Boxing SA Quarter Two: South African boxing is punching above its weight
Two world champions, a wave of unbeaten new talent, and a women’s boxing surge that could reshape the sport.
The second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year will go down as one of the proudest chapters in modern South African boxing, according to the Boxing SA (BSA) Ratings Committee.
On 15 August 2026 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Bernice Ferreira walked out as a unified champion, adding the WBC junior lightweight title to her IBO belt. She is now the only South African boxer to unify world titles, a feat that places her in a league of her own.
Ricardo Malajika travelled to his opponent’s backyard, defeated Tomoya Tsuboi and claimed the WBC junior bantamweight title. The win gives promoter Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves Promotions and the Brian Mitchell Academy two WBC world titles at the same time.
Bernice Ferreira’s rise is a message to every young woman training in a gym across the country. A record number of women competed in tournaments this quarter, many of them debutants, and female promoters stepped into the spotlight. The Committee expects several newcomers to enter the ratings soon.
Siyabulela Hem leapt three divisions to become the first boxer to win the national lightweight title, stopping Khaya Busakhwe in round five. Katlego Khanyisa dethroned Asanda Gingqi with a round-ten TKO, and Hem’s move has left the national junior featherweight title vacant.
Sabelo Ndwandwe went from five wins in five fights to number one in the South African featherweight ratings. Ethan Peters, unbeaten with four knockouts, is helping to revive the heavyweight division, while Tumelo Mphahlele is six from six and holds the Gauteng junior lightweight title.
The Committee will enforce mandatory challenges and the inactivity rule, which removes any boxer who goes twelve months without a fight. Managers and promoters are urged to keep their fighters busy.
“The Board and the administration have set the stage, and our boxers are delivering on it,” said Dike. “South African boxing is on the rise, and the best is still to come. We call on promoters, sponsors, broadcasters and fans to get behind our champions and the next generation of fighters.”
- Bernice Ferreira world champion, Boxing SA ratings committee, Ethan Peters heavyweight boxer, IBO world title, Katlego Khanyisa boxing, MDNTV, mdntvlive, mdntvnews, Ricardo Malajika WBC title, Sabelo Ndwandwe featherweight, Siyabulela Hem national champion, South African boxing 2026, South African boxing news, WBC junior lightweight title, women's boxing South Africa
