Highly promising Nigerian heavyweight boxer, Efe Ajagba has disclosed that he learned a lot about the pugilists’ sport from his recent sparing sessions with British icon, Tyson Fury, megasportsarena.com reports.
Ajagba admitted he was delighted with the opportunity he got to trade punches with the world champion, ahead of Fury’s third clash with USA’s Deontay Wilder and he will now seek to get his own pound of flash one day.
The third installment of the heavyweight contest between Fury, who is current World Boxing Council (WBC) champion and the former holder, Wilder comes up this Saturday, with the undercard in Las Vegas, USA including Ajagba.
Ajagba faces Frank Sanchez in Nevada, with the undefeated Cuban putting his WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title on the line.
Trained by two-time trainer of the year Eddy Reynoso, who is also the trainer of four-division superstar Saul Canelo Alvarez, Sanchez boasts 13 knockouts from his 18 wins.
The 29-year-old Cuban is regarded by many as the favourite and superior boxer, while Ajagba is dismissed as a power-punching one-trick pony devoid of any skill, as some say about Wilder, but the criticism does not bother the Nigerian ace.
The stage is now set for Ajagba to prove his mettle once again, as he goes out at T-Mobile Arena, where Saturday’s undercard will showcase a mix of some of the finest, experienced and prospective talents in the heavyweight division.
One of those is Ajagba, who boasts a perfect 15 wins from 15 fights as well as the record for the fastest victory in boxing history after his opponent was disqualified for leaving the ring one second after the opening bell.
He came to global attention at the 2016 Olympics with his memorable knockout of Trinidad’s Nigel Paul in the first round of their bout and, after his heroics in Rio de Janeiro, he moved to the United States and turned professional.
The latest lift to his career came from working with Fury, and Ajagba admits getting up close with the loquacious, maverick and brutish Briton was a memorable experience for him, one which he hopes will stand him in good stead in upcoming fights.
His desire for the global belt has accentuated with his belief that he can punch harder than Fury, which he says he learned fully after sparring with the Briton.
In Ajagba’s assessment, it is Fury’s constant movement which makes him such a dangerous opponent, but the 27-year-old burgeoning Nigerian slugger admitted he also wants to be world champion one day.
The violent nature of Ajagba’s thunderous third-round finish of Brian Howard in April earned him an invitation to Fury’s training camp as The Gypsy King prepares to meet Wilder again.
Ajagba told BBC Sport Africa: “It was an explosive knockout so they brought me in because they believed I had the same knockout power like Wilder.
“Tyson Fury can hit but doesn’t come close to my power. I punch harder than Tyson Fury. The punches that he threw (during sparring), I could take them.
“He’s been in the game for years before he became world champion. He’s fought the top guys. I can tell you that I’ve learned a lot from the champion; he’s very awkward, he’s a big guy, he has a long reach.
“I have a long reach too and I’m a heavy puncher but he has a lot of experience so I learned so much from him in camp.
“I have never sparred with a guy like that ever since I became a professional boxer in America. There’s something special about him because of the way he moves forwards and backward.
“It’s very difficult for you to get close to him because he’s always moving. It’s very hard for you to hit the target.
“He’s the first top-class heavyweight that I’ve sparred with which looks good on my record. For the WBC heavyweight champion to spar with me, that encourages me.
“It’s great because I hope to fight him in the future but he’s not the only heavyweight that I’m going to fight. There are a lot of other top heavyweights out there that I’m looking forward to.
“I see and hear a lot of people say that, but I don’t care. Like I said, when I land one punch it’s over. Frank Sanchez moves a lot and his plan is going to be to move around and stay out of range.
“A lot of people keep talking about him being a more skilful fighter. Okay, I agree – but let’s see on Saturday.”
