Tomoya Tsuboi vs Ricardo Malajika Preview September 27th, 2026
The vacant WBC Junior Bantamweight Title (Super Flyweight) is on the line in Tokyo, Japan this Sunday, September 27th as unbeaten Tomoya Tsuboi of Hamamatsu takes on South Africa’s IBO Champion Ricardo Malajika. The 12-round bout can be seen live on DAZN in most nations and on Prime Video Boxing in Japan. Tsuboi’s last fight resulted in a second-round no-contest with Pedro Guevara in April after Guevara was injured by an accidental clash of heads. In his previous outing last November, Tsuboi scored an eighth-round stoppage over former world champion Carlos Cuadras. Malajika last saw action in November when he battled to a 12-round unanimous decision over Vince Paras to retain his IBO Belt. Sunday’s card is set to begin at 4am ET.
Tsuboi vs Malajika Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Ricardo Malajika +340
- Tomoya Tsuboi -500
My Pick
Tsuboi is perfect at 3-0 with 2 Ko’s and a no-contest against Guevara but he’s no young pup as he’s already 30 years old. In fact, he didn’t turn pro until March of last year. He stopped Boonrueang Phayom in the second round of his pro debut to get off to a quick start. He then beat Van Thao Tran by 10-round unanimous decision for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight Belt. His third outing saw him stop former world champion Carlos Cuadras in the eighth round before clashing heads with Guevara earlier this year.
The Japanese prospect enjoyed a fine amateur career as he struck gold at the 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships. He also won bronze medals at Asian Games and Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in 2022. If he beats Malajika this weekend he will equal the Japanese record for the fewest bouts to win a world title at five. The record is currently held by Kosei Tanaka and Daiya Kira. Tsuboi stands 5-feet-3-inches tall with a 64-inch reach.
It’s a bit hard to tell how much power he has after just three official pro fights but his current knockout ratio clocks in at 66.7 per cent. Tsuboi has basically jumped feet first into the deep end of the pro ranks pro by taking on former world champions in his third and fourth contests. Because of his superb amateur pedigree, the Japanese Boxing Commission gave him an A-class license. This enabled him to skip any short-distance developmental fights.
The 28-year-old Malajika makes the ring walk with a mark of 17-2 with 12 Ko’s. He has boxed a total of 119 rounds since turning pro back in 2008. Nicknamed ‘The Magic Man,’ he’s known for his fine footwork, mobility and counter-punching. Unfortunately Box Rec has no height and reach information for him so we don’t know how he compares size-wise to Tsuboi. When it comes to power, Malajika has quite a bit of it as 70.6 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage.
Malajika captured the vacant IBO Junior Bantamweight Title (Super Flyweight) in September, 2023 when he beat Kevin Luis Munoz by unanimous decision. He then won the IBO Flyweight Belt in March, 2025 when he halted Jackson Chauke in the second round. This meant Malajika was a two-weight IBO Champion at the same time. He has defended the Super Flyweight Crown four times now with one of those defences being a fifth-round TKO over Jayson Mama in August of last year.
The first defeat on Malajika’s record came at the hands of Sabelo Ngebinyana by eight-round split decision in 2021. Two fights later he dropped an eight-round unanimous decision to Sikho Nqothole. Malajika has never fought anywhere outside of his South African homeland as a pro. He also had a successful amateur career as he was reportedly a six-time amateur champion in South Africa.
Prediction…
Tsuboi has had just a few pro fights but he’s two years older than Malajika. However they both have a wealth of amateur experience. They also possess good power and chins. Some believe fighting at home is an advantage while others feel it’s a disadvantage, but Tsuboi is the home fighter in this instance. I think Tsuboi may be the better overall boxer here but Malajika is going to be a handful. Still I’m expecting Tsuboi to come out on top in a close fight, which may go the distance.
Tsuboi has the slight edge in pure skill.
Play: Tsuboi -500 @ BetOnline.ag
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Ricardo Malajika betting • Tomoya Tsuboi betting