Efe Ajagba vs Guido Vianello Preview April 13th, 2024
Hard-hitting heavyweight prospects Efe Ajagba of Nigeria and Guido Vianello of Rome, Italy meet in Corpus Christ, Texas for a 10-round battle this Saturday, April 13th. The fight can be seen live in America on ESPN+ while those in the UK and Ireland can see it on Sky Sports Action. Ajagba last fought in November when he stopped Joseph Goodall in the fourth round. In his previous bout three months earlier he defeated Zhan Kossobutskiy in the fourth round when his opponent was disqualified for continuously hitting Ajagba below the belt. Vianello was last in action in February when he stopped Moses Johnson in the first round.
Ajagba vs Vianello Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Guido Vianello +500
- Efe Ajagba -800
My Pick
The 29-year-old Ajagba is a bright prospect who now fights out of Stafford, Texas and climbs through the ropes with a fine mark of 19-1 with 14 Ko’s. He’s obviously got good power in his fists as 73.7 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage. He also has plenty of size as he stands 6-feet-6-inches tall with an 85-inch reach. Ajagba enjoyed a successful amateur career and made it to the quarterfinal of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in the super heavyweight division. He also won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014.
Ajagba turned pro in 2017 a year after the Olympics and has been pretty busy ever since. He’s fought 20 times but has boxed only 83 pro rounds due to his power. He’s been the distance just four times as Ali Eren Demirezen took him 10 rounds in July, 2019, Jonathan Rice went 10 rounds in 2020, Frank Sanchez beat him via a 10-round unanimous decision in 2021 for his only pro defeat and Stephan Shaw went 10 rounds in January, 2023. The loss to Sanchez was for the WBC Continental Americas, and WBO NABO Heavyweight Titles.
The only other man Ajagba failed to stop was Curtis Harper in 2018 when Harper was disqualified after walking out of the ring before the opening bell, giving Ajagba two wins by DQ so far. Ajagba’s other opponents have included Michael Wallisch, Iago Kiladze, Jonathan Rice, Brian Howard, Razvan Cojanu and Amir Mansour. He hasn’t fought many elite-level opponents but at least each of Ajagba’s foes entered the ring with a winning record. His chin hasn’t really been tested but it should be noted that Kiladze decked him in the third round in 2019 before Ajagba stopped him in the fifth and Sanchez scored a flash knockdown in the seventh round, so the jury’s still out on how well he can take a punch.
As for the hard-hitting Vianello, he’s also 29 years old and carries around a record of 12-1-1 with 10 Ko’s and has banked just 47 rounds since making his pro debut in 2018. Before that he also enjoyed a fine amateur career which saw him compete in the World Series of Boxing. He won a silver medal at the 2014 European Championships and competed at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil where he was defeated by Lenier Pero in his opening match as a super-heavyweight. He measures 6-feet-6-inches tall with a 79-inch reach and gives up six inches in reach to Ajagba.
Vianello, who fights out of Las Vegas, also possesses excellent power as 83.3 per cent of his wins have been by stoppage but he’s stopped just one opponent in his last four outings. His lone loss came at the hands of Jonathan Rice in an upset in January, 2023 when he was halted in the seventh round due to a cut eye from a punch. His only draw was a six-round affair with Kingsley Ibeh in 2020. Vianello also has wins over Curtis Harper, Rafael Rios, Marlon Williams and Colby Madison and will be taking a step up in class against Ajagba this weekend.
Prediction…
Ajagba seems to have all the tools to become a legitimate heavyweight contender, but doesn’t use them often enough during a fight. He looked lethargic against Frank Sanchez and often doesn’t let his hands go as he shows no urgency. He seemed to have learned his lesson in that fight though as he’s looked much better in his four bouts since that loss. If Ajagba stays busy each round I think he can leave the ring with a win but he obviously needs to be wary of Vianello’s power and his chin will have to hold out. This is a very good matchup and it could easily end with just one punch. I’m leaning toward Ajagba though as he’s faced stiffer opposition as a pro.
This is a close call with Ajagba having a slight edge in power and skills.
Play Ajagba -800 @ BetOnline.ag
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Efe Ajagba betting • Guido Vianello betting