Efe Ajagba


Efe Ajagba is a Nigerian professional boxer. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at the 2015 African Games and bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. As a professional, Ajagba holds the record for the fastest victory in boxing history after his opponent was disqualified for leaving the ring 1 second after the opening bell.

Early life

Ajagba was born on 22 April 1994 in Ughelli, Delta State, Nigeria. He formerly worked in a bakery.

Boxing career

Ajagba took up the sport of boxing in 2011 after previously playing football for a club in Ughelli since 2005. He was coached by Anthony Konyegwachie.
Ajagba was selected to compete for the Nigerian team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow. Competing in the super heavyweight division he defeated Junior Fa of Tonga in the round of 16 and Paul Schafer of South Africa in the quarterfinals. He advanced to the semifinals where he was defeated by Joseph Goodall of Australia, meaning Ajagba won a bronze medal.
At the 2015 African Games held in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, Ajagba was selected as the Nigerian entrant in the men's super heavyweight event. He won the gold medal, beating Keddy Angnes of the Seychelles by a score 3–0 in the final.
In 2016 he won the gold medal in the super heavyweight event at the African Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Yaoundé, Cameroon. By doing so Ajagba qualified to represent Nigeria at the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the first round Ajagba beat Ugandan Michael Sekamembe on points, he defeated Tunisian boxer Aymen Trabelsi in the semifinal to secure his qualification, then in the final he beat Mohamed Arjaoui of Morocco. Ajagba was the only Nigerian boxer of the ten who competed to qualify for Rio through the tournament, leading to claims from Nigeria's coach Konyegwachie that judges had been bribed. On 24 August 2018, Ajagba scored the fastest victory in boxing history in a match against Curtis Harper, winning via a 1-second disqualification after Harper walked out of the ring in protest over a pay dispute.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
13Win13–0 Razvan CojanuTKO9, 2:467 Mar 2020Barclays Center, New York City, New York, US.png" />
12Win12–0 Iago KiladzeKO5, 2:0921 Dec 2019 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, US
11Win11–0 Ali Eren Demirezen1020 Jul 2019 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US
10Win10–0 Michael WallischTKO2, 1:4027 Apr 2019 Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, US
9Win9–0 Amir Mansour2, 3:009 Mar 2019 Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, US
8Win8–0 Santino TurnbowTKO1, 2:2222 Dec 2018 Barclays Center, New York City, New York, US
7Win7–0 Nick JonesKO1, 2:2530 Sep 2018 Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, US
6Win6–0 Curtis Harper1, 0:0124 Aug 2018 Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USHarper was disqualified after leaving the ring
5Win5–0 Dell LongKO1, 0:3526 May 2018 Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, US
4Win4–0 Antonio JohnsonKO1, 1:1410 Mar 2018 Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas, US
3Win3–0 Rodney HernandezTKO5, 1:314 Nov 2017 Barclays Center, New York City, New York, US
2Win2–0 Luke Lyons1, 2:1921 Oct 2017 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US
1Win1–0 Tyrell Herndon1, 1:2930 Jul 2017 Rabobank Theater, Bakersfield, California, USProfessional debut