The date has shifted by one night from the previous projection, but all other plans remain in place for Zuffa Boxing’s first heavyweight headliner.
Efe Ajagba and Charles Martin are set to collide atop “Zuffa Boxing 03,” which is set for February 15. The original targeted date was February 14, but the decision was made for the event to become the second of three straight shows to instead air on a Sunday evening.
The heavyweight crossroads contest will stream live on Paramount+ from Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The venue hosted Zuffa’s launch show on January 23 and will also serve as the backdrop for Sunday’s “Zuffa Boxing 02” card, as well as the recently confirmed March 8 “Zuffa Boxing 04” show featuring lineal cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.
Wedged in between those cards, Ajagba, 20-1-1 (14 KOs), and Martin, 30-4-1 (27 KOs), will meet in a pivotal heavyweight clash. Ajagba is on the doorstep of a major title fight, while Martin – a former IBF titleholder – has transitioned into the role of divisional gatekeeper.
The matchup was once targeted to headline a November 2023 ESPN+ show from Stateline, Nevada. Ajagba instead faced Joseph Goodall, whom he stopped in the fourth round.
A 2016 Olympian – representing Nigeria – Ajagba was tabbed earlier last year to face Frank Sanchez in an ordered IBF title eliminator in what would have been a rematch of their October 2021 meeting won by Sanchez. The bout went to a purse bid hearing, won by Sampson Boxing.
However, Ajagba was displeased with the purse offering and declined to move forward with the fight. It cost him the chance to avenge his lone career defeat, and ultimately led to the end of his agreement with Top Rank and subsequent signing with Zuffa.
Martin previously held the IBF heavyweight title, having won the belt in January 2016. His stay was brief, as he was stopped in the second round by then-unbeaten Anthony Joshua in his first title win in April 2016.
The clash with Ajagba will mark just his 11th ring appearance in nearly 10 years that have passed since that defeat. Martin, 39, provided stiff tests for unbeaten rising heavyweights Jared Anderson and Adam Kownacki, and former title challenger Luis Ortiz along the way.
There have also been some memorable wins as well, such as his February 2020 knockout victory over former title challenger Gerald Washington.
All told, this bout will mark Martin’s first since November 24, when he earned an early knockout victory over Matthew McKinney in Redwood City, California.
