Ernest Osogbue
The much hyped heavyweight clash to determine Africa’s number one heavyweight boxer ended in a ten round stalemate as Efe Ajagba of Nigeria and Martin Bakole of the DRC, fought to a majority draw in Riyadh last night.
Coming into the fight off the back of a punishing 2nd round stoppage loss to Joseph Parker, Bakole needed to prove that he was still the dangerous boxer most people took him to be. With Ajagba not having been in the ring since a split decision victory over Guido Vianelo in April 2024, he was expected to show some ring rust. This was, however, not the case, as Ajagba displayed ring smartness and discipline throughout the encounter to frustrate Bakole. Ajagba used the ropes effectively, even sometimes to the frustration of his corner who wanted him to finish off the Congolese pugilist.
At the end of ten rounds, judges Bob Williams and Pablo Gonzalez both scored the fight 95-95 for a majority draw, with judge Kieran McCann scoring it 96-94 for Ajagba. Most pundits who were ringside, as well as commentators, feel that Ajagba did enough to win the fight, the same sentiment expressed across social media by boxing enthusiasts. However, only the judges scorecards matter, and so the bout goes down in the draw column for both fighters.
It remains to be seen if IBF bigwigs and the sports loving Saudi Crown Prince, would be willing to back a rematch between the fighters. Both of who claimed victory post match, with Ajagba saying that it was not his place to score the fight, but believed that he did enough to win the bout.
The effect of this result on the career of both boxers remains in the realms of speculation, as kjnnetwork.com reports that an outright victory would have been better for either man.
