Efe Ajagba has earned himself a new nickname courtesy of a “Deontay Wilder” knockout of Brian Howard in Tulsa on Saturday night. Ajagba, 26, laid Howard out in the third round of their Tulsa meeting in a stoppage Wilder would have been proud of in his career, reports worldboxingnews.com.
The Texas-based puncher has now been likened to the former World Boxing Council heavyweight champion as he continues his rise to a sure world title shot.x
Recently discussing his win on Sirius XM with Gerry Cooney and Randy Gordon, Ajagba revealed his future hopes.
“My opponent did a sneaky left shoulder roll, so, I just took my time, set him up to do that role, and get that one shot in, and finished him.
“Once I saw me target spot, I went for the right-hand punch and the speed… The guys I sparred with were really good and prepared me so well for Brian Howard. I had the best training camp of my life in prep for last weekend’s fight.”x
Ajagba said his last fight with Jonathan Rice taught him how to control his elbow positioning and develop his stamina to go the distance.
The Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympian thanked his sparring partners for their support, adding, “I want to keep my sparring partners and stay active.
I don’t think that Jared Anderson and I would fight because we’re teammates. The same people manage us, and we get to spar with each other.
“Jared Anderson’s combinations during sparring improved my craft. I took a couple of shots from him, and he took some of mine. We used size 18 gloves for sparring.”
Of the three heavyweights available, including Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois, and Tony Yoke, Ajagba says he would like to fight Dubois the most.
