Zuffa Boxing opens with Martin vs Ajagba

Ajagba entered into a ten-round draw with Martin Bakole last May. It was a respectable performance. He boxed well at times and handled Bakole’s size better than expected over long periods. Before that, Ajagba edged Guido Vianello by split decision in 2024. His only career loss came in 2021, when he was outclassed in ten rounds by Frank Sanchez, a fight that brought out the ceiling.

Martin’s recent record is harder to dress down. He has fought four times in the last four years and has gone 2-2 during that stretch. He lost to Jared Anderson and Luis Ortiz and had victories against Matthew McKinney and Devin Vargas. Activity has been limited and results have been uneven.

The peak of Martin’s career came quickly and faded just as quickly. He won the IBF title in 2016 when Vyacheslav Glazkov injured his knee, then lost the belt in his first defense against Anthony Joshua by second-round knockout. He never regained his momentum after that night.

Zuffa appears to be starting cautiously, signing recognizable names whose careers have stalled and placing them in a controlled environment. In theory, this approach can work if the promotion is committed to building their own structure around them. The casual audience will follow the presentation more than the pedigree, and the boxing core will watch regardless. Whether that’s enough to carry a league long term is another question entirely.