Nigerian heavyweight Efe Ajagba and Congo’s Martin Bakole battled to a thrilling majority draw in their highly anticipated bout in Saudi Arabia on Sunday morning.
The 10-round clash, held at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, ended with judges scoring the contest 95-95, 94-96, and 95-95 — with one judge slightly favouring Ajagba, while the others saw it as evenly matched.
Coming into the fight as a slight favourite, Bakole was looking to rebound from a devastating second-round knockout loss to Joseph Parker earlier this year. For Ajagba, the bout represented an opportunity to stretch his five-fight winning streak and continue his climb toward a world title shot.
Ajagba, 30, entered the ring with a professional record of 20 wins (14 by knockout) and just one loss — a 2021 decision defeat to Frank Sánchez. His most recent victory, a commanding performance against Guido Vianello, had boosted his stock heading into Sunday’s fight.
“I have the abilities, I have the skills, I have the power — everything to become a heavyweight champion,” Ajagba said confidently ahead of the match.
Despite being the underdog, with bookmakers giving him odds of 3.30 (+330) against Bakole’s 1.27 (-400), the Nigerian fighter held his own throughout the contest. The match was part of the undercard for Canelo Álvarez’s title defense against William Scull and had major implications for both boxers’ futures.
With the heavyweight division currently ruled by unified champion Oleksandr Usyk and IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois, both Ajagba and Bakole were hoping to move a step closer to title contention. However, the draw leaves their championship ambitions in limbo, with neither fighter able to deliver the defining performance needed to push them up the ranks.
The result ensures unfinished business between the two, setting the stage for a potential rematch in the future.
