Mjanja is a ‘one off’ says manager Naji

Tatenda Mjanja…made it a hat-trick of wins in Cannock this week

SCHOOLTEACHER Tatenda Mjanja spent the day after his third pro outing marking pupils’ papers.

Of his win over Tom Ramsden at Cannock’s Excelsior Sporting Club on Thursday, I’d give the super-middle a B+: it would’ve been an A if Erdington’s Mjanja had looked a little more for openings, rather than blaze away from first bell to last.

That’s not a criticism, it’s merely an indicator that the Zimbabwe born fighter is a work in progress who’s still learning the cuteness needed in the pros.

As it was, Mjanja dominated the four rounder for a 40-36 whitewash on referee Kevin Parker. Ramsden, who took the bout at short notice, had to cling on and ended the bout banged up, an ugly welt under his right eye, his features marked. Had the contest been over six rounds, he may have found it hard to last the course.

And the Grimsby boxer is no slouch. Last September he challenged Ollie Cooper for the Midlands 12st title, though the 11 bouts since then have produced only one win. It appears the man who goes by the ring nickname “The Test” has become just that for the game’s young guns, rather than a threat.

Mjanja (12st 12lbs) was too ambitious, too powerful, too relentless. A product of Birmingham’s Hi-Tech gym, the 25-year-old looks a very useful addition to the paid game.

Manager Naji Al Harbi  certainly thinks he has something special, telling me afterwards: “I believe he’s a one-off. What they (the public) haven’t seen tested is his chin, but I’ve seen it tested in the amateurs. He always starts fast and just keeps going.

“Tatenda is out again in Stoke on October 24 – then we’ll look to move him on. We’re trying to get prospects now. He was a bit overweight today, but that was because he was going to face Harry Matthews who is heavier.”

For a big man, Tatenda certainly sets a fast pace and unleashes a storm of leather – the punches simply keep coming, his fists constantly churning.

Mjanja lay down his marker in the first with a whipping left hook, then drilled in double jabs and right hands, forcing Ramsden (12st 5lbs) to bend in a bid to avoid punishment.

The 36-year-old did force Mjanja to the ropes in the second, only to tie up his opponent rather than look to work inside.

The spoiling tactics earned Ramsden a stern warning in the third – a session that saw Mjanja open-up and deliver one heavy right to the body.

The visitor did move behind his jab in the last, but Mjanja closed the show in style by really blazing away with both hands.”

“There are still things to learn,” Tatenda said. “One hundred per cent I could’ve worked for openings more. I can feel the power is coming along.”

Naji is keeping the lad busy – by the end of the month he will have had four bouts in just over five months.

Whether Mjanja can reach world class – as predicted by his manager – remains to be seen, but the journey looks like being an exciting one.