Efe Ajagba scored a 10-round unanimous choice over beforehand unbeaten Stephen Shaw in an uneventful contest between heavyweight fringe contenders on Saturday on the Turning Stone On line casino in Verona, New York.
Ajagba (17-1, 13 KOs) received by unanimous scores of 96-94. It was his second victory since struggling the primary lack of his professional profession towards Ring-rated (No. 10) contender Frank Sanchez in October 2021.
The 28-year-old Nigerian, who fights out of Texas, didn’t make an announcement towards the elusive Shaw (18-1, 13 KOs) however he was the forward-stalking aggressor and he outworked the the ring savvy St. Louis native in each spherical, primarily together with his jab, which he constantly labored to the physique and head.
“I went again to the nook and so they advised me to let my palms go, maintain throwing punches, my jab,” Ajagba mentioned. “I managed the battle, in order that’s how I received the battle.
“He tried to land the massive pictures. I watched him to see what he was going to do. He stored throwing the jab, utilizing the jab extra.”
Shaw performed maintain away in the course of the first 5 rounds however gambled slightly bit over the second half of the ESPN-televised predominant occasion, standing his floor in spots, touchdown pot pictures and jabs. As shut because the official scorecards have been, the 30 12 months outdated should be kicking himself for not doing extra towards the considerably one-dimensional Ajagba.
Within the co-featured bout of the Prime Rank promotion, heavyweight gatekeeper Jonathan Rice scored his third consecutive upset (following back-to-back victories over Michael Coffie) with a seventh-round technical stoppage of beforehand unbeaten Italian Olympian Guido Vianello.
After 5 pedestrian rounds, Rice (15-7-1, 10 KOs) landed heavy long-range proper hand opened a horrible eyebrow-wide gash simply over Vianello’s left eyelid close to the top of Spherical 6. The ringside doctor halted the bout 40 seconds into Spherical 7 due the blood circulation and worsening lower. Referee Benjy Esteves believed the lower was brought on by an unintentional headbutt and was within the means of instructing the judges to attain Spherical 7 for a technical choice, nonetheless, he was knowledgeable by the ringside broadcasters, Prime Rank reps and members of the Oneida Indian Nation fee that replays confirmed no headbutts, solely that massive proper hand. Esteves gave the replay a glance and made the right name: Rice profitable by TKO. Vianello (10-1-1, 9 KOs) was forward on all three scorecards on the time of the stoppage.
“I did it once more… one other undefeated fighter,” Rice mentioned. “I’m not right here to name anybody out proper now. I’m going to take pleasure in this victory after which see what’s subsequent.”
Abraham Nova scored two knockdowns en path to a unanimous choice over Adam Lopez in an entertaining 10-round junior light-weight bout between rebounding featherweight contenders.
Nova (22-1, 15 KOs), who rebounded from a fifth-round KO to Robeisy Ramirez final June, received by scores of 98-90 (twice) and 97-91, however the battle was extra aggressive than these official tallies point out.
Nova dropped Lopez with a proper cross adopted by a left hook in Spherical 5 and was the beneficiary of a “technical knockdown” in Spherical 6 when Lopez was buzzed after which pushed to the canvas as he tried to seize and maintain. Nonetheless the 29-year-old Puerto Rican had some bother with Lopez’s lateral motion and correct counter-punching in the course of the first 4 rounds.
Nova was lobbing the more durable pictures from the opening bell, however Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) had his moments when he pressed the motion and let his body-head combos go in shut. The 2 traded on even phrases down the stretch and each let all of it hand around in the ultimate spherical.
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