A Nigerian boxer, Efe Ajagba, has defeated his American opponent Stephan Shaw in a heavyweight main event fight at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
The Nigerian fared the better contender throughout the 10 rounds of the hard-hitting bout in the early hours of Sunday.
Shaw had been undefeated in his heavyweight career until he faced Ajagba, a reputable knockout specialist.
The judges — Eric Marlinski, John McKaie and Don Trella — scored the bout identically, 96-94 for Ajagba
.Shaw (18-1, 13 KOs) was ahead 58-56 on all three judges’ cards after the sixth but was outlanded 62-37 in the last four rounds
The victory takes the 28-year-old Nigerian’s record to 17-1. His only loss was against Cuba’s Frank Sanchez in the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder undercard in October 2021 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
As an amateur boxer, the Ughelli-born pugilist won gold at the 2015 All Africa Games in Congo Brazaville and a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
He came into the limelight at the 2016 Olympics in Rio where he floored Nigel Paul of Trinidad and Tobago with a powerful blow in the first round.
He was stopped by Ukraine’s Ivan Dychko in the quarter-final by unanimous decision of 28-29, 28-29, 28-29.