On the undercard of the Canelo-Scull fight, Bakole and Ajagba drew, with Munguia winning his rematch against Surace.
The magnificent desert backdrop of Riyadh provided a real treat for boxing fans at the weekend: several top boxers delivered some dramatic fights on the undercard of the eagerly awaited super middleweight title fight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and William Scull. In the heavyweight division, there was a high-caliber clash between two dangerous punchers. Martin Bakole (21-2-1, 16 knockouts) and Efe Ajagba (20-1-1, 14 knockouts) drew with a majority decision after ten intense rounds. Two judges, Pablo Gonzalez and Bob Williams, scored the fight evenly 95-95, while Kieran McCann saw Ajagba narrowly ahead (96-94). Both boxers had their moments – Bakole with his physicality, Ajagba with explosive counters. But ultimately neither was able to make the decisive impact.
Munguia set an example
Mexican super middleweight Jaime Munguia (45-2, 35 knockouts) made a strong statement with a clear win over Frenchman Bruno Surace (26-1-2, 5 knockouts) in the rematch. With a unanimous points victory (117-111, 117-111, 116-112), Munguia took impressive revenge for his shocking knockout defeat last December. Surace had started as the clear underdog, but was unable to deliver a surprise this time.
The professional debut of Mexican Olympic silver medalist Marco Verde (1-0, 1 knockout) also caused a stir. The 23-year-old southpaw, who shone at the welterweight games, ended his first fight in the professional ring in spectacular fashion. With a thunderous knockout in round one, he gave his compatriot Michel Galvan Polina (4-6-3, 2 knockouts) no chance. Verde fought just below the middleweight limit and showed great potential.
In the heavyweight division, British cruiserweight Richard Riakporhe (18-1, 14 knockouts) broke new ground. In his debut with the “Big Boys”, the Londoner dominated Argentinian journeyman Kevin Nicolas Espindola (9-10, 4 knockouts) and forced him to retire after four one-sided rounds. Riakporhe could become a new player in the heavyweight division with this performance.