Bookmakers made Martin Bakole a big favorite against Efe Ajagba when they square off in their contest on Saturday 3rd May 2025 at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He is currently 1/4 (-400) to win the contest outright, while you can get 3/1 (+300) on Efe Ajagba if you fancy the big upset.
That means that oddsmakers think there is 77% chance of Bakole winning while giving Ajagba a 23% chance.
Bakole opened as the favorite at 2/7 (-340) however, that price has now got wider by -24/25 (+100).
Ajagba opened at 5/2 (+250) which has shorten by 3/-2 (+70).
The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds in the Heavyweight division, which means both fighters don't have to make any weight limit.
This contest is a final eliminator for the IBF heavyweight championship of the world.
Bakole vs Ajagba Head To Head
Martin Bakole steps into the ring with a record of 21 wins, 2 losses, and 0 draws, 16 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Efe Ajagba will make his way to the ring with a record of 20 wins, 1 loss and 0 draws, with 14 of those wins by knockout.
The stats suggest Bakole has a slight advantage in power over Ajagba, with a 76% knockout percentage compared to Ajagba's 70%.
Martin Bakole is the older man by 1 year, at 31 years old.
Ajagba has a height advantage of 2 inches over Bakole. This also extends to a 11-inch reach advantage.
Both Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba fight out of an orthodox stance.
Bakole is arguably the more experienced fighter, having had 2 more fights, and made his debut in 2014, 3 years and 4 months earlier than Ajagba, whose first professional fight was in 2017. He has fought 6 fewer professional rounds, totaling 87 compared to Ajagba's 93.
Martin Bakole goes into the fight ranked number 5 by the WBA, 5 by the WBC, 10 by the IBF, and 7 by The Ring at heavyweight.
Efe Ajagba is currently ranked number 4 by the WBC, 14 by the WBO, 3 by the IBF, and 10 by The Ring in the Heavyweight division.
Bakole vs Ajagba betting form
Bakole has beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 3 of them, going the distance once.
In his last fight, he lost to Joseph Parker on February 22, 2025, by knockout in the 2nd round in their WBO Interim World Heavyweight championship fight at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was a 3/2 (+150) underdog going into the fight.
Prior to that, he had defeated Jared Anderson on August 3, 2024, by knockout in the 5th round at BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, United States. He was a 5/4 (+130) underdog going into the fight.
Going into that contest, he had beaten Carlos Takam on October 28, 2023, by technical knockout in the 4th round at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was a 1/7 (-670) favorite going into the fight.
Before that, he had won against Ihor Shevadzutskyi on April 22, 2023, by technical knockout in the 3rd round at Rzeszow, Poland. He was a 1/20 (-2000) favorite going into the fight.
He had beaten Tony Yoka on May 14, 2022, by majority decision in their 10 round contest at Accord Hotels Arena, Paris, France. He was a 79/25 (+320) underdog going into the fight.
Ajagba has won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 2 of them, going the distance 3 times.
In his last fight, he defeated Guido Vianello on April 13, 2024, by split decision in their 10 round contest at American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, United States. He was a 1/8 (-770) favorite going into the ring.
Prior to that, he had defeated Joseph Goodall on November 4, 2023, by technical knockout in the 4th round at Tahoe Blue Event Center, Lake Tahoe. He was a 1/6 (-590) favorite going into the ring.
Going into that contest, he had won against Zhan Kossobutskiy on August 26, 2023, by technical knockout in the 4th round at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa. He was a 8/5 (+160) underdog going into the ring.
Before that, he had defeated Stephan Shaw on January 14, 2023, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona. He was a 5/4 (+110) underdog going into the ring.
He had beaten Jozsef Darmos on August 27, 2022, by technical knockout in the 2nd round at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa.
Who's been more active?
If you think ring rust and activity is a big factor in this fight, Efe Ajagba has been fighting more than Martin Bakole.
Martin Bakole last fought 2 months and 11 days ago, while Efe Ajagba's last outing was 1 year and 20 days ago.
Bakole's last 5 fights have come over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 19 days, which means he has been fighting approximately every 7 months and 5 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 24 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 4.8 rounds on average.
Ajagba's last 5 fights have come over a period of 2 years, 8 months and 6 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 6 months and 15 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 30 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 6 rounds on average.
What’s the Latest Time I Can Bet on Bakole vs Ajagba Pre Fight?
The fighters are expected to ringwalk at around 7:00 PM UTC at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is 3:00 PM EST or 12:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America, or 8:00 PM BST in the UK.
Where Can I Watch Bakole vs Ajagba for In-Play Betting?
Bakole vs Ajagba will be broadcast on DAZN PPV in both the United States and the UK.
