Boxing promoters thought the better of trying to compete with the Winter Olympics, NBA All-Star Weekend, and Valentine’s Day. Zuffa Boxing will try to end the weekend with a bang with its Zuffa Boxing 03 card live from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, broadcast on Paramount+ on Sunday night.
It’s a card headlined by two of boxing’s big men, in a fight that could turn out to be nearly anything. It could end early with a big time knockout, or it could be a ten-round slugfest. It could be a banger or a snooze. And part of the fun of watching is finding out.
Efe Ajagba, the former Nigerian Olympic boxer who now trains in Stafford, Texas (20-1-1, 14 KOs), takes on former IBF World Heavyweight champion Charles Martin of St. Louis, now a resident of Las Vegas (30-4, 27 KOs). No belts at stake, and the path forward for the winner is unclear, given the Zuffa model of keeping its fights in-house.
Nevertheless, who doesn’t love seeing the big men in action? Ajagba weighed in Saturday at 254 pounds, 14 pounds over his previous high weight. Martin weighed in at a trim 250, looking to be in exceptional condition despite a lack of ring activity the past few years.
Efe Ajagba: No Judges Involved
Ajagba is coming off a majority draw against Martin Bakole in Riyadh in March 2025. Ajagba, who felt he was the winner, intends to make things right by taking the judges out of the equation with a knockout win over Martin.
“Everybody knows that I won my last fight,” said Ajagba. “But we move forward to this fight, and I all can think of is sticking to my gameplan and stuff like that. I’ve been working hard in training camp, in sparring, all that stuff. So my main focus is to just go to the ring and do what I’ve got to do.”
Ajagba says he will stick to his gameplan, and intends to deliver more than Martin can handle. “He’s not a tough opponent, but he’s a former champion. So, he’s fought a lot of great fighters, but at the same time, he lost… When he steps into the ring with me, it’s gonna be another defeat for him. That’s it.”
Ajagba knows he has the power to give Martin problems but says he will not chase the knockout. Instead, he will stick with his plan, and the knockout will come.
Charles Martin: I Want The Big Fights
Martin is a seasoned veteran. He held the IBF World Heavyweight for just 84 days in 2016, but handed it over to Anthony Joshua when he was knocked out for the first loss in his career.
In the ten years since then, Martin has fought and lost to Adam Kownacki, Luis Ortiz, and Jared Anderson. Martin will turn 39 years old in two months, and he knows the clock is ticking for him. Martin says signing with Zuffa gives new life to his career, which has stalled with periods of inactivity. When Martin steps in the ring on Sunday, it will be his first fight in 455 days since he faced Anderson.
“It means everything, for the most part, because I finally got a fight scheduled. They actually give me something to look forward to,” said Martin. “Back when I was with traditional boxing, it was kind of like you fight, and then you’re unemployed for two years, so it’s hard to be motivated and stay in the gym and stay in shape. So, with this being said, I’m gonna stay in shape, man. You know, I’m a high-performance Ferrari car, so you know, we’re gonna keep it that way.”
Martin said he had rededicated himself to training and is in the best shape of his life. I’m just gonna systematically break him down,” he predicted. “I got a lot of tools in my arsenal, so break him down and get him out of there. We don’t plan on going 10 rounds, so we gonna make this a knockout.
“I gotta get this knockout, a spectacular knockout, because I want all the bonuses, I want all the good shit, I want all the praise, and I want the big fights.
“I’m so light on my feet, man. I’m like a cruiserweight in a heavyweight body,” he explained. “I’m 255 pounds, but I’m definitely moving like a cruiserweight, and I’m cracking like a heavyweight, so that’s a great combination. You can’t hit what you can’t see. (I’m) very fleet footed, light on my feet, and I’m punching hard, so y’all get ready, man. Stay tuned.”
Prediction: Activity Makes the Difference in Ajagba vs Martin
It’s great to hear that both men hope to see their fight end in a knockout. But they will have ten rounds to work with and need to be ready to see the fight to the end without gassing out.
Martin may feel mobile and ready to move, but let’s repeat what we know to be true and continue to point out: Activity matters. Martin has been out of the ring over a year, and he’s only fought five times in the last six years
Ajagba has fought ten times during the same period, double the number of bouts as Martin. His resume includes Bakole, Guido Vianello, and Frank Sanchez. There is no substitute for the experience in the ring under the lights.
Ajagba is a tough customer. He presents a target as he moves forward. He’s not especially fast on his feet, but he’s tougher to kill than a zombie and always gives himself a shot with one punch power.
Although Martin looks in fine form, we predict he will lose steam in the second half of the fight, and that’s all it will take to give Ajagba the upper hand. The Nigerian is the favorite to win. Now all that’s left is to find out how it will go down.
Light Heavyweights In Co-Main: Dzambekov vs Elbiali
The other notable fight on the Sunday night card is the light heavyweight contest between Umar Dzambekov of Austria (13-0, 9 KOs) and Ahmed Elbiali of Las Vegas (24-1, 19 KOs).
Dzambekov trains in Los Angeles and has been a star attraction on regional 360 Boxing Promotions cards from veteran promoter Tom Loeffler. Dzambekov, who trains at the famed Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood with respected trainer Marvin Somodio, is a crowd-pleasing action fighter, with all nine of his knockout wins coming inside four rounds.
Dzambekov is without a doubt the best boxer to come out of Austria where he’s a rising star, and he knows he has a golden opportunity to make a great impression on new fans Sunday night. He says the chance for the exposure was a big motivation in signing with Zuffa.
Being an Austrian athlete inevitably invites comparisons to the country’s most famous face, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Dzambekov doesn’t shy away from it. In fact, he embraces it.
“Some people say, ‘You sound like Schwarzenegger,’ and I don’t mind. He’s a big idol. I love that guy,” he said.
We spoke with Dzamebekov last fall before his recent fight in October.
Umar Dazmbekov Interview
Dzambekov’s first Zuffa Boxing assignment comes against the 35-year-old Cairo native Elbiali who calls himself the “American Pharoah.”
“He’s a great fighter. He’s experienced, tough guy. And I look forward to being in the ring with him on Sunday night,” said Dzambekov. “I want to show my skills – speed, power, and movement.”
Elbiali’s only loss was the only decision on his record, a loss to former world champion Jean Pascal in 2017. Elbiali is coming into Sunday’s fight with an eight-fight win streak.
Both men are in top form with knockout power, and if the main event isn’t a thriller, the co-main event could easily steal the show.
Opening the main card is a matchup of undefeated lightweights Abel Mejia of El Modena, California (10-0, 7 KOs) and Jaybrio Pe Benito, a Hawaiian native based in Hollywood, California (6-0, 4 KOs). It will be the first scheduled eight round fight for both men.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist and the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). She is the Managing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.