Ajagba Sustained Elbow Injury during bout

[oogiebe]

Efe Ajagba said after his win over Demirezen that, "I hurt my elbow early on, so I couldn't shoot my right hand like I wanted. But I won't use that as an excuse. As a tall man I had to use the jab and if it went the distance, that was my best way to win."

I didn't notice anything physically wrong with Efe, but I was wondering why he wasn't loading up on punches like we've often seen him do.

No word on next fight date or opponent.

Full Article:
https://www.boxing scene.com/efe-ajagba-says-jab-key-beating-demirezen--141141

[margaret thatcher]

AJ shoulda gone with the elbow line too, none of that other stuff.

[margaret thatcher]

And LOL, such a fighter thing ---makes excuse, then saying he's not making excuses.

[margaret thatcher]

My prediction: next time he foughts a guy a lot worse than Demi, he flattens him early with a right hand, showing indeed that his right injury was responsible for not stopping Demi.

I'd like to see him fight Washington. Wash would actually be real good right now for Dub and Hrg too.

[oogiebe]

My prediction: next time he foughts a guy a lot worse than Demi, he flattens him early with a right hand, showing indeed that his right injury was responsible for not stopping Demi.

I'd like to see him fight Washington. Wash would actually be real good right now for Dub and Hrg too.

LOL! Excuse, non-excuses! Washington would be great for DDD, I agree. I don't know what to make of Hrgovic yet. A bit of an enigma to me.

[Best Coast]

Ajagba clearly won the fight against Demirezen but I would like to see trainer Ronnie Shields help Efe become less stiff and mechanical. Being too predictable could be a liability when Efe starts fighting top-notch HWs and is likely to hinder his development at top level.

[oogiebe]

Ajagba clearly won the fight against Demirezen but I would like to see trainer Ronnie Shields help Efe become less stiff and mechanical. Being too predictable could be a liability when Efe starts fighting top-notch HWs and is likely to hinder his development at top level.

I agree. I'm a fan, but he showed little or no improvement in this fight. Looked the big stiff who throws a lot of punches. Hopefully we'll see improvement next time.

[KiwiRider]

Ajagba clearly won the fight against Demirezen but I would like to see trainer Ronnie Shields help Efe become less stiff and mechanical. Being too predictable could be a liability when Efe starts fighting top-notch HWs and is likely to hinder his development at top level.

I agree. I'm a fan, but he showed little or no improvement in this fight. Looked the big stiff who throws a lot of punches. Hopefully we'll see improvement next time.

And they call Joshua a robot
Aggiejabbie is the ultimate robot.
The first time he faces someone who hits back, he is getting startched. Slow, predictable, no head movement- in other words, the perfect 21st century HW prospect.

[Enlightened-One]

Ajagba carrying an elbow injury is surely very old news, isn’t it?

[Best Coast]

I agree. I'm a fan, but he showed little or no improvement in this fight. Looked the big stiff who throws a lot of punches. Hopefully we'll see improvement next time.

And they call Joshua a robot
Aggiejabbie is the ultimate robot.
The first time he faces someone who hits back, he is getting startched. Slow, predictable, no head movement- in other words, the perfect 21st century HW prospect.

I wouldnt dismiss the possibility that Ajagba's world-class trainer Ronnie Shields could get Efe to make some significant stylistic adjustments. Efe has only had 11 pro bouts so I wouldnt count him out just yet. Almost ALL the current young HW prospects need LOTS of work, so he is not alone in that regard.

[oogiebe]

And they call Joshua a robot
Aggiejabbie is the ultimate robot.
The first time he faces someone who hits back, he is getting startched. Slow, predictable, no head movement- in other words, the perfect 21st century HW prospect.

I wouldnt dismiss the possibility that Ajagba's world-class trainer Ronnie Shields could get Efe to make some significant stylistic adjustments. Efe has only had 11 pro bouts so I wouldnt count him out just yet. Almost ALL the current young HW prospects need LOTS of work, so he is not alone in that regard.

I'm certainly not giving up on the young bomber. I'm hoping to see improvement in fluidity and hand speed. He seems to have gotten slower. maybe my imagination.

[Best Coast]

I wouldnt dismiss the possibility that Ajagba's world-class trainer Ronnie Shields could get Efe to make some significant stylistic adjustments. Efe has only had 11 pro bouts so I wouldnt count him out just yet. Almost ALL the current young HW prospects need LOTS of work, so he is not alone in that regard.

