Efe Ajagba is excited to become Nigeria’s next heavyweight champion and he views his clash against Zhan Kossobutskiy at the Hard Rock Hotel And Casino Tulsa in Catoosa, United States on August 26 as a milestone on the journey.
The 10-round heavyweight duel will witness the Nigerian facing off against the Kazakh left-hander. The bout is slated to be the co-feature on the card headlined by Anderson vs Rudenko, airing live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and via live stream on ESPN+.
The telecast opener will showcase Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan taking on another Nigerian Onoriode Ehwarieme. The bout is set for eight rounds in the heavyweight category.
In the main event, Jared Anderson, born in Toledo, Ohio, will go head-to-head against Andriy Rudenko of Ukraine. The pair will also engage in a 10-round clash in the heavyweight division.
Ajagba (17-1, 13 KOs), a 2016 Olympian, has firmly established himself as one of the division’s most powerful punchers. Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 240 pounds, the slugger made his professional debut in July 2017 and secured six first-round knockouts in his initial eight bouts.
He encountered his first defeat in October 2021 against Frank Sanchez. After the loss, Ajagba underwent surgery on both of his elbows and made a victorious comeback in August 2022, stopping Hungarian veteran Jozsef Darmos in the second round. The 29-year-old is now coming off a 10-round decision win against previously unbeaten contender Stephan Shaw in January.
“This serves as a great examination for me as I continue my pursuit to become Nigeria’s next heavyweight champion,” Ajagba stated.
“I am coming to Tulsa to secure a devastating knockout and remind everyone of my capabilities inside the ring.”
Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18 KOs) is a 34-year-old left-hander from Kostanay, Kazakhstan. Throughout his career, he has only gone the distance once, earning a six-round decision win over Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko in September 2018.
In 2021, he maintained an impressive record of 3-0, securing three knockouts. In 2022, he defeated former world title challenger Johann Duhaupas in the fifth round and is now coming off a third-round knockout victory over previously unbeaten contender Hussein Muhamed in November.
“I’m prepared to make my debut in the United States against a very powerful opponent,” Kossobutskiy said. “I want to prove that I can defeat the best in the heavyweight division, and to do that, you must overcome very tough challenges. I look forward to displaying my abilities to the world on August 26.”
