Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba couldn’t be separated following 10 rounds of heavyweight action.
The two men met in Saudi Arabia on Saturday as part of the Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull card, with Bakole back in action just over two months on from his second round knockout defeat to Joseph Parker.
Bakole had taken that bout with Parker on just 48 hours’ notice, and it seemed like there may have still been some lingering effects 10 weeks on, as he appeared to still be far from his best against Ajagba.
There were moments of success for Bakole, but Ajagba appeared to dictate a lot of the action, with many boxing pundits believing he had done enough to win at the conclusion of the bout.
It wasn’t to be though as a majority draw verdict was announced after 10 rounds of action, with the judges scoring it 96-94 Ajagba, and 95-95 twice.
Speaking after the fight, Bakole revealed whether he would rematch Ajagba, insisting that he would and that he’d get the stoppage with a full training camp.
“After losing against Parker I worked hard. I thought I won this fight. The judges say draw. I will ask His Excellency for the rematch on a full camp. I think this guy here knows I was struggling to lose weight. It was clever. With a full camp the fight won’t go 10 rounds.”
Ajagba revealed he is also open to the rematch, and also feels he did enough to win.
“I won the fight. It’s not for me to decide it’s the judges. My game plan was to use my footwork but I got a little bit tired. He kept putting pressure on me. My jab wasn’t working as well. I want the rematch for sure. I want it in the United States.”
With plenty of the top heavyweights already having fights confirmed, a rematch between the two men may be the best option.
