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Ajagba Stops Goodall In 4
It took him nearly 10 years, but “The Silent Roller” finally
exacted revenge tonight.
Nigerian contender Efe Ajagba (19-1, 14 KOs) defended his
WBC Silver heavyweight title with a fourth-round stoppage
over Australia’s Joe Goodall (10-2-1, 9 KOs) Saturday
evening at Tahoe Blue Event Center in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
Ajagba and Goodall fought as amateurs in 2014, with Goodall
earning a decision. This time, however, Ajagba demonstrated
just how much better he's gotten.
Ajagba began the contest by landing jabs and right hands,
though Goodall had some success in closing the distance.
The 29-year-old Olympian then began landing right uppercuts
in round three that wobbled Goodall. In round four, a
one-two combo initiated a series of combos that forced
referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight at the :50 mark.
“It’s been long. I was out of boxing for a long time. When I
came back with Stephen Shaw {in January 2023}, my confidence
was not there. I had just come back from surgery, and I had
to get back into shape. But right now, I came back with full
confidence. That’s why I took him out," Ajagba said. “{My
team} pushed me in training camp. They made me work
extremely hard in this camp to make sure I win the fight. I
sparred a lot of different guys to make me stay strong.
“Whoever they offer me to fight, I’m ready to go. I will go
back with my team to talk about that.”
Muratalla Stops Torres in 8
Raymond "Danger" Muratalla (19-0, 16 KOs) put the
lightweight division on notice in tonight’s co-feature. The
26-year-old contender defended his regional lightweight
titles with an eighth-round knockout over the previously
unbeaten Mexican puncher Diego Torres (18-1, 17 KOs).
Muratalla took the center of the ring from the opening
round. He worked off his front foot and stepped out of range
to avoid any return fire. In the eighth, he landed a left
hook that snapped Torres’ head and sent him to the canvas.
Torres rose to his feet, but he was deemed unable to
continue by referee Celestino Ruiz at 1:45.
Muratalla said, “I’m here to put on a show. Every day I’m
working hard to get these opportunities. And I’m showing
out.
“We put in the hard work, and I’m here to take out these
opponents. I can’t wait to see what’s next. I’m here to take
whoever. Any champion. I hope my next fight is a title
fight.”
Junior Lightweights: In a battle of standouts, Puerto Rican
southpaw Henry Lebron (19-0, 10 KOs) beat William Foster III
(16-1, 10 KOs) via 10-round majority decision. Lebron had
success early by landing from the outside, though Foster
began to connect in rounds five and six. A left hook from
Lebron stunted Foster's momentum, and Lebron was able to get
the better of the exchanges down the stretch. Scores: 95-95,
96-94, and 99-91.
Junior Welterweights: Angel Rebollar (8-3, 3 KOs) tallied an
upset unanimous decision win over previously unbeaten Puerto
Rican prospect Omar Rosario (11-1, 3 KOs). Rosario was on
the hunt for the entire fight, but Rebollar was too elusive
for Rosario to land any significant offense. Scores: 78-74
3x.
Junior Welterweights: Lindolfo Delgado (19-0, 14 KOs)
authored a career-best victory tonight by stopping Luis
Hernandez (23-4, 20 KOs) via fourth-round knockout.
Hernandez was unrelenting in the opening rounds while
Delgado bided his time. In round four, Delgado stunned
Hernandez with a left uppercut before ending the fight with
a flurry. Time of stoppage: 1:53.
Heavyweights: Brandon Moore (13-0, 8 KOs) made a successful
Top Rank debut by vanquishing Robert Simms (12-4-1, 3 KOs)
via eight-round unanimous decision. Moore floored Simms with
a chopping right hand in round four, though Simms was able
to survive. Scores: 80-71 3x.
Heavyweights: Six rounds could not separate a pair on
unbeaten big men, as Antonio "El Gigante" Mireles (8-0-1, 7
KOs) and Skylar Lacy (7-0-1, 5 KOs) fought to a majority
draw. Lacy dictated the early rounds with a firm jab through
Mireles' southpaw guard. Mireles won the final two rounds on
all three judges' cards, but it was not enough to secure the
win. Scores: 58-56 Lacy and 57-57 2x.
Lightweights: Charlie Sheehy (8-0, 5 KOs) remained
undefeated by toppling Jesus Vasquez Jr. (10-2, 2 KOs) via
six-round unanimous decision. Sheehy controlled the fight
behind a sturdy jab and counter right hands. Scores: 60-54
3x.
Junior Lightweights: Gabriel Garcia (10-0, 6 KOs)
overwhelmed Joshua Montoya (6-4-2) with relentless pressure
to notch a six-round unanimous decision victory. Scores:
60-54 and 59-55 2x.
Middleweights: Javier Martinez (9-0-1, 3 KOs) scored three
knockdowns en route to a first-round knockout victory
against Isaiah Wise (11-3-2, 6 KOs). Time of stoppage: 2:02.
Lightweights: Reno-born lightweight Christian Avalos (1-1-2)
defeated Estevan Partida (1-2-1) via four-round majority
decision. Scores: 38-38, 39-37 and 40-36.
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