Zuffa Boxing Opens With Martin Vs Ajagba

Ajagba enters off a ten round draw with Martin Bakole last May. It was a respectable showing. He boxed well at times and handled Bakole’s size better than expected over long stretches. Before that, Ajagba edged Guido Vianello by split decision in 2024. His only career loss came in 2021, when he was outclassed over ten rounds by Frank Sanchez, a fight that made the ceiling clear.

Martin’s recent record is harder to dress up. He has fought four times in the past four years and gone 2 2 in that stretch. He lost to Jared Anderson and Luis Ortiz and picked up wins against Matthew McKinney and Devin Vargas. Activity has been limited and the results have been uneven.

Martin’s career peak came quickly and faded just as fast. He won the IBF title in 2016 when Vyacheslav Glazkov suffered a knee injury, then lost the belt in his first defense to Anthony Joshua by second round knockout. He never recovered momentum after that night.

Zuffa appears to be starting cautiously, signing recognizable names whose careers have stalled and placing them into a controlled environment. In theory, that approach can work if the promotion commits to building its own structure around them. The casual audience will follow presentation more than pedigree, and the core boxing crowd will watch regardless. Whether that is enough to carry a league long term is another question entirely.