Efe Ajagba vs Charles Martin Zuffa Boxing Breakdown, Tale of the Tape, & Undercard

In Zuffa Boxing's third installation in the Meta Apex, Efe Ajagba faces former IBF World Champion "Prince" Charles Martin to headline.

Efe Ajagba is coming off of a draw with Martin Bakole in May, though the result is disputable with most believing Ajagba did enough to win. Even with the official draw, that makes 6 fights in a row without a loss since Frank Sanchez became the only boxer to defeat Ajagba in October of 2021. Ajagba's most notable win so far has been over Guido Vianello, a solid name and difficult out, but Charles Martin will be Ajagba's chance at a high level win over a well-known former champion, further proving that he belongs towards the top of the heavyweight division.

Charles Martin has had quite a career so far. He won the IBF world title in 2016 with an odd win over Vyacheslav Glaskov in which Glaskov's knee gave out in the third round. With his title win leaving question marks around him, to prove his mettle he went straight to a defence against the undefeated British phenom, Anthony Joshua. Martin was knocked out in the second round. Charles Martin has had some ups and downs in the 10 bouts since the loss to Joshua. He's lost 3 to known entities such as Jared Anderson, Luis Ortiz, and Adam Kownacki, but won 7 of them with 6 by way of knockout. His most recent fight was in November of 2024, and ended by KO in round 1. A win over Efe Ajagba would prove that Martin is still a problem at heavyweight, and could lead to more opportunities for the aging former champ.

Though the level of this bout is that of a title eliminator, it is unknown how helpful it will be in regards to recognized rankings and belts. It is likely that the winner would conceivably be closer to a Zuffa belt, but the legality of such a thing in the US is pending changes to current legislation. Regardless, it's well-matched and will likely end up a pretty good scrap.

The names on the undercard are not altogether recognizable to the boxing world at large. But how much a victory means to this level of fighter, especially those that will be on a broadcast for the first time, almost guarantees that everyone will be in it to win it. With that in mind, the chance of this being a fun card is pretty high.