A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER
Efe Ajagba – The Nigerian heavyweight gave a so-so performance in a dull fight but he deserved his unanimous-decision victory over Stephan Shaw in a 10-round bout Saturday at Turning Point Resort & Casino in Verona, New York. Ajagba (17-1, 13 KOs) simply outworked Shaw, throwing and landing more punches than his opponent (111 of 430 to 78 of 341, according to CompuBox). Hence the 96-94 score on all three cards. He now has won two consecutive fights since his momentum-crushing setback against Frank Sanchez in October 2021, after which he has surgery to repair damage in both of his elbows. Of course, Ajagba, once heralded as a future champion, will have to do more than he did against Shaw if he hopes to win a major title one day. Ninety of the 111 punches he landed were jabs, meaning he connected on an average of 2.1 power shots per round (to 3.0 for Shaw). He has a good jab but it takes more diversity than that to succeed at the highest level. Can the 28-year-old get there? Based on what I saw on Saturday, I’d be surprised. I just don’t see the all-around ability.
BIGGEST LOSER
Stephan Shaw – Shaw (18-1, 13 KOs) blew the biggest opportunity of his career, which came about when Ajagba’s original opponent, Oscar Rivas, pulled out because of an eye injury and he was asked to step in a few weeks ago. The objective should be to seize such an opportunity, to give yourself every chance to emerge victorious by expended every ounce of your energy in the ring. Instead, Shaw fought passively, allowing Ajagba to outhustle him for most of the fight. And he still won four rounds, meaning a little more effort might’ve been enough for him to have his hand raised and his career changed. He’s quicker and more athletic than Ajagba. He might even be more skillful than the victor. He simply didn’t do the work, a fact that presumably will haunt him. The opportunity to fight a well-known opponent in a main event on national television (ESPN) doesn’t come around often. Shaw might never get such a chance again. All the 30-year-old from St. Louis can do now is learn from the disappointment and fight harder every time out going forward.
BIGGEST WINNER II
Jonathan Rice – Rice (16-6-1, 11 KOs) was more fortunate than effective against previously unbeaten Guido Vianello on the Ajagba-Shaw undercard. The 2016 Olympian from Italy outboxed and outworked Rice for most of six rounds of a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout, taking a clear lead on the cards in the process. Then, in the seventh round, a right from Rice caused a massive gash above Vianello’s left eye that made it impossible for him to continue. Thus, Rice, a late replacement for Shaw, emerged with a technical knockout victory. Rice has good size and a lot of ability but he suffers from the same malady as Shaw, passivity. It’s easy for me to say from the safety of my office that fighters should take risks that could result in injury or unconsciousness but isn’t that part of the deal? Rice beat a second undefeated prospect in his last three fights, after taking down Michael Coffie in 2021 (and then doing it again in a rematch). If he wants to build on his recent success, he needs to push himself harder inside the ropes. Otherwise he’s going to waste his talent.
MOST BIZARRE
Rice-Vianello finish – You never know what boxing will throw at you. Referee Benjy Esteves initially ruled that the cut above Vianello’s eye was caused by a clash of heads, which would’ve sent the fight to the scorecards and given Vianello’s a victory. He was leading 59-55, 59-55 and 58-56. However, an official with the Oneida Indian Nation Athletic Commission, which oversaw the card, saw on replays that a punch caused the gash and in effect ordered Esteves to see for himself before a final decision would be made. That’s how Rice ended up with a TKO victory. The state of New York doesn’t use replay under any circumstances, which made the commission official’s decision intriguing. Does Oneida even have a replay rule? Doesn’t matter. The fact that officials arrived at the correct decision was gratifying. Other, more prominent commissions could learn from Oneida’s example.
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