BoxRec

Press Release

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will see rising heavyweight sensation Efe Ajagba taking on Iago Kiladze in a 10-round opening attraction. The event is is headlined by the highly anticipated WBC Super Welterweight Title rematch between Tony “Superbad” Harrison and Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo.

Former world champions Guillermo Rigondeaux and Liborio Solis will battle for the vacant WBA Bantamweight World title Saturday, December 21 in the FOX PBC Fight Night co-main event and on FOX Deportes live in primetime from Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Lions Only Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.

“With two world title fights and one of boxing’s most exciting prospects entering the ring, Saturday, December 21 is going to be a night of action that fans in Southern California won’t want to miss,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “In addition to the main event, one of boxing’s most skilled fighters, Guillermo Rigondeaux, will look to become a two-division world champion against a battle tested former champion in Liborio Solis. Plus, hard-hitting phenom Efe Ajagba hopes to pass another test with flying colors against Iago Kiladze to round out a tremendous lineup on FOX and FOX Deportes.”

Nigeria’s Ajagba (11-0, 9 KOs) most recently passed the toughest test of his professional career when he defeated fellow 2016 Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen by 10-round unanimous decision in July. The 25-year-old Ajagba gained widespread notoriety in August 2018 when his opponent, Curtis Harper, walked out of the ring after touching gloves to start the first round. Ajagba won the fight without throwing a punch as Harper was disqualified. Living in Stafford, Texas and training with Ronnie Shields, Ajagba has steadily increased his competition and added knockouts wins over Amir Mansour and Michael Wallisch this year.

The 33-year-old Kiladze (26-4-1, 18 KOs) broke a three-fight losing streak by fighting to a split draw in May against undefeated heavyweight Robert Alfonso. Kiladze’s losses had come against top heavyweight Adam Kownacki, Michael Hunter and Joe Joyce, who own a combined 34-1 record. Originally from Georgia and now fighting out of Los Angeles, Kiladze won six straight fights between 2014 and 2018.

Should be an easy win, Kiladze sure takes some punishment

Adam Kownacki, micheal Hunter , joy joyce

All above Three fighters stock will go down the toilet, if Efe Ajagba demolish Iago Kiladze under 3 rounds.

Smart choose by trainer ronnie shields

Kalenga already KTFO him in 2

Efe Ajagba, coming off a back injury during training is back in the ring December 21st in Ontario against Iago Kiladze.

Kiladze, 33, is coming off three straight KO losses to Kownack (KO 6), Hunter (KO 5) and Joyce (KO 5). (plus a SD vs Robert Alfonso).

I guess the only thing to look for is if Efe can stop Kiladze quicker than the three contenders. Here's hoping we see some improvment in the hard punching Nigerian HW.

Kinda meh, we all know Iago will be a punchbag and get stopped in the first half

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 18:14 Kinda meh, we all know Iago will be a punchbag and get stopped in the first half

Kinda?

Iago Kiladze was Joe Joyce's sixth opponent. Not only had the British prospect been competing in the pro ranks for only eleven months at the time of this fight, but he actually made his pro debut three months AFTER Efe Ajagba.

Iago Kiladze was only the first heavyweight opponent with a winning record that Michael Hunter had ever faced at heavyweight, after making the jump from cruiserweight.

In stark contrast, Iago Kiladze is Efe Ajagba's twelfth opponent (of a professional career spanning 2½ years) and is also vastly inferior to his previous three previous fighters that shared the ring with the unbeaten Nigerian prospect.

Therefore, I’m not entirely sure how a victory over Iago Kiladze enhances or progresses Efe Ajagba's career, other than inevitably adding another KO to his highlight reel.

I really don’t want to sound like a “hater”, but does anyone really believe that a victory over Iago Kiladze represents true career progression for Efe Ajagba?

I really do hope someone believes so and can eloquently articulate a logical argument that supports this belief.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 20:31 viewtopic.php?f=22&t=235148

Oops.

Enlightened-One wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 19:43 Iago Kiladze was Joe Joyce's sixth opponent. Not only had the British prospect been competing in the pro ranks for only eleven months at the time of this fight, but he actually made his pro debut three months AFTER Efe Ajagba.

Iago Kiladze was only the first heavyweight opponent with a winning record that Michael Hunter had ever faced at heavyweight, after making the jump from cruiserweight.

In stark contrast, Iago Kiladze is Efe Ajagba's twelfth opponent (of a professional career spanning 2½ years) and is also vastly inferior to his previous three previous fighters that shared the ring with the unbeaten Nigerian prospect.

Therefore, I’m not entirely sure how a victory over Iago Kiladze enhances or progresses Efe Ajagba's career, other than inevitably adding another KO to his highlight reel.

