Fury sparring with Ajagba ahead on Wilder rematch

By Akeem Lawal

WBC CHAMPION, Tyson Fury is sparring with Nigeria's heavyweight boxer, Efe Ajagba as he continues preparation for his title defense against Deontay Wilder on July 24 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

 

Fury had until recently been expected to fight Anthony Joshua this August in Saudi Arabia to decide the title of undisputed world heavyweight, but he is now taking on Wilder for the third time.

 

Wilder knocked down Fury twice in their first fight, which resulted in a 12-round split draw in December 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Fury dropped Wilder twice and won their rematch by seventh-round technical knockout when Wilder’s assistant trainer, Mark Breland, threw in the towel to spare Wilder from taking more punishment at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

 

With a similar physique and knockout power, Ajagba appears to be a natural option to replicate Wilder, as Team Fury sees him as someone to bring constant threat to the ring.

 

Ajagba's wife, Tiya Renee, uploaded a picture of her husband and Fury which the two undefeated champions took after working out in the gym on her Instagram status last weekend.

 

The America-based Nigerian has 11 knockouts in 14 wins, while one of his opponents even left the ring before the opening bell, and he could be a future challenger for Fury after climbing to No 11 in the WBC rankings.

 

Ajagba (15-0, 12 KOs), signed for Top Rank, the same American promotional stable as Fury, will take on fellow undefeated prospect, Frank Sanchez (18-0, 13 KOs) on the Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 3 pay-per-view. Both Ajagba and Sanchez will meet in a high-stakes scrap that’ll legitimize one of them as a heavyweight contender.

 

For Ajagba, he made his Top Rank debut in September of 2020, easily outpointing Jonathan Rice. He then followed that up with a knockout of the year candidate over Brian Howard in April of this year.

 

As for Sanchez, after working closely with Eddy Reynoso, trainer of pound for pound star Canelo Alvarez, the Cuban born native has continued to look more and more impressive. In early May of this year, Sanchez extended his knockout streak to three in a row with a sixth-round stoppage win over Nagy Aguilera.