Nigerian heavyweight Efe Ajagba (18-1, 13 KOs) aimed to utilize his reach and height to push Zhan Kossobutskiy (19-1, 18 KOs) into uncomfortable territory in tonight’s co main event. However, a series of below-the-belt shots from the Kazakh southpaw prompted referee Chris Flores to disqualify him in the fourth round.
After rebounding from a 2021 loss with two wins, Ajagba employed a hammer-like jab to keep Kossobutskiy at bay, who attempted to close the gap by leaning in with a guarded posture and sporadic arm punches.
In the following round, Ajagba strayed low himself before tagging Kossobutskiy with a solid chin-checker. Nevertheless, Kossobutskiy retaliated with multiple low blows in the third round, resulting in a two-point deduction.
An additional foul shot in the fourth round compelled the referee to put an end to the contest, once and for all.
Jared Anderson notches his 16th win tonight
Tonight, the 23-year-old heavyweight sensation from Toledo, Ohio, Jared Anderson (16-0, 15 KOs), secured a fifth-round technical knockout over Ukrainian fighter Andriy Rudenko (35-7, 21 KOs). The fight took place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa.
From the get-go, Anderson was in the driver’s seat. He unleashed crisp jabs and dug into Rudenko’s midsection with combinations. Rudenko, clearly rattled by Anderson’s offensive prowess, resorted to holding onto Anderson’s head to stifle his attacks.
By round three, Anderson intensified his body shots. Rudenko hung in there, his resilience partly buoyed by recurrent headlocks. Come round five, Rudenko was penalized a point, but another explosive sequence from Anderson led referee Gary Ritter to call it a night at the 1:40 mark.
In his post-fight remarks, Anderson stated, “I’m loving the journey and the battles. I’m out here fighting for me and my loved ones. People can criticize all they want, but I keep it 100. I speak my truth. If you don’t like it, tough. This is a profession and a sport. I’m here to do what I do best. You can’t mold me into what you want; I’m gonna be me until the end.”
Other fights:
Heavyweight: Uzbek Olympic Gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov (13-0, 13 KOs) marked his Top Rank debut with an explosive first-round finish against Onoriode Ehwarieme (20-3, 19 KOs). Stoppage clocked in at 2:06.
Featherweight Division: Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington, the unblemished pugilist hailing from Brooklyn, coasted to a clear-cut decision over Mexico’s Angel Antonio Contreras (13–7-2, 7 KOs). Across eight rounds, Carrington maintained dominance both at distance and in the pocket. Utilizing a high guard for defense and counterattacks, he also employed a potent body jab to keep his opponent at bay. The judges’ tally: 80-72 and a pair of 79-73s.
Heavyweight Showdown: Jeremiah Milton, the Tulsa hometown hero (11-0, 7 KOs), showed a great performance against Craig Lewis (15-7-2, 8 KOs), sealing an eight-round unanimous verdict. Milton almost floored Lewis in the very first round, capitalizing on a high guard to unleash a volley of combos that had Lewis bouncing around the ring. Lewis managed to stay vertical until the final gong. The scorecards read 80-72 and twin 79-72s.
Middleweight Clash: Sona Akale (8-1, 4 KOs) pulled off an upset majority decision in a six-round thriller against Nico Ali Walsh (8-1, 5 KOs). Although Ali Walsh rattled Akale with well-timed uppercuts and hooks, the Cameroon native’s relentless pressure swayed the judges. Final tallies were 57-57 and two counts of 58-56.
Lightweight Contest: Abdullah Mason, the 19-year-old southpaw sensation (10-0, 9 KOs), triumphed in what’s considered his toughest matchup to date, taking a six-round unanimous nod over Colombia’s durable Cesar Villarraga (10-8-1, 5 KOs). The judges were unanimous with scores of 60-54 across the board.
Welterweight Action: Ablaikhan Zhussupov, the Kazakh Olympian (4-0, 3 KOs), brought the curtains down on Nicaraguan veteran Wiston Campos (33-12-6, 19 KOs) via a fifth-round TKO. After flooring Campos in the fourth, the corner threw in the towel in the next round. Stoppage came at 2:52.
Junior Lightweight: Charly Suarez from the Philippines (16-0, 9 KOs) claimed a 10-round unanimous verdict against Yohan Vasquez (25-4, 20 KOs). The scorecards displayed 98-92 twice and a single 97-93.