I really don’t want to sound like a “hater”, but does anyone really believe that a victory over Iago Kiladze represents true career progression for Efe Ajagba?

I really do hope someone believes so and can eloquently articulate a logical argument that supports this belief.

Not making excuses. But he is coming back from an injury.
Tons of fighters take easy fights after an injury to see if they are healed.
On the topic of Joyce. He had a longer amateur career and is way older. He needs to be moved quickly

tiny_acres wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:05

Enlightened-One wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 19:43 Iago Kiladze was Joe Joyce's sixth opponent. Not only had the British prospect been competing in the pro ranks for only eleven months at the time of this fight, but he actually made his pro debut three months AFTER Efe Ajagba.

Iago Kiladze was only the first heavyweight opponent with a winning record that Michael Hunter had ever faced at heavyweight, after making the jump from cruiserweight.

In stark contrast, Iago Kiladze is Efe Ajagba's twelfth opponent (of a professional career spanning 2½ years) and is also vastly inferior to his previous three previous fighters that shared the ring with the unbeaten Nigerian prospect.

Therefore, I’m not entirely sure how a victory over Iago Kiladze enhances or progresses Efe Ajagba's career, other than inevitably adding another KO to his highlight reel.

I really don’t want to sound like a “hater”, but does anyone really believe that a victory over Iago Kiladze represents true career progression for Efe Ajagba?

I really do hope someone believes so and can eloquently articulate a logical argument that supports this belief.

Not making excuses. But he is coming back from an injury.
Tons of fighters take easy fights after an injury to see if they are healed.
On the topic of Joyce. He had a longer amateur career and is way older. He needs to be moved quickly

Took the bait did ya' tiny?

oogiebe wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:10

tiny_acres wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:05

Not making excuses. But he is coming back from an injury.
Tons of fighters take easy fights after an injury to see if they are healed.
On the topic of Joyce. He had a longer amateur career and is way older. He needs to be moved quickly

Took the bait did ya' tiny?

I like EO but he knows why this is happening hes not as dumb as most paint him out to be.
He just loves to argue. He needs to be a host on the view

tiny_acres wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:12

oogiebe wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:10

Took the bait did ya' tiny?

I like EO but he knows why this is happening hes not as dumb as most paint him out to be.
He just loves to argue. He needs to be a host on the view

He likes to debate unrelated points to the topic thread. No one on this thread said anything good about this matchup. EO likes to bait folks to feed his narcisistic feeding frenzy needs. The view would be a perfect landing spot.

oogiebe wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:26

tiny_acres wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:12

I like EO but he knows why this is happening hes not as dumb as most paint him out to be.
He just loves to argue. He needs to be a host on the view

He likes to debate unrelated points to the topic thread. No one on this thread said anything good about this matchup. EO likes to bait folks to feed his narcisistic feeding frenzy needs. The view would be a perfect landing spot.

the resident Whoopie Goldberg

tiny_acres wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:28

oogiebe wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:26
He likes to debate unrelated points to the topic thread. No one on this thread said anything good about this matchup. EO likes to bait folks to feed his narcisistic feeding frenzy needs. The view would be a perfect landing spot.

the resident Whoopie Goldberg

LMFAO!

oogiebe wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 18:27

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 18:14 Kinda meh, we all know Iago will be a punchbag and get stopped in the first half

Kinda?

Ya I mean don't get me wrong we all want better for Efe, but Kiladze is a guy who gets used for fighters like Efe so it's not like whoa out there meh where it's even way worse than I thought it,---it's in the realm of the guys I couldve seen him being matched with

Would've like to see someone like Washington or Otter Wallin though to be more ambitious

It's a step down from Demirezen but after Ajagba's injury pullout a few months ago it's at least good to see Efe back in action. The 5-month layoff is by far the longest of Ajagba's career so at least he's back in action.

What is frustrating is that most of the HW prospects from the 2016 Olympics have been hampered by inactivity:

Ivan Dychko 9-0 No bouts scheduled
Filip Hrgovic 9-0 Next bout 12/7
Joe Jacobs 10-0 No bouts scheduled (EBU challenge mandated)
Tony Yoka 7-0 No bouts scheduled
Bakhodir Jalolov 6-0 (Back to competing as amateur)
Efe Ajagba 11-0 Next bout 12/21
Ali Demizeren 11-1 No bouts scheduled

tiny_acres wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:12

oogiebe wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:10

Took the bait did ya' tiny?

