AJAGBA V BAKOLE: BATTLE OF HEAVY HITTERS
Ernest Osogbue
Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba will later tonight test his boxing skills against Martin Bakole of the DRC, in an undercard of the Canelo Alvarez v William Scull title unification bout.
The fight originally billed as a title eliminator was downgraded, after Bakole accepted to replace Daniel Dubois in a title fight against Joseph Parker on short notice, earlier this year, after Dubois took ill. Parker humiliated Bakole by handing him a second round stoppage. Bakole’s courage in accepting the fight, however, impressed boxing bigwigs, and so his original fight with Ajagba was put back on the cards, although without the option of a title fight for the winner.
That notwithstanding, the fight is still highly anticipated as it pits two of the heavyweight divisions more exciting fighters against each other. Bakole 33 is seen as one of the heaviest punchers in the division, with the more accepted heavyweights avoiding him. The Congolese pugilist boasts 21 wins in 23 fights, with 16 KO’s. Ajagba 31, on the other hand, boasts an almost similar record, with 20 wins in 21 fights, and 14 KO’s. At the weigh-in, Bakole tipped the scales at 299Ibs, a full 59Ibs heavier than Ajagba, who weighed in at 240Ibs.
The fight scheduled for the famed ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been dubbed the battle of the heavy hitters, with bookmakers giving Bakole the early advantage. Ajagba, however, is no pushover and knows that victory over Bakole tonight, puts him on the pathway to a title challenge and millions of dollars in the near future.
