Nigerian heavyweight Efe Ajagba hopes to take a giant leap towards a title opportunity when faces upset-minded Australian Joe Goodall in the 10-round main event Saturday, Nov. 4 at Tahoe Blue Event Center in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. This will be the first boxing event at the venue, which opened earlier this month.
Ajagba and Goodall fought as amateurs, with Goodall earning a decision in the semifinals of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
In the 10-round lightweight co-feature, Raymond “Danger” Muratalla
Ajagba-Goodall and Muratalla-Torres headline a loaded bill streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.
“Efe Ajagba is an elite heavyweight who could challenge for a world title soon, but he has a tall order against Joe Goodall. This will be a sensational card, as we also have emerging lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla against a tough Diego Torres,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We are privileged to promote the first boxing event at Tahoe Blue Event Center, a spectacular new venue.”
“After his thrilling win in July, I’m happy to get Joe a fight of this magnitude,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. "Joe beat Efe in the amateurs. Sometimes, fate works in your favor. This will be a sensational fight between two knockout punchers. The fans are the big winners."
Ajagba (18-1, 13 KOs), a 2016 Olympian, is one of the division’s fiercest punchers. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound slugger debuted in the paid ranks in July 2017 and notched six first-round knockouts in his first eight fights. He suffered his first defeat in October 2021 against Frank Sanchez. Following the loss, Ajagba had surgery on both his elbows and returned in August 2022 to stop Hungarian veteran Jozsef Darmos in the second round. The 29-year-old will make his third appearance of 2023, following a decision win over Stephan Shaw in January and a disqualification victory against Zhan Kossobutskiy in August.
“This is a great opportunity for me to close out the year with a big victory and move closer to a world title opportunity,” Ajagba said. “Goodall is a big, powerful heavyweight, but I am confident in my preparation, and I will do what it takes to be victorious.”
Goodall (10-1-1, 9 KOs), a 31-year-old Australia native, made his pro debut in 2018. He stopped five of his first six opponents before fighting to a majority draw against Christian Ndzie Tsoye in August 2018. He made his U.S. debut with a first-round knockout against Matt McKinney in March 2022. In his next fight, Goodall suffered a decision loss against unbeaten compatriot Justis Huni. He bounced back last September with a third-round drubbing over Arsene Fosso. In his last outing, he scored his most impressive victory yet, a sixth-round TKO against Stephan Shaw in July on a Top Rank on ESPN bill in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Goodall said, "Efe Ajagba is a world-class boxer and a huge challenge for me. This is an opportunity, though, for me to come to America and show the world what I am capable of. It’s a massive show and I’m genuinely honored to be a part of it. When I signed with DiBella Entertainment, I told Lou that I only wanted the big fights. I want to put myself into a position to fight for a world title, and I believe beating Efe will do that.”
Muratalla (18-0, 15 KOs) made his pro debut in 2016 in Mexico, and two years later he debuted in the U.S. The 26-year-old has stopped 12 of his last 13 opponents. In March, he survived a first-round knockdown to stop Humberto Galindo with a body shot in round nine. In May, he opened the Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko pay-per-view broadcast by handing Jeremia Nakathila his first stoppage loss. Muratalla was initially scheduled to fight Torres in August, but a training injury forced him to postpone the bout.
Muratalla said, “We were supposed to fight in August, but unfortunately, injuries happen. I am 100 percent healthy and ready to put on a show against a tough, undefeated fighter like Torres. I believe I am the future of the lightweight division, and I look forward to showing that on November 4.”
Torres (18-0, 17 KOs) is a 26-year-old powerhouse from Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. The oldest of four boxing brothers, he began his pro career in 2019 and unleashed a streak of 13 knockout victories. In February 2022, he took on fellow Zapopon native Jonathan Escobedo Martinez, going the 10-round distance for the first time in an all-action slugfest. Torres is 4-0 with four knockouts since the Martinez war. He kicked off the year with a fifth-round TKO against Jose Segura Torres in March, an outcome he repeated in a stay-busy win against Julio Barraza earlier this month.
Torres said, “I am very excited that this fight is back on schedule. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to face another unbeaten fighter. I am going to show that I was born for this and that I’m going to do great things in this sport. I’m coming with everything.”
The undercard will feature the Top Rank debut of heavyweight prospect Brandon Moore as well as an all-undefeated junior lightweight showdown between Henry Lebron and William Foster III.
Moore (12-0, 8 KOs) will take on Robert Simms (12-3-1, 3 KOs) in an eight-round fight. The Florida native fought six times in 2021, including a fourth-round stoppage over Mexican veteran Elvis Garcia and a six-round decision over renowned journeyman Terrell Jamal Woods. He returned from a nearly 15-month layoff in June to knock out Elijah McCall, son of former heavyweight world champion Oliver McCall, in the second round. Simms is coming off an eight-round unanimous decision win against then-unbeaten James McKenzie Morrison last October.
Lebron (18-0, 10 KOs) and Foster (16-0, 10 KOs) will collide in a 10-round junior welterweight clash. Lebron scored three impressive wins in 2022, a seventh-round TKO victory against Josec Ruiz and decision wins over Luis Lebron and Andy Vences. Lebron, from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, went 10 rounds for the first time in his last outing, toppling Carlos Ramos by decision in June. Foster also had an exceptional 2022, as he tallied decision victories over then-undefeated Dominican Edwin De Los Santos and Philadelphia-born veteran Avery Sparrow. He heads into this fight following a ninth-round TKO over Misael Lopez earlier this month.
Heavyweight Antonio “El Gigante” Mireles (8-0, 7 KOs) will see action in a six-round battle against an opponent to be named. The 6-foot-9, 265-pound southpaw is coming off a hard-earned TKO win over Dajuan Calloway in August.
Rising Puerto Rican junior welterweight Omar Rosario (11-0, 3 KOs) returns to the ring in an eight-round tilt against Angel Rebollar (7-3, 3 KOs). Rosario heads into this contest following an eight-round decision win against Jan Carlos Rivera in June.
Unbeaten Mexican Olympian Lindolfo Delgado (18-0, 13 KOs) makes his third appearance of 2023 in an eight-round junior welterweight fight against Luis Hernandez Ramos (23-3, 20 KOs).
Former Team USA amateur standout Charlie Sheehy (7-0, 5 KOs) steps up against Jesus Vasquez (10-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round lightweight fight. Sheehy was last seen handing Kaylyn Alfred a one-punch TKO in July.
Undefeated middleweight Javier "Milwaukee Made" Martinez (8-0-1, 2 KOs) will take on Isaiah Wise (11-2-2, 6 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
Reno-born lightweight Christian Avalos (0-1-2) will make a home region appearance in a four-rounder.
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