Latest news with #BattleforAfrica
The Sun
03-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba LIVE RESULTS: Card on NOW – fight time and updates as pair meet in huge heavyweight clash
MARTIN BAKOLE and Efe Ajagba go head-to-head in a huge heavyweight bout TODAY! The pair meet on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs William Skull as the Mexican defends his WBA, WBC and WBO super-middleweight titles in Saudi Arabia. Bakole returns for the first time since he faced Joseph Parker on two days' notice back in February. Parker brutally knocked out the Congolese boxer in the second round, and now, less than three months later, he returns looking to get back to winning ways and become a serious heavyweight contender once again. 4 minutes ago By Kieran Davies Bakole looking to bounce back The Congolese contender was stopped brutally in round two by Joseph Parker in February—a fight he took on just 48 hours' notice. Despite the setback, Bakole retains his promoter's confidence. He knew what defeat to Parker would mean to his career but he is hoping with an impressive victory tonight, he can wipe that fight from the boxing world's memory. 6 minutes ago By Kieran Davies Welcome to Martin Bakole vs Efe Ajagba This one is being hyped as the 'Battle for Africa'. These two heavyweights should provide a heavy-hitting show of pure power and pain. Though it no longer serves as an IBF final eliminator due to Bakole's recent loss, this fight remains a pivotal clash between two top-15 contenders whose future relevance in the heavyweight elite depends on the outcome. A victory for either man won't guarantee a title shot, but it will open the door to fights against the likes of Kubrat Pulev, Michael Hunter, or another top 10 contender. For Bakole, this is less about opportunity and more about survival.
BBC News
07-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Du Plessis unfazed by Strickland before UFC title defence
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis maintains that he will be unaffected by anything Sean Strickland says in the lead-up to their re-match this two face off in the octagon at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday night (23:00 GMT).The outspoken Strickland has taunted Du Plessis on social media by insulting the state of his native South Africa as well as pointing out the country's high levels of crime and wealth inequality."Strickland says a lot of things about a lot of things but he doesn't know anything," Du Plessis, 31, told BBC Sport Africa."It doesn't make a difference to me."Du Plessis became South Africa's first UFC champion when he beat Strickland via a split decision at UFC 297 in January last defended his title against Nigeria-born Israel Adesanya, in what was dubbed the 'Battle for Africa', in August. But, ahead of his meeting with Strickland at the Qudos Bank Arena, Du Plessis confirmed that the tension between himself and the American is genuine."I'm not somebody that is going to make up fake beef to try and sell a fight," he said."If you treat me with respect, I will treat you with respect. Sean Strickland sells fights through the way he speaks."But if you're going to try and bully me on a mic, I will make sure you know what it feels like to be bullied."Strickland has angered Australian media with a series of inflammatory comments before the Du Plessis, who is from Welkom in Free State, has respect for his opponent."It's not that I have any hate towards him. Emotions are high. There's no place to be friendly right now," he continued."We are competitors."We can be respectful if he wants to be and if not, I can also be disrespectful. I have respect for Strickland but he is not my friend." Du Plessis needs to be 'perfect' on fight night In their first meeting in Toronto at UFC 297, Strickland had success with his jab in the early rounds and landed more strikes than Du Plessis, but the South African cut Strickland's eye in the finished strongly and the fight went to the judges' scorecards, where Du Plessis triumphed 48-47, 48-47, South African has studied footage of that meeting and modified his strategy as he looks to secure a ninth straight victory in UFC."There's a lot of familiarities, but obviously we saw the mistakes we made and we made the adjustments," he said."We saw areas where we are better than him and where we can do even better, and he saw the same with us."So we had to fix every mistake because now they know those mistakes, so they are going to try to exploit that."With this fight camp, what we worked on is everything that I did to do it better, quicker and more precise, more accurate."I can't make small mistakes. The margin for error will be even smaller, so I need to be perfect on fight night." Extra effort to stay at the top By becoming his country's first UFC champion, Du Plessis has become one of the most recognisable and prominent sports figures in South has been viewed as a symbol of national pride given he opted to remain based in his homeland despite the fact it remains a developing territory in Du Plessis has become a polarising figure for some of his world views, including a show of support for United States President Donald Trump ahead of his fight against Du Plessis retains a hunger to remain at the top of his profession and is aware he has to set standards for others to follow."Ever since becoming world champion, I've had to prove that I'm the world champion to everybody that trains around me and work harder than every single person because I have to be the example of what it takes to be the best in the world," he said."The sacrifices needed to be made to be the best in the world [have] been tremendous, and it hasn't changed. To get to the top is one thing, to stay at the top is the exact same thing."You have to put in all that work. I've been loving every single moment of it."
