Martin Bakole vs. Efe Ajagba | PPV - 3 May 2025

[cormack]

martins a good fighter but the obviously bs stories that he cant keep straight just make him look like a wankhead

Yeah wheres billy nelson now

bakole is a jackanory guy imho

oh and a pervert

[Ruthless-RKO]

Turki has said this fight is still happening..

Bakole has 3 months to get in some decent shape..

[KiwiRider]

[Ruthless-RKO]

IBF TO DETERMINE NEXT STEPS FOR HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE ELIMINATOR, NO LONGER IN PLAY FOR MARTIN BAKOLE-EFE AJAGBA CLASH

Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba will apparently stay the course, even with the reduced stakes.

The IBF, however, will have to figure out a new plan to fulfill its heavyweight mandatory slot.

The Ring has confirmed that a new IBF heavyweight title eliminator will be assigned, though the participants were not yet established as this goes to publication. Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) will still move forward with his planned May clash with Efe Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) at a New York City location to be determined.

However, the winner is no longer in line to become the mandatory challenger to current IBF heavyweight titlist Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs). That status changed after Bakole suffered a second-round knockout loss in a late-accepted assignment against Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KOs), The Ring’s No. 3 heavyweight contender, this past Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ironically, Bakole, The Ring’s No. 6 heavyweight contender (though due for a one-spot demotion) lost out on the chance to become Dubois’ No. 1 contender by replacing the Brit this past weekend. Dubois, The Ring’s No. 2 heavyweight contender, was due to defend his belt against Parker but fell ill late in fight week and withdrew from the contest.

Parker instead risked his interim WBO title against Bakole, who accepted the fight on barely 48 hours’ notice.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and head of Riyadh Season, assured Bakole that he would move forward with his planned fight against Ajagba, The Ring’s No. 10 heavyweight contender. Their bout is part of a tripleheader that will serve as Ring Magazine’s first-promoted card in the U.S.

Bakole is the highest-ranked IBF heavyweight contender at No. 3. That status will likely change after his recent defeat.

Whom the IBF contacts to fill the void will likely depend on their next monthly ratings update in early March. Frank Sanchez (25-1, 18 KOs) is currently No. 4, followed by Parker, Ajagba, former two-time unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs), Derek Chisora (36-13, 23 KOs) and Justis Huni (12-0, 7 KOs).

[gilgamesh]

If I were Ajagba I think I'd be demanding a different opponent in a case like this. If my fight was supposed to be an IBF Eliminator and now it's not because the guy I was gonna fight lost unexpectedly. How is that my problem? Give me the new guy that would make it an Eliminator then

It's still a fight that makes sense in a lot of ways, but it's a shame for Ajagba to have his potential title opportunity downgraded through no fault of his own.

[Ruthless-RKO]

If I were Ajagba I think I'd be demanding a different opponent in a case like this. If my fight was supposed to be an IBF Eliminator and now it's not because the guy I was gonna fight lost unexpectedly. How is that my problem? Give me the new guy that would make it an Eliminator then

It's still a fight that makes sense in a lot of ways, but it's a shame for Ajagba to have his potential title opportunity downgraded through no fault of his own.

Yh I’d say order me a fight with the next ranked in an eliminator.

Cus now beating Bakole won’t mean shit.

[tiny_acres]

If I were Ajagba I think I'd be demanding a different opponent in a case like this. If my fight was supposed to be an IBF Eliminator and now it's not because the guy I was gonna fight lost unexpectedly. How is that my problem? Give me the new guy that would make it an Eliminator then

It's still a fight that makes sense in a lot of ways, but it's a shame for Ajagba to have his potential title opportunity downgraded through no fault of his own.

It's a no win situation for Ajagba.
If he loses he lost to a guy that was coming off a 2nd rd ko.
If he wins they'll say Bakole was exposed by hunter and Parker.
Get another opponent

[Coco]

The only way I could see Bakole taking that fight for such low money is that if we was guaranteed his next fight.

Even with that his stock has dropped dramatically and it probably wasn't worth it.

I would have asked for a couple of million

Saudi show, really short notice, out of shape little chance of looking good, less of winning, could have been career ending, 400k and taking home half that just doesn't stack up.

[KiwiRider]

If I were Ajagba I think I'd be demanding a different opponent in a case like this. If my fight was supposed to be an IBF Eliminator and now it's not because the guy I was gonna fight lost unexpectedly. How is that my problem? Give me the new guy that would make it an Eliminator then

It's still a fight that makes sense in a lot of ways, but it's a shame for Ajagba to have his potential title opportunity downgraded through no fault of his own.

It's a no win situation for Ajagba.
If he loses he lost to a guy that was coming off a 2nd rd ko.
If he wins they'll say Bakole was exposed by hunter and Parker.
Get another opponent

I disagree about a no win for Ajagba.
If he beats Bakole (after he has a full training camp) then surely that is a better statement than Parker made?
Bakole is 90% hype anyway, all the rubbish sparring claims were debunked by Joe Joyce's team and the clip they released.
Even with that in mind, I still think Bakole deserves this chance to prove himself.

