Former WBC top contender Efe Ajagba will headline the Zuffa Boxing main event Sunday night in Las Vegas against veteran Charles Martin.
The third Zuffa Boxing event slated for Sunday night February 15th in Las Vegas will feature heavyweights, as Efe Ajagba headlines against the former brief IBF title holder, Charles Martin.
The 31 year old Ajagba, 20-1-1, 14 KOs was born in Nigeria and represented that nation in the Olympics. He rose to the top of the rankings in the WBC with a split decision win over Italian Guido Vianello in April of 2024. However, he's been largely inactive over the last two plus years and has a lackluster draw against the Congo's Martin Bakole last May in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He appeared to be on his way to a quicker world title shot back in 2021, having won his first 15 career bouts. But, Cuban born heavyweight Frank Sanchez decisioned him over 10 rounds on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder Las Vegas undercard in October 2021.
He had won five straight bouts before the Bakole draw that has set him back in the rankings.
Hear insider Dan Rafael with me talking Ejagba's return on our Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast by clicking here,
Meanwhile, the 39 year old Martin, 30-4-1, 27 KOs, hails from St. Louis and is most noteworthy for having won the vacant IBF belt in January 2016, That's when he defeated Russian Vyacheslav Glazkov, when Glazkov suffered a knee injury in the third round and could not continue.
Martin lost the title just three months later when Britain's Anthony Joshua destroyed him in two rounds taking the title. In the more recent, the veteran suffered a one-sided decision defeat to American Jared Anderson in July 2023 and was previously kayoed by Cuban Luis "King Kong" Ortiz on New Year's Day of 2022.
He has only fought once since then. That was in November 2024, as Martin scored a first-round KO over journeyman Matthew McKinney.
Ajagba told the Ring magazine this week he has little regard for Martin, “He’s not a puncher. I’ve fought people that punch, not people like Charles Martin. Charles Martin can’t punch. I can’t wait.”
He continued, “I’m gonna knock him out. Charles Martin doesn’t like to put his hands up. But I don’t care – if he picks his hands up, it doesn’t matter to me. I’ll just touch him, touch him, touch him, touch him.”
This is clearly a figurative 'big moment" for Ajagba to get a win in the new promotion's first heavyweight headliner and potentially open up more doors through Zuffa later in 2026.
Now, we're about to find out if Ajagba can take advantage of the opportunity.