Efe Ajagba

[oogiebe]

I hope he will get a chance against top guys, but I expect the top guys to ignore him, or play tricks around him to avoid him in the ring.

We have some time to wait before he's challenging the top guys. I hope you're wrong on the avoidance, but you're probably not.

[pico11]

Top HW prospect, Efe Ajagba, will return to action on May 18 as part of the undercard of Wilder vs Breazeale.

In his last fight, Ajagba took apart Amir Mansaur, a fight which was watched by 1.28 Million viewers according to Boxing Scene.

No opponent has been named, although word is that it would be a good step up fight for Ajagba, who has been plowing through lower level opponents including the aforementioned Amir Mansaur and the very tough Rodney Hernandez. One fighter mentioned is Kevin Johnson who fights tonight vs Nathan Gorman.

Ajagba is a good year away from making noise at the top of the division, but who knows, his path might turn out to be faster.

Ajagba, along with Arslanbek Makhmudov has me excited about the future of the HW division.

May 18 is great news for Efe!!

That is just a little over 2 months from the Mansour blowout. Ajagba has been one of the busier HW prospects to come out of the 2016 Olympics. He has had only one layoff between fights of over 3 months since turning pro.

Compared to other HWs from the Rio Olympics Efe has been very busy. Hrgovic has been off since early December and doesnt have any fights scheduled yet, so he could be off 5+ months before his next bout. Dychko has been off for over 8 months and has nothing scheduled. Rio gold medalist Tony Yoka must still be on suspension because he hasnt fought for 9 months. The only Rio HW that's been as active as Ajagba is Joe Joyce but he is almost 9 years older than Efe at age 33, so he needs to stay busier than Ajagba!!

Hrgovic will be back May 18th on Usyk undercard. He signed for 3 fights until october.

[oogiebe]

Top HW prospect, Efe Ajagba, will return to action on May 18 as part of the undercard of Wilder vs Breazeale.

In his last fight, Ajagba took apart Amir Mansaur, a fight which was watched by 1.28 Million viewers according to Boxing Scene.

No opponent has been named, although word is that it would be a good step up fight for Ajagba, who has been plowing through lower level opponents including the aforementioned Amir Mansaur and the very tough Rodney Hernandez. One fighter mentioned is Kevin Johnson who fights tonight vs Nathan Gorman.

Ajagba is a good year away from making noise at the top of the division, but who knows, his path might turn out to be faster.

Ajagba, along with Arslanbek Makhmudov has me excited about the future of the HW division.

May 18 is great news for Efe!!

That is just a little over 2 months from the Mansour blowout. Ajagba has been one of the busier HW prospects to come out of the 2016 Olympics. He has had only one layoff between fights of over 3 months since turning pro.

Compared to other HWs from the Rio Olympics Efe has been very busy. Hrgovic has been off since early December and doesnt have any fights scheduled yet, so he could be off 5+ months before his next bout. Dychko has been off for over 8 months and has nothing scheduled. Rio gold medalist Tony Yoka must still be on suspension because he hasnt fought for 9 months. The only Rio HW that's been as active as Ajagba is Joe Joyce but he is almost 9 years older than Efe at age 33, so he needs to stay busier than Ajagba!!

Hrgovic will be back May 18th on Usyk undercard. He signed for 3 fights until october.

I'm looking forward to his next couple of fights. Hope by the third he's facing someone significant. He's a decent boxer with some power and good size. Any word on who?

[pico11]

Top HW prospect, Efe Ajagba, will return to action on May 18 as part of the undercard of Wilder vs Breazeale.

In his last fight, Ajagba took apart Amir Mansaur, a fight which was watched by 1.28 Million viewers according to Boxing Scene.

No opponent has been named, although word is that it would be a good step up fight for Ajagba, who has been plowing through lower level opponents including the aforementioned Amir Mansaur and the very tough Rodney Hernandez. One fighter mentioned is Kevin Johnson who fights tonight vs Nathan Gorman.

Ajagba is a good year away from making noise at the top of the division, but who knows, his path might turn out to be faster.

Ajagba, along with Arslanbek Makhmudov has me excited about the future of the HW division.

May 18 is great news for Efe!!

That is just a little over 2 months from the Mansour blowout. Ajagba has been one of the busier HW prospects to come out of the 2016 Olympics. He has had only one layoff between fights of over 3 months since turning pro.

Compared to other HWs from the Rio Olympics Efe has been very busy. Hrgovic has been off since early December and doesnt have any fights scheduled yet, so he could be off 5+ months before his next bout. Dychko has been off for over 8 months and has nothing scheduled. Rio gold medalist Tony Yoka must still be on suspension because he hasnt fought for 9 months. The only Rio HW that's been as active as Ajagba is Joe Joyce but he is almost 9 years older than Efe at age 33, so he needs to stay busier than Ajagba!!

