Knockout Specialist Ajagba Sets Sight On Tyson Fury’s Championship Belt

Following his impressive fourth-round knockout victory over Joe Goodall, Nigerian fighter Efe Ajagba is now setting his sights on capturing one of the world heavyweight boxing titles currently held by Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

Ajagba achieved his 14th professional knockout win and sought revenge against Goodall, whom he had previously lost to nine years ago via a split decision in Glasgow. Ajagba’s powerful right hand and a flurry of punches in the fourth round earned him a dominant victory, which could bring him closer to a title shot in the heavyweight division. He has secured victories in his last four bouts since his unanimous decision loss to Frank Sanchez in October 2021, on the undercard of the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III fight.

With a professional record of 19 wins and 1 loss, Ajagba’s impressive performance prompted referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight just under a minute into the fourth round. This marked Goodall’s second career loss but his first by knockout.

Ajagba showcased his significant improvement since his defeat by Goodall at the Commonwealth Games. He began the fight by landing effective jabs and right hands, though Goodall had moments of success in close-quarters exchanges. In the third round, Ajagba started to land right uppercuts that visibly troubled Goodall. Finally, in the fourth round, a one-two combination led to a series of combinations, forcing the referee to halt the contest at the 50-second mark.

Reflecting on his victory, Ajagba mentioned his prior absence from boxing due to surgery, which initially affected his confidence upon returning in January 2023.

However, he emphasized his current self-assurance and credited his team for pushing him in training camp.
Before the fight, Ajagba acknowledged that a victory would bring him closer to a world title opportunity and indicated that he was open to taking on whoever was offered to him next. Speculation suggests that his next opponent could be the unbeaten Chinese heavyweight, Zhilei Zhang.

A victory over Zhang could pave the way for a showdown with either Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk.

Ajagba confirmed his readiness for the challenge and expressed his intention to discuss potential future opponents with his team.