Nigerian Heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba and American prospect Stephan Shaw faced each other in a Heavyweight bout on January 14 where Ajagba was ruled the winner by unanimous decision. Winning narrowly by UD with scorecards of 96-94 by all the three judges, speculation persists on whether Ajagba deserved the win. The match was held at the Turning Stone Casino & Resort in New York.
Efe Ajagba (17-1, 13 KO’s) only narrowly won his match against Stephan Shaw (18-1, 13 KO’s) who can count Ajagba as his toughest opponents so far. Both opponents came in with a lot to lose. Though Ajagba won his last match in August of 2022, his career was sidetracked when he lost for the first time of his professional career to fellow contender, Frank Sanchez (21-0, 14 KO’s), in 2021 by unanimous decision. His match with Stephan Shaw gave him the opportunity to get back to world title contention.
Stephan Shaw has been relatively untested throughout his career, but has been compared to other American Heavyweight prospects such as Jermaine Franklin (21-1, 14 KO’s) and Jared Anderson (13-0, 13 KO’s). His fight with Ajagba was therefore an opportunity to not only showcase his skills, but also make progress towards a world title opportunity by beating Ajagba and move up in the rankings of boxing’s four main governing bodies; the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF.
Summary of the fight
Ajagba was the main aggressor, throwing debilitating hooks and keeping his opponent at bay with his punches. However, Shaw landed more accurate punches throughout the fight while it was clear that Ajagba landed the bigger, more damaging, shots. What may have edged the fight in Ajagba’s favor was the effective use of his jabs, which Shaw looked to have trouble dealing with.
In the latter rounds, it also seemed like Ajagba – who generally speaking has more experience than Shaw in professional boxing – was winning with his intensity and increased effort to carve out a win. Shaw boxed well, but did not seem to be able to properly counter Ajagba, or avoid some of his big shots.
Why was the match considered controversial? Did Ajagba not win cleanly?
Boxing can be prone to controversial decisions, not just due to potential corruption but the variation in styles that face each other. As a more skilled and cerebral boxer, Shaw employed a similar style to Frank Sanchez – who handed Efe Ajagba his first professional loss, but unlike Sanchez didn’t seem to have the power necessary to impress the judges.
Ajagba looked the more powerful fighter, but tends to brawl more with opponents than box them. As it looked like he landed the cleaner shots through the fight, the judges likely used that reasoning to favor Ajagba in the fight.
However, it is important to note that both opponents seemed equally-matched with each other. Ajagba did seem to land more powerful shots, but had trouble landing as opposed to Shaw who seemed quicker and used his footwork and angles to damage Ajagba. What may have tilted the decision towards Ajagba was Shaw’s tendency to be more hesitant and tentative rather than straightforward, but again this could be more of a sign of his boxing style, rather than him putting up a lackluster performance.
Who actually won then, if we take the judges’ decision out of the equation?
The match could have gone either way. A lot of decisions in boxing depend on how one views a match. A fighter that tends to box rather than constantly engage with his opponent may be deemed a ‘runner’, but that is usually just a sign they attempted to ‘hit and not get hit’, which is generally something some of the best boxers have done throughout their career, including the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Muhammad Ali.
The opinion on who actually won is subjective. For now, it is set in stone that Ajagba came out on top, but he will always have to live with the fact that his win was tainted in a way.
What does this mean for the careers of both boxers?
Efe Ajagba and Stephan Shaw can build upon their last match to get better. Both still have plenty of competition in the Heavyweight decision and as their match wasn’t for a title, they are free to pursue other fights.
A loss for Shaw doesn’t necessarily prove he doesn’t have what it takes to be a world champion. In any sport, losses are a natural occurrence for athletes to progress further in their careers, and Shaw might even receive more attention than he did before as he competed in his first main event.
This might be harder for Ajagba, as he won controversially, but he is also able to get back on track with his career and build on his victory.
Was Shaw the better boxer during his bout with Ajagba?
Arguably, Shaw showed a better grasp over the fundamentals, but Ajagba – having been an amateur himself – is not without skill. It was apparent however, that Ajagba’s come-forward style favored the opinion of the judges rather than Shaw’s. Shaw may be considered the more skilled boxer, but he also seemed to lack the qualities to convincingly beat Ajagba.
In boxing, it is not always the most skilled boxer that wins. Skill can heavily determine the outcome of a fight, but there are other factors at play. Ajagba, for example, gave Shaw plenty of reason to hesitate with his power and toughness, and Shaw seemed to lack in those same attributes judging by his performance.
Is the controversial decision a good or a bad sign for boxing?
It is not necessarily bad, as the fight wasn’t for a title of significance, but not good either as it is preferable that fights end without controversy, as with any sport. It offered both fighters the opportunity to test themselves and improve in the future. The only true bad thing about the fight was that it may have been considered boring, which might decrease interest towards future fights either of these two take part in, but overall the decision would naturally be controversial as both fighters put up a decent fight, and clearly came to the ring to win.
Controversial decisions are prone to happen in boxing, as stated earlier. This however, shouldn’t be regarded as a negative unless one boxer who clearly won, lost on the scorecards. In that case, boxing would need to re-evaluate the way fights are scored, and the judges that are hired to score these bouts.
Will either Ajagba or Shaw be ready for a world title opportunity in the future?
Both fighters are still young enough to improve and become elite-level opponents. It is clear that judging by their performance, they still have some ways to go, but with Ajagba being 28, and Shaw being 30, they have the time needed to work on their abilities.
Overall, their progress depends on a variety of factors including the level of opponents they fight, the type & amount of training they receive, and their own motivation in and outside the ring.
The Heavyweight division also seems to be constantly shifting. Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KO’s) and Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KO’s) changed for a long time as world champions before losing to Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KO’s) and Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KO’s), respectively. Usyk and Fury themselves might end up losing or retiring, thus throwing the Heavyweight division open again. There is also a chance that the former champions in Joshua and Wilder might reclaim their titles, one way or another.