Hrgovic will be back May 18th on Usyk undercard. He signed for 3 fights until october.

I'm looking forward to his next couple of fights. Hope by the third he's facing someone significant. He's a decent boxer with some power and good size. Any word on who?

Possible against Szpilka, Fedosov or Junior Fa. But this is just a rumor.

[Best Coast]

Top HW prospect, Efe Ajagba, will return to action on May 18 as part of the undercard of Wilder vs Breazeale.

In his last fight, Ajagba took apart Amir Mansaur, a fight which was watched by 1.28 Million viewers according to Boxing Scene.

No opponent has been named, although word is that it would be a good step up fight for Ajagba, who has been plowing through lower level opponents including the aforementioned Amir Mansaur and the very tough Rodney Hernandez. One fighter mentioned is Kevin Johnson who fights tonight vs Nathan Gorman.

Ajagba is a good year away from making noise at the top of the division, but who knows, his path might turn out to be faster.

Ajagba, along with Arslanbek Makhmudov has me excited about the future of the HW division.

May 18 is great news for Efe!!

That is just a little over 2 months from the Mansour blowout. Ajagba has been one of the busier HW prospects to come out of the 2016 Olympics. He has had only one layoff between fights of over 3 months since turning pro.

Compared to other HWs from the Rio Olympics Efe has been very busy. Hrgovic has been off since early December and doesnt have any fights scheduled yet, so he could be off 5+ months before his next bout. Dychko has been off for over 8 months and has nothing scheduled. Rio gold medalist Tony Yoka must still be on suspension because he hasnt fought for 9 months. The only Rio HW that's been as active as Ajagba is Joe Joyce but he is almost 9 years older than Efe at age 33, so he needs to stay busier than Ajagba!!

Hrgovic will be back May 18th on Usyk undercard. He signed for 3 fights until october.

Great news amigo!! I wasnt aware of that yet!!

[Enlightened-One]

Compared to other HWs from the Rio Olympics Efe has been very busy... The only Rio HW that's been as active as Ajagba is Joe Joyce but he is almost 9 years older than Efe at age 33, so he needs to stay busier than Ajagba!!

To be fair though, Ajagba is simply a raw young novice. He has almost no amateur experience and the calibre of opponents he’s faced in the pro ranks has been pretty dire so far. He has an awful long way to go and it’ll four years until he reaches world level, since he’s a young fighter still learning his craft.

His career path will very likely follow Deontay Wilder’s, with both fighters aligned with Al Haymon. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with developing this guy slowly.

Ajagba is well behind Joe Joyce in terms of amateur pedigree, quality of sparring partners (i.e. Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Murat Gassiev, Charles Martin, Mike Perez, Bermane Stiverne etc.), as well as the calibre of opposition faced in the pro ranks.

And to be honest, I’m no fan of Joe Joyce, but even I realise he’s a level above Efe Ajagba. I don’t dislike the Nigerian prospect, but he needs to be busy in order to learn his trade and gain experience, because his athleticism alone isn’t enough to guarantee success.

Some of the other prospects can afford to be less busy than Ajagba, because in terms of the learning curve, they’re well ahead of the Nigerian prospect.

[oogiebe]

With the new BoxRec ratings, Efe Ajagba moves down 26 spots to #54. I have to admit, this makes more sense considering who he's fought. Seems the ratings have a lot of rather large swings.

[jamamb]

hes fought mostly cans, and then a solid journeyman/gatekeeper in roddy hernandez and a washed up mansour. realistically ya on his resume he shouldnt be ranked too high at this point

[oogiebe]

hes fought mostly cans, and then a solid journeyman/gatekeeper in roddy hernandez and a washed up mansour. realistically ya on his resume he shouldnt be ranked too high at this point

I thought it rather silly when he was like 28th. No way he competes at that level yet, much as I'm a fan.

[oogiebe]

What I don't agree with is Arslanbek Makhmudov dropping 45 spots to 124. Seems he's better than that, even top 75.

[Best Coast]

Ajagba is well behind Joe Joyce in terms of amateur pedigree, quality of sparring partners (i.e. Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Murat Gassiev, Charles Martin, Mike Perez, Bermane Stiverne etc.), as well as the calibre of opposition faced in the pro ranks.

And to be honest, I’m no fan of Joe Joyce, but even I realise he’s a level above Efe Ajagba. I don’t dislike the Nigerian prospect, but he needs to be busy in order to learn his trade and gain experience, because his athleticism alone isn’t enough to guarantee success.

Some of the other prospects can afford to be less busy than Ajagba, because in terms of the learning curve, they’re well ahead of the Nigerian prospect.

I wouldnt be surprised if Joyce beats Ajagba now, but Efe has got lots of time to develop. He has much more going for him than athleticism and muscular physique. World-class trainer Ronnie Shields says Efe has the greatest work ethic of any fighter he has seen since Evander Holyfield and that dedication will take him a long way by building upon the raw talent he already has.

