Martin Bakole gifted draw against Efe Ajagba in all-African showdown
Two judges scored the contest 95-95 after ten rounds
Martin Bakole escaped with a draw against Efe Ajagba after appearing to be outboxed by his African rival.
Following his short-notice defeat to Joseph Parker in February, there were question marks over whether Bakole (21-2-1, 16 KOs) would remain the so-called ‘boogeyman’ in the heavyweight division.
Well, the Congolian’s performance last night in Riyadh was a far cry from the dominant performance he produced when knocking out Jared Anderson, as Bakole was sometimes a walking heavy bag for Ajagba to jab and practice his right hand on.
Bakole never touched the canvas but took numerous flush right hands on the chin as he struggled to close the distance on the more athletic Ajagba whose gameplan was clearly to circle the ring and unleash short combinations on his opponent.
Ajagba (20-1-1, 14 KOs) landed a sharp one-two in the third round while Bakole was stalking him and this pattern of action repeated itself throughout the bout.
Bakole’s best round arguably came in the fourth when he managed to trap Ajagba on the ropes and unleash a barrage of punches, including a big left hook, chopping right hand, and hook to the body.
This level of success was followed up in the eighth round when Bakole began to let his hands go and connect with clubbing shots on a tired-looking Ajagba.
Then, in the tenth, Bakole fought like a guy who was down on the scorecards and needed a knockout, upping the tempo in the last thirty seconds of the contest but failing to drop Ajagba and claim the additional point that would have given him victory.
In the end, one judge scored the fight to Ajagba 96-94 whereas the other two scored the bout 95-95, resulting in a majority draw.
Sergio Mora summed up Bakole on the commentary, labelling him a ‘flat-footed monster’, and after ten rounds of plodding forward with limited foot speed, it’s hard to disagree with the former World Champion come DAZN pundit.
As for Ajagba, the hard-hitting Nigerian possibly produced one of the best performances of his career when you consider he lost a wide unanimous decision to Frank Sanchez in 2021 and scraped past Guido Vianello via split decision.
There was nothing overly complex about Ajagba’s boxing yet many believe he should have got the nod due to imposing a game plan that frustrated Bakole throughout.
During the fight, Bakole asked Ajagba multiple times to trade shots in the middle of the ring, seemingly annoyed that his opponent wouldn’t remain stationary and allow him to tee off punches.
Despite weighing in eleven pounds less than the Parker fight at 299 lbs, it’s clear Bakole is more fluid when he competes below 290 lbs, as his career-best win against Anderson came around 284 lbs.
The consolation prize for both heavyweights is that a rematch could take place later in the year, perhaps in Africa like they mentioned in a post-fight interview on BoxNation.
Bakole said: “I would like to have this fight maybe in Congo. I’m calling my boys to organise this fight with two Africans. [Anthony] Joshua ran away but maybe we can make the rematch in Africa.”
On the other hand, when you remember that Bakole was set to become mandatory with the WBO and eventually get a shot at Oleksandr Usyk, it’s been a financially lucrative but disappointing start to the year for the Congolian.
However, Bakole’s lack of wins in 2025 may inadvertently propel his career forward even further because it’s plausible that other heavyweights are now looking at him as a winnable fight, which could lead to more opportunities on Riyadh Season cards.
After all, Bakole’s trainer and manager Billy Nelson is famous for sharing sparring stories, revealing how his charge has dominated some of the world’s best behind closed doors and claiming that’s why no one wanted to fight him before.
Regardless, Bakole is 33 years old and it’s not impossible for him to challenge for a world title once Usyk, Fury, and Joshua retire in the next year or two, especially if the belts get fragmented.
The same can be said for Ajagba, who at 31 years old, is likely to be part of the next generation of heavyweights, where the future ruler is yet to be confirmed.
