A clash between top-ten-ranked heavyweights Efe Ajagba and Martin Bakole is reportedly a done deal for early 2025. The winner of the Ajagba-Bakole fight will be in a position to challenge for a world title once the smoke clears from next year’s fights involving Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and Anthony Joshua.
Bakole-Ajagba Set
Both guys are big punchers in their early 30s but have been unable to earn title shots thus far. Boxing Scene is reporting that the Ajagba-Bakole fight is a done deal. Bakole, 6’6″, will likely be a huge favorite against Ajagba, but that might not mean much. With Ajagba’s power, he’ll have a puncher’s chance.
#1 WBA, #3 WBC, #3 WBO, #4 Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) will be putting his high ranking at risk against the 2016 Nigerian Olympian Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs). With the #1 ranking with the World Boxing Association, Bakole doesn’t need to take a risk like this to get a title shot. He can just sit back, and he’ll get a shot eventually.
Bakole, 31, has gained a lot of attention recently with his fifth-round knockout win over America’s best heavyweight prospect, Jared Anderson, on August 3rd at a Riyadh Season event at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The win against ‘The Real Big Baby’ Anderson was very impressive for Bakole, as he completely wiped him out.
That performance from Bakole has many people believing he can beat anyone in the division, and that may be the case. On Bakole’s best night, he’s capable of knocking out any of the top heavyweights in the division. However, Michael Hunter exposed Bakole’s weakness in the stamina department with his tenth-round TKO victory on October 13, 2018.
Hunter took Bakole into the later rounds and then opened up with a barrage of punches in the tenth to knock him out. Bakole hasn’t improved since that fight. He’s still the same guy, but his opposition hasn’t been as smart as the 2012 Olympian Hunter. This is the same guy who came close to defeating Artur Beterbiev in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Ajagba has won his last five fights since losing a 10-round unanimous decision to Cuba’s Frank Sanchez on October 9, 2021. He’s come back from the loss to pick up recent wins over Guido Vianello, Joseph Goodall, Zhan Kossobutskiy, and Stephen Shaw.
Many fans will dismiss Ajagba’s chances of winning this fight due to their loss to Sanchez, but he’s a much different fighter when he’s got a guy in front of him who can be hit. Due to his defense and movement, Frank was a nightmare for Ajagba to connect on his power shots. Bakole is there to be hit, and if Ajagba connects solidly, he may go.