[gilgamesh]

If I were Ajagba I think I'd be demanding a different opponent in a case like this. If my fight was supposed to be an IBF Eliminator and now it's not because the guy I was gonna fight lost unexpectedly. How is that my problem? Give me the new guy that would make it an Eliminator then

It's still a fight that makes sense in a lot of ways, but it's a shame for Ajagba to have his potential title opportunity downgraded through no fault of his own.

It's a no win situation for Ajagba.
If he loses he lost to a guy that was coming off a 2nd rd ko.
If he wins they'll say Bakole was exposed by hunter and Parker.
Get another opponent

I disagree about a no win for Ajagba.
If he beats Bakole (after he has a full training camp) then surely that is a better statement than Parker made?
Bakole is 90% hype anyway, all the rubbish sparring claims were debunked by Joe Joyce's team and the clip they released.
Even with that in mind, I still think Bakole deserves this chance to prove himself.

It would be theoretically a better statement, but the Boxing world would already see Bakole as damaged goods coming off a recent KO loss. So in a weird way it would diminish Ajagba's win, fairly or unfairly.

It would still give him a boost obviously. It just wouldn't mean nearly as much as it would've meant before the Parker loss.

Boxing fans are fickle. A few KO wins, and Bakole is right back in the game. I say give him Zhang, and the winner of Whyte/Joyce and if he wins those fights he's back in the mix. If he doesn't. One of them other guys is back in the mix

Or Ajagba against any one of them fellas as well would be fine by me. Still lots of interesting fights at the Contender level. I don't know if they got any real chance once they earn a title shot, but the fights they fight amongst themselves to get there will be fun.

[stujones]

I think that is an awfully quick turnaround for someone who has just been KTFO. We would be barred for fighting for 28 days (I think) and ideally, he shouldn't be sparring for a bit - but yes he's got a lot of fitness and conditioning to gain at the early stages of camp.

Seeing the shape of Bakole in late February - I give Efe much more of a chance than I did when this fight was announced and without seeing Bakole in February (and assuming he would be such a fat pie).

[gilgamesh]

I think that is an awfully quick turnaround for someone who has just been KTFO. We would be barred for fighting for 28 days (I think) and ideally, he shouldn't be sparring for a bit - but yes he's got a lot of fitness and conditioning to gain at the early stages of camp.

Seeing the shape of Bakole in late February - I give Efe much more of a chance than I did when this fight was announced and without seeing Bakole in February (and assuming he would be such a fat pie).

Well hold on now. It wasn't exactly the most devastating KO loss anyone ever suffered. He got caught a good shot. Fell on his ass. Got up, and his corner threw in the towel.

It was embarrassing more than especially dangerous I'd say.

But yeah it is hard to imagine whipping that fat body into shape in 2 and a half months time, but I'd imagine it could be done.

[knockout]

I do wonder how much effect the zero sparring had on things.

Sparring is normally where you get used to the range/distance , sharpen up your reflexes etc

So not only was he 30lbs or more over weight he also had no sparring at all.

I have seen a lot of guys look terrible at the start of camp but in 6-8 weeks they are looking great.

I guess we will find out soon enough. Hopefully last weekend inspires Bakole rather than turning him even lazier now he has some money

[Ruthless-RKO]

Martin Bakole gets rapid shot at redemption in rescheduled Efe Ajagba bout

Martin Bakole’s instant acceptance of a Saudi Arabia replacement-bout junket that led to him getting knocked out has not passed without appreciation.

Bakole has been invited back to Riyadh, taking his originally planned May 2 heavyweight showdown against Efe Ajagba at New York’s Times Square to the Middle East, with the pair now set to do battle on the undercard of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-William Scull undercard May 3, an official involved in the deal confirmed to BS on Tuesday.

On the heels of his destructive August 3 knockout of then-unbeaten young contender Jared Anderson in Los Angeles, Bakole, 21-2 (16 KOs), was sought as a last-minute replacement for ailing IBF heavyweight Daniel Dubois, who withdrew from his planned February 22 title defense against former WBA titleholder Joseph Parker, 36-3 (24 KOs).

Showing up in the hours before the bout at a stout 310 pounds, Bakole was bopped on the temple by a Parker blow that sent the Congo fighter wobbling backward and finished in the second round.

While that zapped the 33-year-old Bakole’s career momentum – while making Parker the WBO mandatory challenger as he rides an impressive winning streak that includes triumphs over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, too – he received a pretty rapid shot at redemption on the May 3 card.

Marked by Alvarez’s new alignment with Saudi Arabian boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh in a four-fight deal that starts with the Mexico product seeking to recapture his standing as undisputed super middleweight champion against Cuba’s Scull, Bakole meets Nigeria’s Ajagba, 20-1 (14 KOs), in a clash of power punchers who likely won’t last long.

Bakole still stands as a top-five heavyweight in the WBC, IBF and WBA, and Ajagba is No. 9 in the WBO rankings.

The May 3 card also includes the Jaime Munguia-Bruno Surace super middleweight rematch following Surace’s stunning knockout of Munguia in his hometown of Tijuana, Mexico, in December.

