Ajagba Stops Martin via TKO
Efe Ajagba stopped former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin via 4th-round TKO at Zuffa Boxing 3, then called out unified champion Oleksandr Usyk. The victory came despite Martin's confidence that Ajagba had chosen him "at the wrong time" after boxing only one round in 2.5 years. Dana White's promotion delivered multiple knockouts on the card, escalating White's ongoing feud with Eddie Hearn.
- This was Efe Ajagba's first knockout victory since his 2023 win over Joseph Goodall, improving his professional record to 21-1-1 with 15 knockouts. The fight was stopped by referee Thomas Taylor at 1:11 of the fourth round after Ajagba had knocked Charles Martin down once in the third and again in the fourth. - The Zuffa Boxing 3 main card, held at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, featured knockouts in all three of its fights. Umar Dzambekov scored a highlight-reel knockout of Ahmed Elbiali in the co-main event, and Jaybrio Pe Benito pulled off an upset TKO win over the previously undefeated Abel Mejia. - For Charles Martin, the loss marks another setback in his post-championship career. His 85-day reign as IBF heavyweight champion in 2016 is the second-shortest in the division's history. - The feud between Dana White and promoter Eddie Hearn has recently escalated over White's plans for Zuffa Boxing. Hearn has criticized White's introduction of a "Zuffa Boxing world championship" as disrespectful to the sport's history, while White has labeled Hearn a "lunatic" for his opposition to potential changes to boxing's structure, including the Muhammad Ali Act. - Ajagba's call-out of Oleksandr Usyk targets the unified champion who holds the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles. Usyk's next opponent is not yet scheduled, but the WBC has ordered unbeaten Agit Kabayel as a mandatory challenger.
