Boxxer hoping to stage Martin Bakole-Efe Ajagba IBF heavyweight eliminator

Martin Bakole often finds himself as the odd man out in the heavyweight division.

With Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel facing one another rather than Bakole, possibly on February 22, it has left the Scotland-based Congolese fighter without an opponent.

However, with Bakole’s favorable rating with the IBF, there is a way forward.

The IBF champion is Daniel Dubois, the top two spots are vacant Kabayel is No. 3, Bakole is No. 4, Zhang is No. 5 and Efe Ajagba is No. 7 and the IBF have ordered Bakole and Ajagba to meet in an eliminator to determine the top contender for Dubois. 

Ejagba is a 20-1 (14 KOs) Nigerian based in Texas, coming off a career-best split decision win over Guido Vianello. 

Bakole is promoted by Boxxer while Ejagba is with Top Rank, and Boxxer’s Shalom says he is hoping to stage the intriguing match.

“That’s a fight that we’d like to put on,” Shalom said. “Obviously Martin’s fought on Riyadh Season cards and I’m sure they’d be interested again, but it’s a fight we’d like to put on, more because he’s one fight away, now, from fighting for a world title and there’s so much to that fight. We believe, once Martin gets his opportunity, it’s going to be a very long time before anyone’s able to beat him. So, we’re one fight away now from the promised land. 

“Ajagba’s a great fight and I believe, from speaking to Top Rank, that it’s a fight that they would not be ducking out of.”

Thirty-two-year-old Bakole’s stock rose dramatically with a fifth-round destruction of Jared Anderson in California in August. 

“Fighting Martin Bakole, would you want your heavyweight fighting Martin Bakole? People have probably looked at the last few fights and seen what’s happened to Jared Anderson, and he [Bakole] can make very good fighters look very average, and I think that doesn’t do a lot for him [in terms of people wanting to fight him]. Once he gets his world title, it will be impossible to avoid him.”