D-Day for Ajose as he takes on the Hammer

Tonight in New Hampshire, in the United States of America (early hours of Saturday in Nigeria), Nigeria’s Olusegun Ajose will step into the ring with Philadelphia native ‘Hammerin’ Hank Lundy in a 10-round junior welterweight bout.

And with so much at stake for both boxers, the bout, which will be the main event on ESPN’s ‘Friday Night Fights’, promises to be a thriller.

Ajose, up until September last year, had gone 30 professional fights without defeat, and was one of the top-rated boxers in the welterweight division.

For close to three years, up until his loss to his first professional defeat at the hands of Lucas Matthysse last September, Ajose had been the number one ranked contender for the World Boxing Council (WBC) light Welterweight crown but has been made to watch from the sideline as less illustrious fighters got undeserved shots at the world title.

Over the course of his long and tortuous wait for a title shot, the likes of Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley and Erik Morales, as well as Danny Garcia have all had the coveted belt wrapped around their waist.

The only problem however was that none of these champions from the WBC, to the World Boxing Association (WBA), right down to the International Boxing Federation (IBF) were ready to step into the ring with the explosive Nigerian.

And WBC president Jose Sulaiman didn’t help matters by refusing to sanction a bout between Ajose and Mexican-born Erik Morales back in 2011 when the WBC light welterweight title was declared vacant.

What the Mexican boss of the WBC did instead was to arrange for Morales to square up against another Mexican Pablo Cesar Cano for the vacant title, which Morales won.

But if Ajose was expecting to get a mandatory shot at the title, he was in for another thing as what the WBC boss did instead was to arrange for an ‘absurd’ elimination bout between a now disgruntled Ajose and Algerian-born French boxer Ali Chebah two weeks after the Morales-Cano bout.

Ajose, expectedly, emerged victorious after inflicting 12 rounds of punishment on Chebah, even knocking the Frenchman down twice in the third round. But he still did not get his title shot as the WBC ordered Morales to defend his title against Danny Garcia, a boxer managed by the legendary Oscar De la Hoya.

Garcia defeated Morales and thereafter, at the post-fight conference, accepted an open challenge from Ajose. De la Hoya, obviously aware his ward had no inkling of Ajose’s prowess in the ring, however quickly refused to accept the Nigerian’s challenge, preferring instead to set up a mouth-watering, money spinning title bout between his ward and Amir Khan.

The 33-year-old Ajose, thereafter, went 11 months without a competitive fight as no manager in the division wanted to get his boxer into the ring with the highly skilled Nigerian.

What happened instead was for the WBC boss to set up a bout between Ajose and Matthysse, another boxer who was feared by everyone in the division. Well, everyone except Ajose who, despite suffering his only professional defeat to date, earned the respect of the boxing world for his gritty performance against the Argentine.

"Honestly, when I faced Matthysse I was a bit rusty due to inactivity, but I'm not taking away any credit from him, he is the toughest puncher I've ever faced," said Ajose.

After the loss to Matthysse, Ajose's trainer Joe Mensah left his corner because of an illness, opening up the door for Buddy McGirt to take over. In the first bout for the new pairing, Ajose defeated Runnel Griffin by unanimous decision in April.

And tonight he will return to the ring against an opponent who will also be fighting for his career after suffering two consecutive losses.

Lundy dropped a majority decision against Raymundo Beltran last July before heading off to the Ukraine in March and falling to Viktor Postol.

"I won that fight, took most of the rounds, and [Postol] was dead tired," Lundy said. "It was not a fair decision."

And just like Ajose, Lundy will also have a new trainer in his corner after making the switch to Zaire Justice.

"He is a good trainer, whom I knew from my amateur years," said Lundy. "We've focused on gaining strength and more punch."

Both Ajose and Lundy have had their share of good victories throughout their respective careers. Lundy has recorded wins against former lightweight titlist David Diaz, via sixth-round knockout, and current titleholder Richar Abril, who Lundy defeated by split decision. Ajose, meanwhile, has defeated the likes of Nigel Wright and Colin Lynes.

Ajose enters the fight with slight advantages in height and reach, but this doesn't seem to worry ‘Hammerin’ Hank.

"Consider that Olusegun throws awkward punches from any angle, I trained with somebody that resembled him," Lundy said. "I am ready for everything."

Despite his confidence, this matchup is expected to be a difficult one for Lundy because of the aggressive Ajose's rhythm and persistent attack. Ajose also has good speed with both his hands and feet.

Lundy, on the other hand, employs a more conservative approach by looking to punish from the sides or in-and-out at close range. Ajose's longer reach will likely force the American to take some chances if he wants to remain competitive, although it could be a dangerous bet.

Lundy’s two recent losses, plus all the doubts raised about his potential in the light welterweight division, could mean extra pressure for him as a third consecutive defeat would be a mortal wound for his future aspirations.

Ajose also has a similar need for a win, but he seems to be on a more positive note after claiming victory in his last fight, and all the positive feedback he received from the Matthysse clash should help him learn from his mistakes.

It should be an entertaining fight, with Ajose expected to establish the pace of the fight with a more aggressive approach, throwing fast combinations from distance. The possible difference from his previous fights might be a more responsible use of his guard to contain Lundy's attack.

TALE OF THE RING

Olusegun Ajose         vs                    Hank Lundy

Lagos, Nigeria            City                 Philadelphia, PA

31-1, 14 KO's             Record            22-3-1, 11 KO's

140 lbs.                      Weight           139.8 lbs.