GRADES: EFE AJAGBA, STEPHAN SHAW, ABRAHAM NOVA, ADAM LOPEZ & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

It wasn't the busiest of weekends, and there weren't many fights one might care to relive, truth be told.

We had two rather odd Heavyweight clashes in Verona, New York, with Jonnie Rice landing (and only needing to land) one meaningful punch to defeat previously-unbeaten Guido Vianello. Then, in the main event, we had power-punching Efe Ajagba defeat the boxer in Stephan Shaw in a battle of the jabs.

The highlight of the week was the Jr. Lightweight clash between Abraham Nova and Adam Lopez during the prelims to Ajagba-Shaw, which was a fun fight that packed almost all of the night's action.

So, these are out fights. Let's get in there and hand out these grades.

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‍EFE AJAGBA: B-

RESULT: DEF. STEPHAN SHAW, 10UD (Heavyweight)

Coming up in the rankings, Ajagba looked like an exciting puncher, but perhaps limited in his overall abilities. Against Stephan Shaw, we managed to see a few more wrinkles.

Ajagba was able to showcase a decent jab, used his reach, and seized the moment when in against a timid opponent that seemed to be falling into something of a defensive shell.

However, Ajagba still feels like a fighter struggling to put all of it together.

While he was able to box a bit more, he failed to allow those skills to lead to that destructive power that has created highlight reel knockouts in the past. That isn't to say every fight has to end by stoppage, but is to say you would hope Efe was able to go through the gears a bit more.

Again, it wasn't a terrible performance. But when a fighter has the power Ajagba possesses, and the crowd is virtually never on the edge of their seat, it isn't exactly a breath-taking performance.

STEPHAN SHAW: D+

RESULT: LOSS TO EFE AJAGBA, 10UD (Heavyweight)

For Shaw, his encounter with Ajagba was really a tale of two fights.

In the beginning, the American seemed to be making it more his fight, keeping the pace slow, and winning the battle of the jabs. There wasn't much action, but it was a winnable fight for Shaw.

The problem was that he failed to make any adjustments the moment Ajagba opted to get busy. Efe wasn't even ultra effective, he was just busier. And that subtle shift seemed too tall a mountain for Shaw to climb.

He wouldn't let his hands go, he wouldn't step forward with enough conviction, and he failed to step on the gas down the stretch when he needed just a few rounds to likely earn a decision.

Having picked Shaw to win, I was rather confident he could get the job done. The biggest area of concern was whether Shaw would be willing to commit when needed.

He wasn't.

JONNIE RICE: C

RESULT: DEF. GUIDO VIANELLO, 7TKO (Heavyweight)

Truth be told, it's hard to give Rice much credit for this victory. It should be noted that it was correctly ruled a win for Rice, and we as boxing fans should be happy that officials involved inevitably ruled correctly when they declared the cut over Vianello's eye that stopped the fight was from a punch and not a head clash.

That said, this isn't exactly the best win of Rice's career.

Prior to the blow that caused the nasty gash, Rice was losing just about every second of every round to the previoualy-undefeated Italian. It was a relatively lifeless performance. In some ways, you could argue Rice won despite his tactics much more than because of them.

Still, in boxing, one shot can change the outcome, and that one shot did just that for Rice.

It wasn't great, but the underdog pulled off the win in the end. And that matters.

GUIDO VIANELLO: B-

RESULT: LOSS TO JONNIE RICE, 7TKO (Heavyweight)

This is one of those rare situations where I feel the defeated fighter did better than the winner.

In truth, outside of a few decent shots here and there, nothing much of note occurred in this contest. However, up until that sixth round when the cut over Vianello's eye opened up, Guido was the only one that seemed interested in making something happen. He definitely took the lead.

Whether the fight was stopped or not, Vianello still showed some promise, but some areas where he will need to improve. For example, he can still get hit with big right hands that can open up cuts over his eye.

Hopefully, a rematch can be put in place to give us more clarity between the pair and settle things in a more finite matter.

ABRAHAM NOVA: A-

RESULT: ADAM LOPEZ, 10UD (Jr. Lightweight)

It can't be easy coming back from your first career defeat, especially if said defeat involves being knocked out cold by Robeisy Ramirez. However, to Nova's credit, he came back confidently after the June defeat.

For most of his encounter with Adam Lopez, Nova showed more skill, was able to land the better shots, and seemed to have shaken any potential doubts that might have originally been there due to his most recent outing. He boxed a bit, set up his shots, and showed he still has the pop needed to contend at 130 pounds.

Does Nova get hit clean a bit too often? Yes. Is he a bit too willing to exchange when, perhaps when in against better opposition, it might not suit him? Yes. Still, considering this was the first test on the comeback trail, you can't be too displeased with this performance.

ADAM LOPEZ: B-

RESULT: LOSS TO ABRAHAM NOVA, 10UD (Jr. Lightweight)

Lets be realistic here. Lopez is a tough kid they brought in to push Nova just enough, but ultimately fall short. Well, he might have pushed a little harder than many expected.

Lopez was dropped hard in the fifth, stunned again in the sixth, and almost dropped right at the end of the tenth. But it wasn't because he was hopelessly overmatched and getting run over. It was because he was overmatched and was trying to fight through it anyway.

Thats what we ask of fighters, particularly ones that seem to be on their way to a loss. Why not go for it? Naturally, that's easier said than done. Which is why you have to credit a fighter that fought just about the best they could under the circumstances, and was willing to take those risks for victory.

While he fell short, his stock rose, and I don't anyone minds watching Lopez in another meaningful fight down the road.

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