Boxing: Ajagba knocks Goodall out in Nevada

WBC silver heavyweight champion Efe Ajagba got his revenge over Joe Goodall in their rematch on Sunday (Nigerian time).

The hard-hitting Nigerian heavyweight contender stopped Australia’s Goodall in the fourth round of their 10-round main event at Tahoe Blue Event Center in Stateline, Nevada.

Referee Tony Weeks stopped their fight 50 seconds into the fourth round because Goodall had taken too many unanswered punches.

Ajagba improved his record to 19-1 and produced his 14th knockout. Brisbane’s Goodall (10-2-1, 9 KOs), who was still standing when their fight ended, lost inside the distance for the first time during his five-year pro career.

Ajagba avenged his split-decision defeat to Goodall at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Goodall came into their fight after producing his most noteworthy professional win, a sixth-round stoppage of Stephan Shaw on July 22 at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Shaw (18-2, 13 KOs) went the distance with Ajagba in his previous fight, a 10-rounder that Ajagba won by unanimous decision on January 14 in Verona, New York.

Ajagba drilled Goodall with a right hand that wobbled Goodall about 35 seconds into the fourth round. Sensing that Goodall was ready to go, Ajagba unloaded an array of power punches that made the referee step between them to spare Goodall from taking unnecessary punishment.

Ajagba has now successfully defended his WBC title for the first time as he continues to build his name in the heavyweight division.