Efe Ajagba
Efe Ajagba | |
---|---|
Born | Efe Ajagba 22 April 1994 Ughelli, Delta State, Nigeria |
Nationality | Nigerian |
Other names | The One and Only |
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) |
Reach | 220 cm (85 in) |
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 13 |
Wins | 13 |
Wins by KO | 11 |
Losses | 0 |
Medal record |
Efe Ajagba (born 22 April 1994) is a Nigerian professional boxer. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at the 2015 African Games and bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. As a professional, Ajagba holds the record for the fastest victory in boxing history after his opponent was disqualified for leaving the ring 1 second after the opening bell.
Early life
Ajagba was born on 22 April 1994 in Ughelli, Delta State, Nigeria.[1] He formerly worked in a bakery.[2]
Boxing career
Ajagba took up the sport of boxing in 2011 after previously playing football for a club in Ughelli since 2005.[2] He was coached by Anthony Konyegwachie.[2]
Ajagba was selected to compete for the Nigerian team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow. Competing in the super heavyweight division he defeated Junior Fa of Tonga in the round of 16 and Paul Schafer of South Africa in the quarterfinals.[1] He advanced to the semifinals where he was defeated by Joseph Goodall of Australia, meaning Ajagba won a bronze medal.[1][3]
At the 2015 African Games held in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, Ajagba was selected as the Nigerian entrant in the men's super heavyweight event. He won the gold medal, beating Keddy Angnes of the Seychelles by a score 3–0 in the final.[4][5][6]
In 2016 he won the gold medal in the super heavyweight event at the African Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Yaoundé, Cameroon. By doing so Ajagba qualified to represent Nigeria at the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[7] In the first round Ajagba beat Ugandan Michael Sekamembe on points,[8] he defeated Tunisian boxer Aymen Trabelsi in the semifinal to secure his qualification,[9] then in the final he beat Mohamed Arjaoui of Morocco.[10] Ajagba was the only Nigerian boxer of the ten who competed to qualify for Rio through the tournament, leading to claims from Nigeria's coach Konyegwachie that judges had been bribed.[11] On 24 August 2018, Ajagba scored the fastest victory in boxing history in a match against Curtis Harper, winning via a 1-second disqualification after Harper walked out of the ring in protest over a pay dispute.[12][13]
Professional boxing record
13 fights | 13 wins | 0 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 11 | 0 |
By decision | 1 | 0 |
By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 | Win | 13–0 | Razvan Cojanu | TKO | 9 (10), 2:46 | 7 Mar 2020 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, US | |
12 | Win | 12–0 | Iago Kiladze | KO | 5 (10), 2:09 | 21 Dec 2019 | Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, US | |
11 | Win | 11–0 | Ali Eren Demirezen | UD | 10 | 20 Jul 2019 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Michael Wallisch | TKO | 2 (10), 1:40 | 27 Apr 2019 | Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
9 | Win | 9–0 | Amir Mansour | RTD | 2 (8), 3:00 | 9 Mar 2019 | Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, US | |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Santino Turnbow | TKO | 1 (6), 2:22 | 22 Dec 2018 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, US | |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Nick Jones | KO | 1 (6), 2:25 | 30 Sep 2018 | Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, US | |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Curtis Harper | DQ | 1 (6), 0:01 | 24 Aug 2018 | Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US | Harper was disqualified after leaving the ring |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Dell Long | KO | 1 (6), 0:35 | 26 May 2018 | Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, US | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Antonio Johnson | KO | 1 (6), 1:14 | 10 Mar 2018 | Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas, US | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Rodney Hernandez | TKO | 5 (6), 1:31 | 4 Nov 2017 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, US | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Luke Lyons | TKO | 1 (6), 2:19 | 21 Oct 2017 | Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Tyrell Herndon | KO | 1 (6), 1:29 | 30 Jul 2017 | Rabobank Theater, Bakersfield, California, US | Professional debut |
References
- ^ a b c "Efe Ajagba Biography". Official website of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ a b c "Ajagba: The baker who struck gold in Brazzaville". Punch Nigeria. Yohaig Online. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Ajagba: I Wanted Football, But Boxing Gave Me Better Opportunities". Complete Sports Nigeria. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ "Four APB boxers win gold at the All Africa Games". AIBA. 13 September 2015. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ "African Games: Nigeria wins 4 gold, 2 silver medals in boxing". Premium Times. 13 September 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ Bonnelame, Betymie (15 September 2015). "Seychelles clinches gold in ladies High Jump at the All Africa Games in Brazzaville". Seychelles News Agency. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ "Rio 2016: Ajagba only Nigerian boxer to book ticket". Vanguard Nigeria. 24 March 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ Okosi, Izuchukwu (13 March 2013). "Africa Boxing Championship: Ajagba, Apochi Tipped For Olympic Glory". Complete Sports Nigeria. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ Agberebi, James (19 March 2016). "Nigeria's Ajagba Clinches Rio Olympics Boxing Spot". Complete Sports Nigeria. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ Agberebi, James (20 March 2016). "Boxing: Ajagba Wins Nigeria's Only African Gold As Linus Misses Olympics". Complete Sports Nigeria. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ Morgan, Liam (24 March 2016). "Exclusive: Claims of bribery at African Olympic Qualification Event by Nigerian coach dismissed as "unacceptable" by AIBA". insidethegames.biz. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
- ^ Reddy, Luke (25 August 2018). "Curtis Harper walks out of bout with Efe Ajagba in pay protest". BBC. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Ajagba vs Harper Full Fight: August 24, 2018 - PBC on FS1". YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
External links
- Boxing record for Efe Ajagba from BoxRec (registration required)
- Living people
- 1994 births
- Nigerian male boxers
- Boxers at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Nigeria
- Boxers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Olympic boxers of Nigeria
- Commonwealth Games medallists in boxing
- African Games gold medalists for Nigeria
- African Games medalists in boxing
- Sportspeople from Delta State
- Competitors at the 2015 African Games
- Heavyweight boxers