Heavyweight Efe Ajagba weighed in at 235 1/4 lbs for his 12 round main event fight against Stephan Shaw for their main event fight this Saturday night at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York. Replacement opponent Shaw (18-0, 13 KOs) weighed in at 239.5 lbs. The event will be shown at 10:00 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+.
Like in the final press conference, the 2016 Olympian Ajagba (16-1, 13 KOs) showed contempt for the 30-year-old Shaw, giving him a dismissive look at the end of their final face-off. Shaw the replacement opponent for cruiserweight Oscar Rivas.
Undercard weights:
- Efe Ajagba 235 1/4 vs. Stephan Shaw 239.5
- Guido Vianello 239 lbs vs. Jonnie Rice 274 1/4 lbs
- Abraham Nova 129 lbs vs. Adam Lopez 129 lbs
- Haven Brady Jr. 132 3/4 lbs vs. Ruben Cervera 130 1/4 lbs
- Bryce Mills 143 lbs vs. Margarito Hernandez 144 1/4 lbs
- Floyd Diaz 122 lbs vs. Edwin Rodriguez 121.5 lbs
- Brian Norman Jr. 149 lbs vs. Rodrigo Damian Coria 148 1/4 lbs
- Bruce Carrington 128 lbs vs. Juan Antonio Lopez 127.5 lbs
- Dante Benjamin Jr. 174 lbs vs. Emmanueal Austin 175 lbs
Unfortunately for Ajagba, Rivas suffered an injury in training and had to be pulled from the card. That was a more winnable fight for Ajagba than Shaw, and it might have been a better idea for Top Rank to find an easier opponent for the struggling Efe because he’s not on the same level as Stephan in terms of boxing skills.
You can argue that Ajagba will be attempting to save his career on Saturday night because if he loses to Shaw, it’s fair to say he’ll be finished as a headliner.
If Ajagba can’t beat Shaw, that tells you he’s not cut out for main event status unless he’s matched against mediocre opposition because if he’s put in with someone good, he’ll surely lose.
Yeah, Ajagba can be useful as an undercard fighter for entertainment purposes, as long as he’s matched correctly and not put in with anyone in the top tier.
Given how bad the 28-year-old Ajagba looked in his one-sided 10 round unanimous decision to Frank Sanchez in October 2021, he might not get past Shaw.
The Cuban Sanchez exposed Ajagba as a robotic fighter no skills, poor footwork, and zero ability to adapt. Since that fight, Ajagba has fought just once, beating a Hungarian journeyman Jozsef Darmos by a second round knockout last August.
For Top Rank to have chosen match Ajagba against Darmos, it’s a red flag that there could be concerns on their part about whether he will pan out in the pro ranks.
