateur ranks as a super heavyweight, remaining undefeated in 11 fights, 10 by TKO.
“I was nervous going into the fight, but all I wanted was to win.
“The experience was amazing, I want to go back now. I expected to win, and I wouldn’t say my opponent’s performance was good or bad. I honestly don’t know because I wasn’t focusing on him,” Peters said.
