The IBF has ordered a final eliminator between Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba to determine a mandatory for heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
So far, two fighters, Agit Kabayel and Zhilei Zhang, have opted not to face the dangerous punch Bakole (20-1, 16 KOs) in an IBF-ordered title eliminator. So, now it is Efe Ajagba’s turn. It will be interesting to see if he agrees to this fight.
Ajagba Next for Bakole
The 2016 Olympian Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) is ranked #7 in the IBF and has recent wins against Guido Vianello, Joseph Goodall, Zhan Kossobutskiy and Stephan Shaw. Ajagba (30) has the striking power to defeat Bakole, but whether he can hang with him long enough to deliver his bombs is the big question.
#4 IBF Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) destroyed America’s best young heavyweight, Jared Anderson, by fifth round knockout last summer on August 3rd in a Riyadh Season card in Los Angeles.
Assuming the 6’6″ Ajagba takes on Bakole, it should be an entertaining one for as long as it lasts. Bakole is not hard to hit, and Ajagba has more than enough power to knock him out if he can land something clean.
The only loss on Ajagba’s resume came against Cuban Frank Sanchez, losing a 10-round unanimous decision on October 9, 2021. Sanchez boxed Ajagba out using angles and movement to confuse him. Bakole is not that type of fighter. He has the old Sonny Liston style of standing and fighting with heavy shots.
What’s interesting about Bakole is that he can generate so much power with off-speed punches, and he hits hard, even at close range. He can throw with power with arm punches, and he doesn’t need to wind up like most heavyweights.
Martin can be beaten
Bakole is far from unbeatable, as we saw in his tenth round knockout loss to Michael Hunter on October 13, 2018. Hunter was cautious in the first half of the fight, staying away from Bakole’s power while still fresh and then coming up late to get the knockout.
Bakole has won his last ten fights since then, albeit against middle-of-the-road type fighters. The one of the bunch was hype job Jared Anderson, who closely matched the top rank against the cans to push himself up for a big money title shot.
Bakole exposed Jared as a fake, which was no surprise to hardcore fans who knew the deal with that guy. It may be more difficult for Bakole to do the same to Ajagba because he has much more talent, strength and a chin. Again, if Ajabga can catch Bakole with one of his big shots, it will be night-night for him.
