Fellow 2016 Olympians Efe Ajagba and Guido Vianello square off on Saturday, April 13 at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The 10-round heavyweight bout serves as the co-feature on the card topped by Jared Anderson vs Ryad Merhy.
Stafford, Texas-based Efe Ajagba (19-1, 14 KOs) makes his first ring appearance for the year. The Ughelli, Nigeria 29-year-old promises a different performance in the fight against his old sparing partner from Italy.
“We know each other well,” Efe Ajagba said at the pre-fight press conference. “We’ve sparred each other. So, we know each other a lot. We have Olympic backgrounds, so that’s how it happened.”
“I want to see what he brings to the table. We sparred. But that’s sparring. That’s different from an actual fight. He thinks that I’m going to fight like how I sparred. But it’s not going to be like that. This fight means a lot because it is a stepping stone.”
Las Vegas-based Guido Vianello (12-1-1, 10 KOs) goes through the ropes for the second time this year. The 29-year-old native of Rome, Italy says he is happy and experiences no pressure.
“We know each other,” Guido Vianello said. “We are two aggressive fighters in the ring, I can’t wait to fight. I can’t wait to see what happens in there.”
“I expect a good fight. This is a great opportunity. I’m really happy. The happiness is the strongest power I have. So, let’s see who is the best and fight.”
“I have zero pressure because I always just think about me. I’m happy because Top Rank has a lot of heavyweights. This is good for us because we can make a lot of good fights.”
In the main event, unbeaten Toledo native Jared Anderson (16-0, 15 KOs) goes up against Ivorian-born Belgian former world champion Ryad Merhy (32-2, 26 KOs). The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds at heavyweight.
In the main card opener, former world title challenger Robson Conceicao (17-2-1, 8 KOs) of Brazil takes on Jose Ivan Guardado Ortiz (15-1-1, 5 KOs) of Mexico. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds at super featherweight.