[johninmanchester]

I think that is an awfully quick turnaround for someone who has just been KTFO. We would be barred for fighting for 28 days (I think) and ideally, he shouldn't be sparring for a bit - but yes he's got a lot of fitness and conditioning to gain at the early stages of camp.

Seeing the shape of Bakole in late February - I give Efe much more of a chance than I did when this fight was announced and without seeing Bakole in February (and assuming he would be such a fat pie).

Agree - that's a very quick turnaround for a guy who got stopped like that.

He's going to have to dedicate much of his camp to weight loss and fitness.

[Ruthless-RKO]

UNDERCARD INFORMATION

The undercard has been finalized for the undisputed super middleweight clash between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and William Scull.

In the main event of the evening, Canelo will stake his Ring, WBA, WBC, WBO, world titles when he faces undefeated IBF champion Scull on May 3rd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As previously reported by The Ring, former world champion Jaime Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) will attempt to get revenge when faces Bruno Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) in a co-featured rematch.

Back in December, Surace was a massive underdog when he scored a shocking one-punch knockout of Munguia in Mexico. The outcome would ultimately become Ring's Upset of The Year.

Heavyweight punchers Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) and Efe Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) will collide in what many expect to be a shootout.

Bakole will look to bounce back after suffering a two-round knockout loss to former world champion Joseph Parker last month. Bakole took that fight on two day's notice after Daniel Dubois withdrew with an illness. Ajagba saw action back in April of last year, when he picked up a tough split decision win over Guido Vianello.

WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) will make a mandatory defense of his world title against dangerous puncher Ryan Rozicki (20-1-1, 19 KOs).

Jack will be fighting for the first time since knocking out Junior Makabu for the title in February of 2023. Rozicki will be coming back from a December draw with Yamil Alberto Peralta.

Also on the card, highly touted Olympian Marco Verde will make his pro debut against Michel Polina.

Verde won the gold medal in the 2023 Pan American Games at welterweight. He also won the welterweight silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics after losing the final bout against Uzbek Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev.

Cuban light heavyweight prospect Brayan Leon (6-0, 6 KOs), who is trained by Eddy Reynoso, will face Aaron Guerrero (11-3-1, 7 KOs). The more experienced Guerrero has never lost by knockout.

[keithmoonhangover]

UNDERCARD INFORMATION

The undercard has been finalized for the undisputed super middleweight clash between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and William Scull.

In the main event of the evening, Canelo will stake his Ring, WBA, WBC, WBO, world titles when he faces undefeated IBF champion Scull on May 3rd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As previously reported by The Ring, former world champion Jaime Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) will attempt to get revenge when faces Bruno Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) in a co-featured rematch.

Back in December, Surace was a massive underdog when he scored a shocking one-punch knockout of Munguia in Mexico. The outcome would ultimately become Ring's Upset of The Year.

Heavyweight punchers Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) and Efe Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) will collide in what many expect to be a shootout.

Bakole will look to bounce back after suffering a two-round knockout loss to former world champion Joseph Parker last month. Bakole took that fight on two day's notice after Daniel Dubois withdrew with an illness. Ajagba saw action back in April of last year, when he picked up a tough split decision win over Guido Vianello.

WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) will make a mandatory defense of his world title against dangerous puncher Ryan Rozicki (20-1-1, 19 KOs).

Jack will be fighting for the first time since knocking out Junior Makabu for the title in February of 2023. Rozicki will be coming back from a December draw with Yamil Alberto Peralta.

Also on the card, highly touted Olympian Marco Verde will make his pro debut against Michel Polina.

Verde won the gold medal in the 2023 Pan American Games at welterweight. He also won the welterweight silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics after losing the final bout against Uzbek Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev.

Cuban light heavyweight prospect Brayan Leon (6-0, 6 KOs), who is trained by Eddy Reynoso, will face Aaron Guerrero (11-3-1, 7 KOs). The more experienced Guerrero has never lost by knockout.

You can never accuse the WBC of not looking after their champion.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[jameswilson]

Blimey.

[Jimmy2025]

I think Bakole will absolutely batter Ajagba. Martin will weigh in at about 285lbs (which is still too heavy but about the right amount of weight loss) and go through the guy like a dose of salts.

[Cent0089]

That is some nice card. No boxing no life !!

[KiwiRider]

It's funny, but Bakole's loss to Parker doesn't in the slightest dampen my enthusiasm for this fight and fight card.
I still think Bakole Ajagba is going to be decent.

[stujones]

Genuinely read that fight poster as "Fat Fury" which I thought was appropriate given who is on the undercard.

[MightyWarrior]

That’s a hell of a tough come back for Martin, that other guy is huge, tough, can punch and will now fancy this fight.

Bakole’s confidence will be pretty fragile after that devastating defeat. He never should’ve taken that ridiculous fight. I really hope he gets back what he had before, but I’m not so sure. Maybe he will…

[jameswilson]

Yeah I reckon Bakole chins him as well.

You really can’t underestimate what a proper camp does, it’s not just the weight and fitness Bakole’s timing, speed and judgement of distance will have been completely off as he didn’t do any sparring before the Parker fight. I’m also convinced no camp with no sparring will affect a guys punch resistance.