Heavyweight championship games are those that people look forward to because of the intensity of the game. It so happens that IBF orders the heavyweight title to be disputed by Frank Sanchez vs Efe Ajagba. This is either a make-or-break moment for one of the boxers’ careers. As things are gradually stirring up, we are looking at two players who will have to push harder to win the battle. What seemed to have been swept under the carpet is rising to the surface and has caught the attention of the boxing world. It is busy out there, but this one, we can pause a bit to try and see what is about to happen.
Pride is not the main issue here for this heavyweight championship
Pride is one of the things that drives boxers to fight, but this time around, this situation is beyond just pride; that is not a priority this time around, well, at least for these types of players. This is a strength and a legacy situation, which I believe is unique. Boxers cannot be attributed to legacy because all they want to do is strike, win, and move to the next opponent, and it is a cycle.
The two players are not strangers to each other. What if I told you that in 2021, they shared a ring before, and therefore, they do have some kind of understanding of what they are about to get themselves into? One of them defeated the other during the 2021 fight. And the winner has never been defeated, while the other player has put it upon himself to hone his fighting skills.
The IBF ordered the heavyweight title eliminator between Efe Ajagba and Frank Sanchez
So, in 2021, Ajagba lost to Sanchez. Therefore, it is about to go down. This fight is an interesting one because both players are fighting for a vacant IBF heavyweight belt. We are not looking at weaklings here; we are talking of men in the top 5. Men who have just grown to be better boxers over time and are filled with the fighting spirit, ready to save their legacy.
This is the norm, right? Usually, there is a heavyweight champion already, and then another match is scheduled. When one player wins, then automatically, he will automatically be scheduled to fight for the heavyweight championship. But that is not the case this time around. In fact, no one has this belt; therefore, a rematch felt like a better idea to make this one of a kind. The match is giving two powerful fighters, like the Canelo-Crawford ‘superfight’.
A journalist expressed:
“If Sanchez vs Ajagba 2 does get done, it would seem likely to end up on the Canelo vs Crawford undercard in September, as Sanchez has ties to Team Canelo.”
What you need to know about the Sanchez vs Ajagba bout
Key things to understand:
- This is a fight levelled on personal and professional grounds.
- It is a rematch. They sort of know each other, but not really, because of the different paths they have walked and growth.
- There is no doubt that Ajagba wants to prove his growth and upskill.
I cannot say they dislike each other, you know, like the situation between Richardson Hitchins and George Kambosos, whose fight was just based on enmity. There is an ego and power domination that will come from this fight. It is a big deal already. Fans are focused and trying to detect what could happen. Back to the pride thing I talked about earlier. In 2021, it was about pride; we can say they were younger and tired of proving a point and thought they were better. However, in 2025, it is about legacy. There is growth and an understanding to fight through and still win a heavyweight championship.
