Tanzania’s Fadhili Majiha handed Ghana’s Jesse Manyo Plange his first defeat, winning a clear eight-round unanimous decision in their bantamweight battle at the Super Dome Arena in Dar-Es-Salaam.
Scores read 80-72, 78-74 and 78-74. BoxingAfrica.com scored it 78-74 in favor of Majiha.
The 29-year-old Majiha (29-14-4, 14 KOs) is on the rise, having now won five straight, including two consecutive victories over undefeated opponents.
Plange 21-1-1 (17 KOs) must now reassess a career that seemed so promising at the outset. The 34-year-old Ghanaian appeared ill-prepared for the matchup and undertrained. He got off to a strong start in the first two rounds, working behind the jab and flashing his trademark counterpunches that led many to believe he was the best Ghanaian boxer to emerge from the 2008 Olympics.
Majiha took over in the third round and never looked back. The Tanzanian unveiled his own jab, landing his right hand upstairs and consistently finding a home for his left hook to the body.
As Majiha’s output increased, Plange’s decreased. In the seventh, a hook to the ribs caused Plange to back up and catch his breath. He did his best to finish strong in the final frame but it wasn’t enough.
It’s been a strange pro career for Plange. This was his first fight in nearly two years; a December 2020 points win over Alexis Kabore. At the time, Plange was on the verge of a world title shot. He relocated to the UK and ultimately the US as he awaited the bigger bouts.
They never materialized. Somehow, his management was unable to find any fight for their high-ranking bantamweight anywhere in the world over the next 23 months. Instead, Plange was forced to return to Africa to take a bout on short notice. The end result was predictable.
Tanzania continued to best Ghana on the undercard of this Azam TV televised card.
In super featherweight action, Tanzania’s Saleh Kassim improved to 9-2-2 (2 KOs) with an eight-round unanimous decision over Ghana’s Patrick Aryee (22-2-1, 13 KOs).
Kassim controlled the action from the opening bell, bullying his way in to have his way with an Aryee who was outgunned and had no answers for his hard-charging opponent. Kassim dominated throughout, winning by scores of 80-72 and two cards of 79-73.
