Efe Ajagba 13-0, 11KO's

He looks the part and clearly has power, but I've never been convinced he'll be a top contender. He has the basics down, but if you look beyond that he has some glaring weaknesses.

He's there to be hit. He relies on his size and reach but doesn't move his head. After he throws he holds his feet and is there to be countered. He does what Wlad used to do, he unloads then just stands there to be hit back. He needs to improve his defence if he's ever to be able to fight at the top level, because the Kiladze knock down suggest his chin is vulnerable.

His movement isn't great, as I said before he doesn't move after throwing as he's probably just used to being out of range normally, being so big. He seems to only work well on the front foot, I've seen nothing to suggest he can fight being pushed back.

He's just really basic as a fighter. There is no real skill or craft to what he's doing. He's just going in there and trying to unload and relying on his natural gifts. I think he'll need to be handled carefully if he's to avoid a defeat.

 

You seem correct, yes. However, I'm pretty sure he would have beaten both main event fighters...

 

Not too long ago he was talked about amongst the like of Bakole, Joyce, Dubois and Yoka but I dont think hes on that level at all.

A basic limited fighter relying on his power and reach but has far too many weaknesses to his game (technique, footwork, head movement and chin).

I think Martin or Sanchez would beat him.

 

I'd love to see Frank Sanchez and Ajagba fight. That would be a good one. That would tell us a lot.

 

I think he has a lot of upside if they can manage him properly and develop his skills

I think he has a lot of gifts but has a decent share of weaknesses however those can be fixed or masked.

He is 25 and only has 13 fights and his opposition isnt all that bad at this stage most of his opponents have winning records some of them very nice records. I know that doesnt mean everything but I think they have tried to step up his opposition to the point where he will go more rounds and lately he has been stretched and faced a little more adversity. I think his biggest problem might be getting so much attention so soon might create opportunities or a push for him to be in bigger fights before he is ready.

Fortunately for Ajaba he might be young enough to wait out the scene a little. A long time ago before Fury even fought Wlad and before Wlad showed many signs of going away I thought Fury would do well because he was very young at the time while Wilder was closer to a physical prime he had less time on his side. This is circa 2012 or so

Ajaba is 25 and Fury is volatile and has hinted at retiring and Wilder isnt the youngest anymore and you never really know how he bounces back, Ruiz might have imploded, Parker is trying to find himself, Kownacki got upset, Miller has disappeared, and Joshua though successful in the rematch has vulnerabilities and you never know how Fury, Wilder and Joshua plays out.

Yes you have Dubois, Hrgovic, Uysk, and others of course but he is young and maybe some of these top guys and top contenders will fight and the herd gets thinned and Ajaba steadily improves. I'm not taking a hard stance on his future just yet. I mean Wlad could easily have been written off after Purrity, Lennox after McCall, Fury after McDonnel or Cunningham and Wilder after Scorniers or after how long it took for him to step up

So far the only real knock I have on Ajaba is hitting the canvas and seeming slow and cumbersome which can all be fixed

 

ko waiting to happen. too slow. robotic. doesn't move his head. glaring problems that will cause bad defeats. especially the no moving head lack of defense. have wondered if any one is training him. he does stay poised. with some help he may mature and avoid the above problem.

 

From interviews he does seem aware of his weaknesses like lack of head movement and is currently working on fixing that with his trainers

 

He seems to look a bit gassed as well as the rounds go on kinda like Povetkin in and Izu Ugonoh

 

From what I've seen they should move him slower than molasses up the ladder. He needs to learn and the ring is the place, maybe 12 to 15 more fights against various styles before trying a contender status opponent. Right now if you close your eyes and throw an overhand right you'll probably nail him.

 

You bring up some valid points. He is young and far from the finished article. He may very well make enough changes and develop enough over time to achieve something. That ability to learn and develop is key to a fighters success. Few would of picked Fury who struggled with McDermott to beat Wlad.

But I haven't seen any progress from him in terms of working on his skills, at least no obvious one. Compared to Joshua who you could clearly see things he was working on and trying to improve with many of his performances early on. But to be fair I think this is true of a lot of the prospects right now. Hrgovic, Dubois etc seem to not have altered much since turning pro, maybe because they haven't had too, we'll see what they have when they step up.

 

He's crap.

 

Wilder for all his flaws isn't as basic as Ajagba. He at least knows how to move his head to evade shots and despite his awful footwork he's still light on his feet enough to move out of the way from a counter. He's a better counter puncher too and a lot quicker.