I like EO but he knows why this is happening hes not as dumb as most paint him out to be.
He just loves to argue. He needs to be a host on the view

To be fair, no one should be offended, nor should they be entitled to their own opinion, about the points raised in the vast majority of my previous post in this thread, which you responded to, because if you reviewed each sentence in isolation and objectively, pretty much everything I’ve written is factually correct and not open for debate.

The only opinion I expressed that could possibly be argued against are my thoughts about Iago Kiladze not enhancing Efe Ajagba’s credibility or career whatsoever.

And is that such a provocative and argumentative thing to claim? Really? Are people so sensitive nowadays?

oogiebe wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:26He likes to debate unrelated points to the topic thread. No one on this thread said anything good about this matchup. EO likes to bait folks to feed his narcisistic feeding frenzy needs. The view would be a perfect landing spot.

You're far too sensitive!

Talk about someone overreacting! And are my opinions so important to you that you have to keep being outraged?

Did you know that somewhere on the planet earth it’s raining? Come on people, provide a counter argument about that deeply offensive thought!!! FFS!

tiny_acres wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:28

oogiebe wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:26
He likes to debate unrelated points to the topic thread. No one on this thread said anything good about this matchup. EO likes to bait folks to feed his narcisistic feeding frenzy needs. The view would be a perfect landing spot.

the resident Whoopie Goldberg

Remember when Whoopie did a whoopie on air? That’s the difference between Whoopie Goldberg and EO. EO wouldn’t just laugh about it, he would can that fart and try to sell it knowing that fart is better than all the other farts in the world. He’s the resident fart canner, unlike Goldberg who doesn’t can.

Anyway folks, hope that made sense, I’ve had a few.

lazboy wrote: ↑15 Nov 2019, 04:59

tiny_acres wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:28
the resident Whoopie Goldberg

Remember when Whoopie did a whoopie on air? That’s the difference between Whoopie Goldberg and EO. EO wouldn’t just laugh about it, he would can that fart and try to sell it knowing that fart is better than all the other farts in the world. He’s the resident fart canner, unlike Goldberg who doesn’t can.

Anyway folks, hope that made sense, I’ve had a few.

It made me laugh!

Enlightened-One wrote: ↑15 Nov 2019, 05:03

lazboy wrote: ↑15 Nov 2019, 04:59

Remember when Whoopie did a whoopie on air? That’s the difference between Whoopie Goldberg and EO. EO wouldn’t just laugh about it, he would can that fart and try to sell it knowing that fart is better than all the other farts in the world. He’s the resident fart canner, unlike Goldberg who doesn’t can.

Anyway folks, hope that made sense, I’ve had a few.

It made me laugh!

I really am glad.

Ps can I buy one of your cans?

What a mismatch. Ajagba will KTFO weak-chinned Kiladze.

Best Coast wrote: ↑15 Nov 2019, 00:12
Ivan Dychko 9-0 No bouts scheduled
Filip Hrgovic 9-0 Next bout 12/7
Joe Jacobs 10-0 No bouts scheduled (EBU challenge mandated)
Tony Yoka 7-0 No bouts scheduled
Bakhodir Jalolov 6-0 (Back to competing as amateur)
Efe Ajagba 11-0 Next bout 12/21
Ali Demizeren 11-1 No bouts scheduled

Gee, when you lay it out like that, it's pretty sad alright.
I give Aggiejabbie a pass on this fight due to the injury, and hope he gets back on track next year- all going well. Back injuries are one of the trickiest to get a handle on.

As for the rest of them, and I bundle the older Joe Joyce into your grouping, they better pull finger

Enlightened-One wrote: ↑15 Nov 2019, 04:27

tiny_acres wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:12

I like EO but he knows why this is happening hes not as dumb as most paint him out to be.
He just loves to argue. He needs to be a host on the view

To be fair, no one should be offended, nor should they be entitled to their own opinion, about the points raised in the vast majority of my previous post in this thread, which you responded to, because if you reviewed each sentence in isolation and objectively, pretty much everything I’ve written is factually correct and not open for debate.

The only opinion I expressed that could possibly be argued against are my thoughts about Iago Kiladze not enhancing Efe Ajagba’s credibility or career whatsoever.

And is that such a provocative and argumentative thing to claim? Really? Are people so sensitive nowadays?

oogiebe wrote: ↑14 Nov 2019, 21:26He likes to debate unrelated points to the topic thread. No one on this thread said anything good about this matchup. EO likes to bait folks to feed his narcisistic feeding frenzy needs. The view would be a perfect landing spot.

You're far too sensitive!

Talk about someone overreacting! And are my opinions so important to you that you have to keep being outraged?

Did you know that somewhere on the planet earth it’s raining? Come on people, provide a counter argument about that deeply offensive thought!!! FFS!

First I'd have to take you seriously, but I don't.