IN a giant all-African heavyweight battle, the two big men could not be separated as Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba boxed to a spirited 10-round majority draw in Riyadh. Kieran McCann scored it 96-94 to Ajagba, overruled by Pablo Gonzalez and Bob Williams, who both scored it even at 95-95.
After suffering a destructive second-round KO loss to Joseph Parker in February, when arriving at short notice, Bakole opened up tentatively, moving forward behind the jab. Ajagba ended the first with a flashing right hand. It was Bakole leaning in with a few reaching rights of his own in a sleepy second session.
Referee Howard Foster was hovering at the end of the third, ready to split the behemoths following some heavy leather flying. Ajagba got the better of it, mostly with his right hand once again.
Bakole ratcheted up the pace in round four, bringing his signature uppercut out of the box, along with some solid body shots as Ajagba lingered on the ropes. It was Bakole taking the fifth off, resting up following his activity in the fourth.
Ajagba’s foot movement was draining the 299-pound tank of Bakole, who looked sluggish, following the Nigerian around in the eighth. It was up to Billy Nelson to turn things around as Martin sleepwalked towards the ninth. The DAZN crew had Ajagba in a handy lead.
Ajagba had blood seeping down from the nose as Bakole piled on the pressure for a late-round blitz. Kay Koroma called for combinations from his man as the 10th round rolled into view.
Bakole kept swinging into the final round. It was not enough to improve his record, which now sits at 21-2-1 (16 KOs), while Ajagba is now 20-1-1 (14 KOs). The crowd favoured Bakole’s cause during the post-fight interviews as both men called for a rematch. Ajagba wants it in the United States.