I'm certainly not giving up on the young bomber. I'm hoping to see improvement in fluidity and hand speed. He seems to have gotten slower. maybe my imagination.

I thought you might be right so I checked videos of Efe vs Demirezen (all 10 rounds) and Efe's 5-round stoppage of Rodney Hernandez (his longest bout before that). Based on these videos I dont think Efe is any slower vs Demirezen than he is vs Hernandez. It's just that Demirezen is a better fighter with a much better chin than Hernandez. But Ajagba has added 9 pounds since his pro debut (233 up to 242) and the weight increase is clearly all muscle, so if he is a tad stiffer that is probably why.

[oogiebe]

I appreciate that Best, but it shows me that he was slower than I thought. Let's see what happens next time out.

[margaret thatcher]

Ya, he's a specimen but he does have a bit of that slow stiffness to him. Still easily one of the elite HW prospects though.

[SportsRatings]

Slow, predictable, no head movement- in other words, the perfect 21st century HW prospect.

Same thing could have been said about 20th century HW prospect George Foreman.

If Efe never becomes anything more than a big guy who throws a lot of punches (and takes punches well, which he does), he will make a very exciting high-level gatekeeper. Any major improvements and he's a legit contender.

[Best Coast]

I appreciate that Best, but it shows me that he was slower than I thought. Let's see what happens next time out.

What rounds of the Hernandez fight video make you believe Efe has slowed down since then? In his scheduled 6-rounder against Rodney, Ajagba started really fast but after Hernandez withstood his best shots Efe slowed his attack and began to pace himself in the 4th and 5th rounds.

In contrast, Ajagba knew going into their scheduled 10-rounder that Demirezen was a better fighter so he paced himself from the start. That turned out to be a wise strategy because it went the distance, but by the 9th & 10th rounds Ajagba was not really slower than he was in the closing rounds of the Hernandez TKO (4th & 5th).

Or are you saying that Ajagba was slower in the Hernandez bout (21 months ago) than what you had remembered when the took place?

I'm not saying that Ajagba fans like us didnt overrate him a bit after all his early 1st-round blowouts, but which of the 2016 Olympic HWs has NOT seen some of their luster wear off since their pro debuts? Dychko, Jalolov, Yoka, Joyce & even Hrgovic have all shown flaws as they have stepped up the caliber of their opposition in the pro ranks. As time goes on and the weeding-out process continues, I'm sure we'll see even more thinning of the ranks.

[oogiebe]

I appreciate that Best, but it shows me that he was slower than I thought. Let's see what happens next time out.

What rounds of the Hernandez fight video make you believe Efe has slowed down since then? In his scheduled 6-rounder against Rodney, Ajagba started really fast but after Hernandez withstood his best shots Efe slowed his attack and began to pace himself in the 4th and 5th rounds.

In contrast, Ajagba knew going into their scheduled 10-rounder that Demirezen was a better fighter so he paced himself from the start. That turned out to be a wise strategy because it went the distance, but by the 9th & 10th rounds Ajagba was not really slower than he was in the closing rounds of the Hernandez TKO (4th & 5th).

Or are you saying that Ajagba was slower in the Hernandez bout (21 months ago) than what you had remembered when the took place?

I'm not saying that Ajagba fans like us didnt overrate him a bit after all his early 1st-round blowouts, but which of the 2016 Olympic HWs has NOT seen some of their luster wear off since their pro debuts? Dychko, Jalolov, Yoka, Joyce & even Hrgovic have all shown flaws as they have stepped up the caliber of their opposition in the pro ranks. As time goes on and the weeding-out process continues, I'm sure we'll see even more thinning of the ranks.

All I'm saying is that Ajagba vs Dem showed that me that he is slower than I thought. I'm not down on him. He can improve all around. He's still a beast.

[KiwiRider]

Slow, predictable, no head movement- in other words, the perfect 21st century HW prospect.

Same thing could have been said about 20th century HW prospect George Foreman.

If Efe never becomes anything more than a big guy who throws a lot of punches (and takes punches well, which he does), he will make a very exciting high-level gatekeeper. Any major improvements and he's a legit contender.

Don't get me wrong, he is fine, there will be good fights out there for him. Joe Joyce would be fun.