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Tag: Ajagba

  • Ajagba eyes revenge against Cuban Sanchez

    Ajagba eyes revenge against Cuban Sanchez

    Nigerian boxer Efe Ajagba will be seeking revenge against Cuban rival Frank Sanchez when both fighters meet in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator, with the winner set to become the mandatory challenger for current champion Daniel Dubois.

    Although an official date is yet to be confirmed, there are strong indications that the bout could feature as an undercard in the highly anticipated Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford showdown on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

    The IBF has mandated Sanchez (27-25-1-1) to face Ajagba (22-20-1-1) in the eliminator, paving the way for a potential rematch of their 2021 clash.

    In that bout, Sanchez handed the Nigerian his only professional defeat, dominating the Nigerian with superior movement and punch output to win by unanimous decision. Ajagba’s former Nigerian teammate Efetobor Apochi had said Ajagba should not have taken that fight. Since then, Ajagba has gone unbeaten in six fights, including a hard-fought majority draw against Martin Bakole.

    Derek Chisora was initially named the mandatory challenger for Dubois’ title, but the situation took a new turn after the IBF moved to designate a fight between Sanchez and Filip Hrgovic as the title eliminator. However, with Hrgovic (19-18-1) opting to face David Adeleye (15-14-1) on the Moses Itauma vs. Dillian Whyte card scheduled for August 16, Ajagba stepped in to take his place.

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    Sanchez has expressed his readiness to face Ajagba again, regardless of the venue, but admits it would be special to fight on such a high-profile card.

     “I don’t get involved in that side of the business,” Sanchez told Sky Sports. “I’ve fought on Canelo’s undercards before. I don’t know where the fight with Ajagba will take place, but it would definitely be more special if it’s on that card.”

    While acknowledging Ajagba’s improvements since their first meeting, Sanchez remains confident of victory. He attributes his only professional loss—to Agit Kabayel—to an injury that has since been resolved.

     “Ajagba has improved as a fighter. It won’t be easy, but when I am healthy, I can beat anyone in the world,” Sanchez added. “I will win against whoever the IBF puts in front of me for the No. 1 spot.”

  • Dafinone congratulates Ajagba for defeating Australia’s Joe Goodall In Nevada

    Dafinone congratulates Ajagba for defeating Australia’s Joe Goodall In Nevada

    Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta North) has felicitated Nigerian boxing heavyweight, Efe Ajagba, for defending his World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title after defeating Australia’s Joe Goodall on Sunday.

    Dafinone also congratulated Nigerian musician and former winner of BBNaija, Michael Efe Ejeba, famously called Efe, for his remarkable performance to welcome Ajagba into the fighting arena.

    Ajagba defeated Goodall in the fourth round through a knocks-out after the Aussie failed to recover from uppercut punches from the Nigerian hard-hitting puncher.

    The fight was held at the Reno Tahoe Event Center in Nevada, United States, on Sunday morning (Nigerian time).

    Ajagba hails from Ughelli Kingdom while Efe hails from Okpe Kingdom both in Delta State.

    In a statement on Sunday, Dafinone said he received the victory of Ajagba and the successful defence of his WBC heavyweight title with joy and fulfilment.

    Dafinone said he was particularly elated watching two Urhobos collaborating to make Urhobo and Nigeria proud on the global stage.

    He noted that Nigeria is richly endowed with talents in sports, music, education and entertainment, but only waiting to be properly harnessed for the country’s benefit.

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    The Delta Central lawmaker, however, called on Delta and Federal Governments to harness the abundant talents inherent among the youths for the betterment and development of the state and country.

    Senator Dafinone added that he enjoyed Efe’s performance which had a fusion of Urhobo and English. He enjoined Nigerian musicians of Urhobo extraction to use their craft to protect and sustain the Urhobo language just as their counterparts from Yoruba and other tribes are currently doing.

    “I congratulate Efe Ajagba on his victory against Australia’s Joe Goodall early this morning. I watched the duo of Ajagba and Efe doing Urhobo and Nigeria proud on the global stage. It was fascinating watching a fellow Urhobo singing for another to defend his title.

    “Urhobo from time immemorial has been the centrepiece for producing legendary sportsmen and women, accountants, musicians, comedians, and entertainers. Urhobo’s contribution to Nigeria’s good name on the global stage was reechoed today through Ajagba’s victory.

    “I congratulate Efe Ajagba for defending his title. Knocking out his Aussie opponent in the 4th round, clearly shows, he is ready to be a World champion in the boxing arena and I can’t wait to watch this happen.

    “Also, I commend Efe for his performance while opening the fight for Ajagba. Such collaboration and brotherliness is what the Urhobo youth need to emulate and win together.

    “All Urhobos including our musicians have a task of protecting the Urhobo language through their songs and communication from going into extinction,” the statement added.

