RIO de Janeiro 2016 heavyweight boxing quarterfinalist, Efe Ajagba, at the weekend, said that he is firmly focused on beating Martin Bakole for the chance to fight for the WBC title than any other fight.
Ajagba, however, said that he is open to a future showdown with Richard Torrez, who has officially gone from promising prospect to noticeable contender.
Torrez became a noticeable contender for any or all of the heavyweight belts when the former Olympic silver medalist defeated Guido Vianello at the weekend, reports ringmagazine.com.
Being the headliner of his own show was an eye-catching moment for Torrez. Before he made his way down to the ring at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, he took a moment to soak it all in. But while he enjoyed the moment, he made sure he wasn’t swallowed up by it.
Torrez (13-0, 11 KOs) looked good out there, beating Vianello to the punch and out-hustling him. At these events, arbitrary fighters make appearances. That’s the norm. Ajagba, who’s always been a familiar face on the heavyweight scene, showed up in the front row. He spent most of his night watching Torrez’s every move. By the time the final bell rang, the muscular heavyweight gave his man a standing ovation.
A win over Vianello won’t be life-changing but it did place Torrez on the map. Now, the sort of noise he’s been making has caught the attention of Ajagba. A matchup between them isn’t in the works, hasn’t been discussed, and simply isn’t on the horizon. But this is boxing we’re talking about here. Anything can change in the blink of an eye.
If the two rising heavyweights just so happen to get it on, Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) would be up for it. Although Torrez seems like the type of fighter that would be difficult to deal with, Ajagba would love the opportunity to show that fighting Vianello is one thing, but facing him is something else entirely.
“I know how to handle pressure,” Ajagba told Sean Zittel. “It’s not new to me. I know how to fight southpaws. If Torrez wants to fight me, I’m ready to go.”
Don’t expect Ajagba to push for a showdown with Torrez. Well, he might, but only if he takes out Martin Bakole first. The two will officially throw down on May 3 in Saudi Arabia.
Bakole didn’t quite look like the guy who many call the “boogeyman” when last seen. But fighting on extremely short notice against Joseph Parker and getting violently stopped hasn’t hurt his spirits or self-belief. Ajagba knows it, that’s why he isn’t taking him lightly. If and only if, the 30-year-old contender pushes Bakole off the heavyweight mountain, would a matchup with Torrez make more sense.
“Right now, I’m focused on Martin Bakole.”
