The straight right was a weapon, thrown tight and straight into the pipe with all the weight behind it. This is how the heavyweights close the show.
At the press conference, he did not soften his stance and did not dwell on names.
“It doesn’t matter. Usyk, Tyson Fury, Wilder, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m ready to fight anyone in the top ten.”
This is the right decision after the knockout. You’re asking about men who can hit back and be in the top ten.
Since his loss to Frank Sanchez in 2021, Ajagba has bounced back with five wins and a draw against Martin Bakole, which has many in the boxing scene going his way. The fight against Bakole showed what he still needs to work on. When the pressure came, his combinations narrowed and his stamina dropped slow. Against Martin, he lagged longer, forcing turnovers when he was set, and only releasing his right hand when the guard separated.
More composed. Better striking discipline.
The business side is less structured. Dana White wants his Zuffa bar at the top and has no patience for alphabet corpora. Usyk still holds the WBC, WBA and IBF belts. These organizations maintain rankings and appoint mandate holders, whether someone likes it or not.
If Ajagba wants Usyk, Fury or Wilder, the contracts and air dates must match. Fury is scheduled to fight Arslanbek Makhmudov. Wilder has Derek Chisora in front of him.
The lanes move when mandates are met and money is agreed upon. Until Zuffa finds one of the established names in the ring, his ticker will continue in the current order.
Ajagba’s work is technical in nature. Sharpen the work inside. Hold the counters firmly while they are against the ropes. Show that his conditioning can withstand twelve challenging rounds with a constant jab and layered combinations. Against Martin, a right hand was enough. Against Usyk or Fury, he would need positioning in the ring, a variety of strikes and the discipline to work on his body before headhunting.
Right now he is a risky hitter with momentum.
Against the top heavyweights, he will have to show that he can set the pace, take the shot and stay on his feet when a mighty counterattack comes.
Tomek Galm is a boxing journalist covering the global fight landscape since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, industry trends and fighter psychology.