By Prince Dornu-Leiku – Former IBF Bantamweight champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko will fly out of the country to the USA shortly to begin final preparations for his next fight against South African Vusi Malinga on April 16. The bout serves as an eliminator for the IBF title which Agbeko lost to Yohnny Perez in his last fight in 2009 and the Ghanaian is taking no chances at all, even if he will face Malinga in front of the South African fighter’s own countrymen..
“I’ll definitely beat him, this is no over-confidence but I have no choice than to beat him and it is my training that will show. It’s a big comeback for me and I want to put up an impressive performance because this is going to be the beginning of the new journey to the top for me,” Agbeko said in Accra.
South Africa based Branco Sports Productions beat off competition from Agbeko’s promoter the famous Don King to stage the fight in the African country much to the delight of Malinga, 19-3-1, 12 KOs. “I am very happy to get this fight here in SA. It will definitely give me greater confidence and the crowd will be an advantage. I know Agbeko is a strong guy and he can punch. He has fought some of the world’s top-rated boxers, so this will not be an easy fight. But his style of fighting is suited to mine and I think that is how I will beat him,” Malinga said.
But Agbeko who will be fighting in SA for the second time in his career has brushed aside any fears proclaiming his readiness to tame Malinga in his own country. Victory will pave the way for the Ghanaian pugilist who fights by way of the Bronx in New York to challenge Yohnny Perez for a chance to reclaim the world title the Mexican American slugger took away in their fight last year. And it is one opportunity Agbeko will not let pass him because he believes he is a better fighter compared to Perez. “I want to fight Perez again badly so that I can show all of my fans that some things went wrong in the first fight with him. I want to prove people wrong and show my fans that I lost that fight because things went wrong,” King Kong stated.
Standing in the way of the rematch with Yohnny Perez is South African journeyman Malinga who Agbeko must beat. The Ghanaian has assured his fans that there is nothing to fear because they will see a better fighter in Joseph Agbeko come April 16 in South Africa. “I would like to tell my fans that I am back! I want them to know that for every step back, there is another step forward. I want them to know that I am making a comeback, big time,” King Kong has proclaimed.