  • Ajagba defeats Australia’s Goodall as Efemoney performs at World Boxing Council’s fight In US

    Ajagba defeats Australia’s Goodall as Efemoney performs at World Boxing Council’s fight In US

    Nigerian heavyweight boxer, Efe Ajagba, avenged his split-decision defeat to Joe Goodall in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland by knocking-out the Australian boxer in the fourth round of their 10-round fight at the Tahoe Blue Event Centre in Stateline, Nevada, United States on Sunday morning (Nigerian time)

    Ajagba, who was ushered into the arena by Nigerian musician, Micheal Efe Ejeba, famously know Efemoney, wasted no time inflicting unanswered punches on his Aussie opponent.

    Ajagba was on top for most of the four rounds but withstand a second-round fightback from the Australian puncher.

    Referee Tony Weeks stopped their fight 50 seconds into the fourth round after Goodall had taken too many unanswered punches from the Nigerian boxer.

    Ajagba improved his record to 19-1 and produced his 14th knockout. Brisbane’s Goodall (10-2-1, 9 KOs), who was still standing when their fight ended, lost inside the distance for the first time during his five-year pro career.

    Ajagba’s jab was effective during the second round, when Goodall had difficulty finding his way inside until he landed a left-right combination just after the midway point of it.

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    Ajagba’s counter right landed over Goodall’s jab with just over 1:10 to go in the opening round. Another flush right by Ajagba connected with just under 40 seconds on the clock in the first round.

    With the victory over Goodall, Ajagba has defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) title in the heavyweight division.

    L Efe sang his latest trending hit song, Money Talk (Ota Igho) featuring King Enakpodia, where he eulogised Ajagba, an Urhobo from Delta State,  for his hard-hitting punches in the ring.

    The Nigerian rapper’s performance was received with applauds as the Texas-based WBC title holder walked into the stage for the fight while showcasing his boxing strength to waiting crowd.

    “Money Talk” has been trending on all music platforms and is enjoying massive airplay on radio stations across the country. The song blends Urhobo native beats with King Enakpodia handling the chorus in the Urhobo language.

    The release of “Money Talk” follows the success of the dancehall song “Turn Up”, a collaboration between Efemoney and Jaywon, whose video was recently shot in Dallas, USA.

  • Efe to perform new song as Nigerian WBC boxer Ajagba fights Australia’s Joe Goodall in US

    Efe to perform new song as Nigerian WBC boxer Ajagba fights Australia’s Joe Goodall in US

    Nigerian rapper, Efe Micheal Ejeba, famously called Efemoney, will headline the kick-off show when world heavyweight boxer, Efe Ajagba, battles Australia’s Joe Goodall on Saturday November 4th at Reno Tahoe, Nevada in United States.

    The much-anticipated World Boxing Council fight holds at the newly opened Tahoe Blue Event Centre, Reno Tahoe, Nevada

    Efe will perform his latest hit song eulogising the 29-year-old Nigerian boxing heavyweight, Ajagba, when he walks into boxing arena to face his opponent, Goodall.

    Ajagba, who hails from Ughelli in Delta State, will file out against Goodall in what boxing pundits consider to be a revenge contest on Saturday.

    Efe, a Nigerian rapper and singer, also an Urhobo, hails from Okpe in Delta State.

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    The invitation by the organiser to Efe to attend the fight is coming barely two weeks after the singer released a song where he eulogised Ajagba for his boxing prowess.

    The song featuring King Enakpodia, a renowned Urhobo musician, is titled Money Talk (Ota Igho).

    Efe has been growing his musical grafts featuring a host of A-list Nigerian musicians including Olamide, Oritse Femi, Jaywon and many others.

    The release of Money Talk followed the success of a dancehall song, Turn Up, a collaboration between Efe and Jaywon, whose video was recently shot in Dallas, US.

    His new single which has been trending on all music platforms and enjoying massive airplay on radio stations across the country.

    The song had the blend of the Urhobo native beats with King Enakpodia handling the chorus in Urhobo language.

    Efe confirmed that he would be watching the match live in Reno Tahoe, Nevada.

    He described the invitation as humbling while hoping for a resounding victory for the Nigerian boxer on Saturday.

    The fight will be shown live on ESPN+ in the US while viewers in the United Kingdom can watch it on Sky. The card will start at 1 a.m. UK / 9 p.m.​ ET, with the main event ringwalks expected to take place at around 3 a.m. UK / 11 p.m.​ ET.

    Ajagba was last in action in August, winning the WBC silver heavyweight championship against Zhan Kossobutsky when his opponent was disqualified.

    The fight will be Goodall’s major contest since his fight against Stephen Shaw in July where he won by TKO.

    Ajagba and Goodall last fought as amateurs at the semi-finals of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, with the Australian winning by decision.