Efe Ajagba vs Martin Bakole Preview May 3rd, 2025
Hard-hitting African heavyweight prospects Efe Ajagba of Nigeria and Martin Bakole of the Democratic Republic of Congo meet in Saudi Arabia for a 12-round battle this Saturday, May 3rd. The fight can be seen live in most nations on DAZN pay per view on the undercard of the Alvarez vs Scull tilt. Ajagba last fought in April, 2024 when he beat Guido Vianello via a 10-round split decision to retain his WBC Silver Heavyweight Title. Bakole’s last ring experience resulted in a second-round TKO at the hands of Joseph Parker in February when he stepped in for Daniel Dubois as a very late replacement.
Ajagba vs Bakole Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Efe Ajagba +275
- Martin Bakole -375
My Pick
The 31-year-old Ajagba now fights out of Stafford, Texas and climbs through the ropes with a fine mark of 20-1 with 14 Ko’s. He’s obviously got good power in his fists as 73.7 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage. He also has plenty of size as he stands 6-feet-6-inches tall with an 85-inch reach. Ajagba enjoyed a successful amateur career and made it to the quarterfinal of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in the super heavyweight division. He also won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014.
Ajagba turned pro in 2017 a year after the Olympics and has been pretty busy ever since. He’s fought 21 times but has boxed only 93 pro rounds due to his power. He’s been the distance just five times as Ali Eren Demirezen took him 10 rounds in July, 2019, Jonathan Rice went 10 rounds in 2020, Frank Sanchez beat him via a 10-round unanimous decision in 2021 for his only pro defeat, Stephan Shaw went 10 rounds in January, 2023 and Vianello in his last outing. The loss to Sanchez was for the WBC Continental Americas, and WBO NABO Heavyweight Titles.
Ajagba beat Curtis Harper by disqualification in 2018 when Harper walked out of the ring before the opening bell and he beat Zhan Kossobutskiy by DQ in the fourth round for the vacant WBC Silver Belt in 2023 when his opponent kept hitting him with low blows. Ajagba’s also beaten Michael Wallisch, Iago Kiladze, Jonathan Rice, Brian Howard, Razvan Cojanu and Amir Mansour. He hasn’t fought many elite-level opponents but at least each of Ajagba’s foes entered the ring with a winning record. His chin hasn’t really been tested but it should be noted that Kiladze decked him in the third round in 2019 before Ajagba stopped him in the fifth and Sanchez scored a flash knockdown in the seventh round.
The 33-year-old Bakole is also one of the new breed of bigger heavyweights as he matches Ajagba in height at at 6-feet-6-inches tall and reportedly has an 82-inch reach for a three-inch disadvantage in that department. He owns an impressive mark of 21-2 with 16 Ko’s and also possesses better-than-average average power as 76.2 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including 10 of his last 13. Bakole made his pro debut in 2014 and has boxed just 87 rounds since and is the younger brother of former WBC Cruiserweight Champion Ilunga Makabu.
The first defeat on Bakole’s record came at the hands of Michael Hunter by way of a 10th-round TKO in 2018 in a shot at the vacant IBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Crown. Bakole injured his right shoulder in that fight before it was halted. Since turning pro he’s also captured the IBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Title by beating Ali Baghouz by first-round KO and the vacant Republic of Poland International Heavyweight title with an eighth-round stoppage of Mariusz Wach in 2019.
Bakole, who fights out of Scotland, also beat Tony Yoka as he edged him by a 10-round majority decision in May, 2022. In addition, he has victories over veteran journeyman Kevin Johnson and beat Sergey Kuzmin via a 10-round unanimous decision for the vacant WBC International Heavyweight Belt in December, 2020. His biggest win however came last August when he stopped highly-regarded American prospect Jared Anderson in the fifth round of a slugfest after dropping him three times. At this stage of his career, Bakole needs to keep fighting upper-level opposition and it’s fair to say that this is a great test for both boxers.
Prediction…
Ajagba seems to have all the tools to become a legitimate heavyweight contender but doesn’t use them often enough during a fight. He looked lethargic against Frank Sanchez and often doesn’t let his hands go as he shows no urgency. He seemed to have learned his lesson in that fight though as he’s looked much better in his five bouts since that loss. He comes into the ring in tremendous physical shape whereas Bakole often looks like he just left the buffet table. But don’t let his physical appearance fool you though as Bakole has great power and knows how to box. If Ajagba stays busy each round I think he could outbox him but he obviously needs to be wary of Bakole’s power and his chin will have to hold out. This is a very good matchup and it could easily end with just one punch. It will also let us know if Bakole’s win over Anderson was a flash in the pan or if he’s a legitimate contender. His loss to Parker didn’t really answer the question as Bakole was a last-second replacement (48 hours) and arrived at the venue just hours before fight time after travelling about 4,000 miles. I’m leaning toward Bakole as he’s naturally more aggressive but it’s basically a tossup.
Bakole’s more aggressive in nature.
Play Bakole -375 @ BetOnline.ag
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Efe Ajagba betting • Martin Bakole betting