Efe Ajagba and Zhan Kossobutskiy battle it out at Hard Rock Hotel And Casino Tulsa in Catoosa, OK on Saturday, August 26. The 10-round heavyweight contest pits Nigerian contender against Kazakh southpaw. The bout serves as the co-feature on the card topped by Anderson vs Rudenko live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and live stream ESPN+. The rest of undercard action has been also announced today.
The telecast opener features Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan up against Onoriode Ehwarieme of Nigeria. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds at heavyweight.
In the main event, Toledo, Ohio-born Jared Anderson goes up against Andriy Rudenko of Ukraine. The pair squares off in the 10-round clash at heavyweight.
Tickets for the event can be purchased via TicketNetwork, TicketSmarter and Vivid Seats.
Efe Ajagba vs Zhan Kossobutskiy
Efe Ajagba (17-1, 13 KOs), a 2016 Nigerian Olympian, has solidified himself as one of the division’s fiercest punchers. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound slugger debuted as a pro in July 2017 and secured six first-round knockouts in his first eight bouts. He suffered his first defeat in October 2021 against Frank Sanchez. Following the loss, Ajagba had surgery on both his elbows, returning in August 2022 to stop Hungarian veteran Jozsef Darmos in the second round. The 29-year-old is coming off a 10-round decision win against previously unbeaten contender Stephan Shaw in January.
“This is a great test for me as I continue my quest to become Nigeria’s next heavyweight champion,” Ajagba said. “I am coming to Tulsa to score a devastating knockout and remind everyone what I’m capable of doing inside the ring.”
Zhan Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18 KOs) is a 34-year-old southpaw from Kostanay, Kazakhstan. He has only gone the distance once in his career, a six-round decision win over Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko in September 2018. In 2021, he went 3-0 with three knockouts. In 2022, he dispatched former world title challenger Johann Duhaupas in the fifth round and is coming off a third-round knockout over previously unbeaten contender Hussein Muhamed last November.
“I’m ready to make my debut in the United States against a very strong opponent, Kossobutskiy said. “I want to show that I can beat the best in the heavyweight division, and to do that, you must overcome very tough challenges. I look forward to showing the world my abilities on August 26.”
Bakhodir Jalolov vs Onoriode Ehwarieme
Jalolov (12-0, 12 KOs) represented Uzbekistan at the 2016 Olympics before turning pro in May 2018 with a third-round TKO over Hugo Trujillo. He built an 8-0 record before returning to the amateur ranks in the summer of 2021 to capture an Olympic gold medal. Jalolov then tallied four knockout wins in the paid ranks before continuing his remarkable amateur run in May with a gold medal at the 2023 World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The 29-year-old wrecking ball returns to the pro ranks following his fourth-round TKO over Curtis Harper last November.
Ehwarieme (20-2, 19 KOs) debuted as a professional with a decision win over Junior Maletino Iakopo in December 2010. He defeated his next 16 opponents by knockout, all within five rounds. He suffered his first loss against Rodney Hernandez in June 2019, but returned in December to stop Ariel Esteban Bracamonte via first-round knockout. Ehwarieme suffered a fourth-round stoppage loss against Kossobutskiy in February 2021, and he is 2-0 with two knockouts since. The 35-year-old, who represented Nigeria at the 2008 Olympics, blasted out Jeff Holcomb in only one round in February 2022.
Anderson vs Rudenko undercard
The ESPN+-streamed undercard includes some of the sports brightest up-and-coming talents.
Rising featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (8-0, 5 KOs), the latest fistic talent to come from Brownsville, Brooklyn, will fight an opponent to be named in an eight-rounder. Carrington will make his fourth 2023 appearance following an eighth-round TKO win over Luis Porozo in June.
Undefeated middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh (8-0-1, 5 KOs), grandson of Muhammad Ali, will face Sona Akale (7-1, 4 KOs) in a six-rounder. Ali Walsh will fight in Tulsa for the third time as a pro following an eight-round draw against Danny Rosenberger on the Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko undercard.
19-year-old lightweight prodigy Abdullah Mason (9-0, 8 KOs) will make his fourth appearance of 2023 in a six-round duel. Mason was considered one of the brightest U.S. amateur talents before signing with Top Rank in October 2021. The southpaw returns after a second-round TKO win over Alex de Oliveira on July 1.
In a 10-round junior lightweight tilt, Filipino Olympian Charly Suarez (15-0, 9 KOs) will put his unbeaten record on the line against hard-hitting Dominican Yohan Vasquez (25-3, 20 KOs). Suarez heads to Tulsa following a 12th-round TKO win against then-unbeaten Australian Paul Fleming on enemy turf.
Kazakh Olympian Ablaikhan Zhussupov (3-0, 2 KOs) returns in a welterweight clash scheduled for eight rounds.
Anderson vs Rudenko fight card
The current Anderson vs Rudenko fight card looks as the following:
Main card
- Jared Anderson vs. Andriy Rudenko, 10 rounds, heavyweight
- Efe Ajagba vs. Zhan Kossobutskiy, 10 rounds, heavyweight
- Bakhodir Jalolov vs. Onoriode Ehwarieme, 8 rounds, heavyweight
Undercard
- Bruce Carrington vs. TBA, 8 rounds, featherweight
- Nico Ali Walsh vs. Sona Akale, 6 rounds, middleweight
- Abdullah Mason vs. TBA, 6 rounds, lightweight
- Charly Suarez vs. Yohan Vasquez, 10 rounds, junior lightweight
- Ablaikhan Zhussupov vs. TBA, 8 rounds, welterweight
In the UK and Australia, Jared Anderson vs Andriy Rudenko airs live on Sunday, August 27.
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