Road to Las Vegas: How did Efe Ajagba and Charles Martin reach heavyweight battle?

Efe Ajagba and Charles Martin will both bid to boost their glamour division credentials when they meet in a heavyweight clash this today in Las Vegas.

The pair, at opposite ends of their likely career paths, still harbour ambitions of reaching the summit - for a second time, in the case of the latter.

Fighting under the Zuffa Boxing banner, both men will be keen to ensure they earn a prize scalp in order to book the next step in their boxing journey.

But just how did both men come to this encounter? DAZN News looks back at the last five fights for each man and profiles what brought them to this bout.

The Ring

Efe Ajagba (20-1-1)

• Age: 31
• Fights: 22
• Last five: WWWWD

'The Silent Roller' has worked with a smart approach across his career, slowly grinding his way up the world rankings with his raw power and finesse.

Bouncing back from a lone reverse to Frank Sanchez in 2021, Ajagba has since amassed a sturdy body of work, starting with a win over Stephan Shaw.

That January 2023 led to a busy year where he secured victories against Zhan Kossobutskiy and Joseph Goodall, before edging Guido Vianello in 2024.

A lengthy absence from the ring saw him only return in May last year against the much-fancied Martin Bakole, where a draw further enhanced his record.

Charles Martin (30-4-1)

• Age: 39
• Fights: 35
• Last five: WLWLW

More than a decade has passed since the American reigned briefly as world champion, before Anthony Joshua brutally dethroned him with a stoppage.

Recent history has been up and down for Martin too, who has only fought five times since the early winter of 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Wins over Gerald Washington and Devin Vargas were respectively followed by tough stoppage losses of his own against Luis Ortiz and Jared Anderson.

Still, unlike Ajagba, Martin will come into this contest on a victorious note, having last stopped Matthew McKinney inside one round back in 2024.

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