The undercard is complete for the July 24th pay per view event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas that is headlined by the third fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder for the WBC heavyweight championship, and it will include three more fights in the heavyweight division.
In the co-main event, two contenders will put their unbeaten record on the line as Efe Ajagba (15-0, 12 KOs) takes on Frank Sanchez (18-0, 13 KOs). Another rematch is part of the card as Adam Kownacki aims to avenge his only loss to Robert Helenius. In the opening bout of the pay per view, Jared Anderson will battle Vladimir Tereshkin.
Ajagba has been in exciting fights over the past couple of years, including his fight against Iago Kiladze in December 2019 coming back from a knockdown to win, and against former world title contender Razvan Cojanu he scored a TKO victory in the ninth round three months later. A couple months ago, he knocked out Brian Howard with a single right hand in the third round.
“I am honored to be fighting on the Fury-Wilder III PPV as the co-main event,” said Ajagba. “I have been patiently waiting for this opportunity to showcase my skills. My fans — and critics — can expect to see more jabs, head movement, footwork and power in both hands against Frank Sánchez. July 24th is going to be a special night for ‘The One and Only’ Efe Ajagba.”
Sanchez is a Cuban amateur standout that has built up a name in the professional ranks with wins over Joey Dawejko and Nagy Aguilera, plus stoppage wins over Brian Howard and Julian Fernandez. He now trains in San Diego under the tutelage of Eddy Reynoso who aims to make him a serious contender in the heavyweight division. Sanchez believes that a win over Ajagba could put him in position for a world title shot.
“I am excited to make my case as the top heavyweight title contender on the best pay-per-view card of the year,” said Sánchez. “I look forward to fighting Efe Ajagba and coming out victorious. Boxing fans want to see the best fight the best. People say Efe Ajagba is avoided, and that’s exactly why I chose to fight him. Fans can expect a great fight between two undefeated heavyweights July 24th.”
Last March in Brooklyn, Kownacki (20-1, 15 KOs) suffered the first loss of his pro career by knockout in the fourth round to Helenius. The 31-year-old from Lomza, Poland had a string of victories against the likes of Chris Arreola, Gerald Washington, and former world champion Charles Martin to become a serious contender before being beaten by Helenius. He is known for being a very active fighter in the ring, as shown in his win over Arreola where Compubox records for punches thrown and landed in the heavyweight division were broken.
“I’m very excited to be back in the ring,” said Kownacki. “The pandemic made things hard for everyone, but things are getting back to normal. Being a part of an all-heavyweight pay-per-view like this feels great, and it’s a great thing for fans of our sport. This pay-per-view will be action-packed from top to bottom. I can’t wait to get my revenge against Robert Helenius. It’s been a long year waiting for the rematch, but I’ll be getting a victory on July 24th.”
Jared Anderson (9-0, 9 KOs) was very active last year as he had five fights during that span, with a majority of those fights in the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble. This year, he defeated Kingsley Ibeh and Jeremiah Karpency to put him in position to fight the unbeaten Russian contender Vladimir Tereshkin (22-0-1, 12 KOs). Tereshkin has won 14 consecutive fights since a draw that was against Adnan Serin in 2008. His last bout was a stoppage victory over Francisco Silvens, and Tereshkin has won five of his last six bouts by knockout.