The IBF has ordered a closing eliminator between Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba to find out a compulsory for heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
To this point, two fighters, Agit Kabayel and Zhilei Zhang, opted to not face the harmful puncher Bakole (20-1, 16 KOs) in an IBF-ordered title eliminator. So, now it’s Efe Ajagba’s flip. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see if he agrees to this struggle.
Ajagba Subsequent up For Bakole
The 2016 Olympian Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) is ranked #7 with the IBF and has current wins in opposition to Guido Vianello, Joseph Goodall, Zhan Kossobutskiy, and Stephan Shaw. Ajagba, 30, has the punching energy to defeat Bakole, however whether or not he can grasp with him lengthy sufficient to ship his bombs is the massive query.
#4 IBF Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs destroyed America’s finest younger heavyweight, Jared Anderson, by a fifth-round knockout final summer season on August third in a Riyadh Season card in Los Angeles.
Assuming the 6’6″ Ajagba does take the struggle with Bakole, it needs to be an entertaining one for so long as it lasts. Bakole isn’t arduous to hit, and Ajagba has greater than sufficient energy to knock him out if he can land one thing clear.
The one loss on Ajagba’s resume got here in opposition to Cuban Frank Sanchez, dropping a 10-round unanimous choice on October 9, 2021. Sanchez outboxed Ajagba, utilizing angles and motion to befuddle him. Bakole isn’t that sort of fighter. He’s obtained the outdated Sonny Liston fashion of standing and brawling with heavy photographs.
What’s attention-grabbing about Bakole is that he can generate a lot energy with punches that aren’t thrown with velocity, and he hits arduous, even at shut vary. He can throw with energy with arm punches, and he doesn’t have to wind up like most heavyweights.
Martin Can Be Overwhelmed
Bakole is way from unbeatable, as we noticed in his tenth-round knockout loss to Michael Hunter on October 13, 2018. Hunter was cautious within the first half of the struggle, staying away from Bakole’s energy whereas he was nonetheless recent after which approaching late to get the knockout.
Bakole has received his final ten fights since, albeit in opposition to middle-of-the-road sort fighters. The of the bunch was the hype job Jared Anderson, who Prime Rank had been matching fastidiously in opposition to cans to ramp him up for an enormous cash title shot.
Bakole uncovered Jared as a faux, which wasn’t stunning to hardcore followers who knew what the deal was with that man. It may be more durable for Bakole to do the identical to Ajagba as a result of he has much more expertise, energy, and a chin. Once more, if Ajabga can catch Bakole with one in all his massive photographs, it’ll be night-night for him.