[lillywhite14]

I think a few people here will be disappointed with Ajagba’s career in the long run.
He’s not the next Lennox Lewis. He’s not even the next Anthony Joshua

[Best Coast]

I think a few people here will be disappointed with Ajagba’s career in the long run.
He’s not the next Lennox Lewis. He’s not even the next Anthony Joshua

We could accurately say the same thing about any of the new wave of HW prospects on the horizon today: Hrgovic, Joyce, Dychko, Jalolov, Yoka, Dubois or Tishchenko. Do you honestly believe any of them will be as good as Lewis or Joshua?

I for one would be far from disappointed if Ajagba eventually turned out to be the best Nigerian heavyweight ever, because he would have to surpass the unbeaten Ike Ibeabuchi to do that and that would be no small feat.

[candyslim]

@Lil: Party pooper

He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy. Seriously, it's way too early to make any extravagant claims but he sure looks the part, and it's going to (continue to) be fun watching his journey wherever it takes him.

[jamamb]

he certainly has a hype train and team of defenders here

will be a fun one to follow

[Boxtune]

I think a few people here will be disappointed with Ajagba’s career in the long run.
He’s not the next Lennox Lewis. He’s not even the next Anthony Joshua

You will be in a big surprise .. Ajagba has good chin and good defence and his body haven't fill out .. yiu will see 250-260 solid wrecking machine in future but will he be better than lennox lewis ? maybe yes or maybe not .. time will tell

[oogiebe]

He's a prospect and an exciting one. Do I think he has a future? Of course, but it's so early in his career we can't be certain how far he can go. When he finally steps up to a level of competition that provides some sort of threat, we'll know that much more. In the interim, he's a fun watch and a fun prospect to follow.

[oogiebe]

Nice article on Texas by way of Nigeria HW sensation Efe Ajagba who faces Michael Wallisch this Saturday on Showtime.

Inside the Head of Efe Ajagbe
https://www.premierboxingchampions.com/ ... efe-ajagba

[Enlightened-One]

We’ll not learn anything new about Ajagba based on the outcome of his bout against Michael Wallisch.

[candyslim]

You will be in a big surprise .. Ajagba has good chin and good defence and his body haven't fill out .. yiu will see 250-260 solid wrecking machine in future but will he be better than lennox lewis ? maybe yes or maybe not .. time will tell

Better than Lennox Lewis ??? You could be right but don't forget ... Lewis will be 54 years old this year

[Rob3_142]

We’ll not learn anything new about Ajagba based on the outcome of his bout against Michael Wallisch.

If he gets him out of there is more stylish fashion than Hammer (5th round KO), it might at least give us some barometer.

[oogiebe]

If he gets him out of there is more stylish fashion than Hammer (5th round KO), it might at least us some barometer.

You can always find a takeaway on a prospect's fight, no matter the opponent. Was he moving better? Using his jab better? showing new twists in his arsenal? Putting his punches together better? It's all about showing improvement and growth at this early stage of a fighter's career.

[Enlightened-One]

If he gets him out of there is more stylish fashion than Hammer (5th round KO), it might at least us some barometer.

I'd agree if Christian Hammer was a world-rated fighter, but I don't think he's even managed to win a single round in his fights against the likes of Ortiz, Fury or Povetkin. So I really don't think we'll learn anything about Ajagba from the next mismatch he's engaged in against Michael Wallisch.

Ajagba was manhandled with ease by Ivan Dychko, fought in very few amateur bouts and competed in only 34 minutes and 41 seconds of action in the pro ranks (i.e. the combined total time of all ten fights he's participated in).

So I feel that people need to realign their expectations according to reality, because the 25-year-old Nigerian has very little experience in the sport of boxing in comparison to his fellow unbeaten prospects, such as: Zhang Zhilei, Filip Hrgovic, Tony Yoka, Joe Joyce or Ivan Dychko (who all possess considerable amateur experience i.e. having competed in hundreds of bouts and medallists in lots of major tournaments).

[Rob3_142]

I don't think there is anything wrong with a bit of hype for a relatively young fighter with less than 10 pro fights. He's got size and power on his side. Seems to move well, and has carried himself well so far.

I can remember having a similar level of excitement of Joshua in his first half dozed fighters as he was coming through (notwithstanding his amateur pedigree).

Granted, we won't learn tonnes about him against Wallisch, but nor did we with Joshua against Denis Bakhtov...

[oogiebe]

I don't think there is anything wrong with a bit of hype for a relatively young fighter with less than 10 pro fights. He's got size and power on his side. Seems to move well, and has carried himself well so far.

I can remember having a similar level of excitement of Joshua in his first half dozed fighters as he was coming through (notwithstanding his amateur pedigree).

Granted, we won't learn tonnes about him against Wallisch, but nor did we with Joshua against Denis Bakhtov...

It's another step in the development of an exciting young HW.