Efe Ajagba Stops Former Champion Charles Martin in Four

Straight right changes fight and seals stoppage

Efe Ajagba (20-1-1) stopped former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin (29-5-1) in four rounds, changing the fight with a third-round right hand after a difficult start. The stoppage strengthens his position in Zuffa Boxing’s developing heavyweight order.

Martin handled the first three rounds with veteran composure. He circled, stayed long, and forced Ajagba to reach. Ajagba followed instead of cutting the ring, neglected his jab, and telegraphed the right hand. Martin’s counters landed clean when Ajagba squared up after throwing.

From a trainer’s eye, the problem was simple. No jab discipline. No body investment. Too upright when pressing.

Then heavyweight power showed up.

Late in the third, Martin slid along the ropes again. Ajagba set his feet properly for once, brought the right hand straight down the pipe, and put Martin flat on the canvas. That shot changed the air. That shot changed the fight. Martin beat the count, but his balance was compromised and his legs were unsteady.

Thirty seconds into the fourth, Ajagba found the same lane. Short right hand. Down again.

This time Ajagba did not rush his work. He reset his feet, stepped in behind his lead shoulder, and let combinations go in tight bursts. No wasted punches. Just pressure and shot variation. The referee stepped in at 1:11 of Round 4 as Martin absorbed clean shots without return fire.

Ajagba signed with Zuffa Boxing after a frustrating draw against Martin Bakole, a fight many ringside felt he nicked. This outing was clearer. He showed patience once he had Martin hurt, and that is growth.

Heavyweight is about balance after you punch. Ajagba still has habits to iron out. He must start with the jab, work behind it, and mix body shots to set up that right hand rather than search for it. Against higher-ranked heavyweights, giving away early rounds with predictable pressure will cost him.

But power like that keeps doors open.

Zuffa’s heavyweight order is still being built in real time. Stopping a former belt holder gives Ajagba firm ground in that mix and puts his name in serious rotation. If he resets his feet after punching, works behind a disciplined jab, and mixes body shots to set up the right hand, he’s a live threat for their belt. If he squares up, headhunts, and falls in behind his power, seasoned heavyweights with tighter range control will bank rounds on him.

Sunday showed both sides. The right hand decided it.