The heavyweights boxed instead of brawled, and Efe Ajagba closed the show strong. Ajagba edged the previously unbeaten Stephan Shaw by 10-round unanimous decision (96-94, 96-94 and 96-94) on Saturday evening at Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Ajagba (17-1, 13 KOs) won his second straight bout since a 2021 decision defeat to Frank Sanchez, which took place on the undercard of the Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy card.

He had surgeries on both elbows after that fight and has re-established himself as a contender to watch. Shaw (18-1, 13 KOs) was ahead 58-56 on all three judges' cards after the sixth but was outlanded 62-37 in the last four rounds.

In a battle of jabs, Ajagba landed his with more frequency (90-48).

“I went back to the corner and they told me to let my hands go, keep throwing punches, my jab. I controlled the fight, so that’s how I won the fight," Ajagba said.

“He tried to land the big shots. I watched him to see what he was going to do. He kept throwing the jab, using the jab more.”

Ajagba is now in the mix for potential fights against two highly rated contenders from the UK - WBA "regular" champion Daniel Dubois and WBO interim-champion Joe Joyce. Top Rank, who promote Ajagba, have a close relationship with veteran promoter Frank Warren, who guides the careers of Dubois and Joyce.