Raphael Akpejiori vs Stephan Shaw Preview April 12th, 2025
Hard-hitting heavyweight hopefuls Stephan Shaw of Saint Louis, Missouri and Raphael Akpejiori of Nigeria are set to square off this Saturday, April 12th. The 10-rounder from Hanover, Maryland can be seen live in Probox. Akpejiori last fought in June when he stopped Alexis Garcia after six rounds while Shaw last saw action in May when he halted Jason Bergman after just 94 seconds.
Akpejiori vs Shaw Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Raphael Akpejiori +325
- Stephan Shaw -450
My Pick
Raphael Akpejiori is 34 years old and climbs through the ropes with a fine mark of 18-1 with 17 Ko’s. He measures 6-feet-8-inches tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach. He made his pro debut in 2018 following a reported amateur career of 14-1 and now fights out of Miami, Florida. He has exceptional power as 94.4 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage and because of it he’s fought just 36 rounds as a pro. Akpejiori moved to America as a teenager on a basketball scholarship and also played football and made it as far as the Miami Dolphins’ rookie training camp.
In addition, he possesses a bachelors and master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He’s gone the distance just once as a pro as Terrell Jamal Woods took him eight rounds in June, 2022. His lone loss was also a stoppage as he was halted by Arslanbek Makhmudov in the second round in 2023. Twelve of Akpejiori’s 17 Ko’s have come in the first round with four of them being second-round stoppages and the other coming after six rounds. However, he’s fought somewhat limited opposition as just six of his 19 opponents entered the ring with a winning record. When he did take a step up in class against Makhmudov things didn’t work out too well for him.
The 32-year-old Shaw boasts a record of 20-2 with 15 Ko’s and has 87 rounds worth of experience under his belt since making his pro debut in 2014. He enjoyed a fine amateur career as he made it to the 2012 National Golden Gloves quarterfinals, the 2012 National Golden Gloves semifinals and the 2013 US National PAL Championship Finals. He also won two National Silver Gloves events as a youngster.
Shaw stands 6-feet-4-inches in height with an 81-inch reach which sees him give up four inches in height and to Akpejiori. As far as power goes, Shaw is also well above average as 75 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including five of his last six. His first defeat came at the hands of Efe Ajagba by a close 10-round unanimous decision in January, 2023. He was then stopped by Joseph Goodall in six rounds in his next outing sis months later. Shaw’s biggest wins have been against Jonathan Rice, Donovan Dennis, Gregory Corbin, Joey Dawjeko, Bernardo Marquez and Rydell Booker and he fought to a six-round no-contest against Joel Caudle in 2018.
Prediction…
When Shaw turned pro big things were expected of him but they haven’t panned out that way. He possesses good power and fine skills but just hasn’t climbed the ladder in the pro ranks as many thought he would. This is a close matchup though because although Shaw has the better boxing skills, Akpejiori owns the great equalizer, which is his raw power. This fight can go either way as it could come down to who lands a heavy bomb first. If Shaw can handle Akpejiori’s power though he has the edge as he’s the better boxer. This is a tossup but I give Shaw a slight edge due to his skills.
Shaw’s chin will need to hold up.
Play Shaw -450 @ BetOnline.ag
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Raphael Akpejiori betting • Stephan Shaw betting