From Lagos to London: Ajagba, Itauma carry Nigeria into boxing’s elite ranks

Nigeria is celebrating a historic moment in world boxing after two fighters of Nigerian origin, Efe Ajagba and Moses Itauma, cracked The Ring magazine’s heavyweight top 10 rankings, a rare double milestone for the country.

In its latest rankings released Thursday, The Ring, the sport’s most authoritative independent rating body since 1922 , listed 30-year-old Ajagba at No. 10 and 19-year-old Itauma at No. 9, confirming both as forces to watch in the glamour division.

Ajagba, long regarded as Africa’s top heavyweight hope, has built a record of 20 victories, one loss and one draw, with 14 knockouts. His string of dominant performances, including a statement win in his last outing, has put him firmly back in contention for a world title shot.

Itauma, who fights out of Britain but is of Nigerian descent, has quickly emerged as one of boxing’s hottest prospects. Still only a teenager, he remains unbeaten with 13 professional wins, 11 by knockout, and is already the youngest fighter in The Ring’s current heavyweight top 10. His rapid rise has drawn comparisons with legends who announced themselves early on the world stage.

The heavyweight division is presently ruled by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, while Britain’s Tyson Fury leads the list of contenders. Yet the emergence of Ajagba and Itauma gives Nigeria a new foothold in the global conversation about who will dominate the next era.

For many analysts, the double recognition is a symbolic breakthrough: Ajagba representing Nigeria’s established presence, and Itauma embodying its future potential through the diaspora. Together, they highlight the country’s growing influence in a division long dominated by Americans, Europeans and a handful of Britons.

The Ring’s updated heavyweight top 10 rankings are as follows:

Champion: Oleksandr Usyk (24-0-0, 15 KOs)

1. Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs)

2. Joseph Parker (36-3-0, 24 KOs)

3. Agit Kabayel (26-0-0, 17 KOs)

4. Daniel Dubois (22-3-0, 21 KOs)

5. Filip Hrgovic (19-1-0, 14 KOs)

6. Fabio Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs)

7. Zhilei Zhang (27-3-1, 22 KOs)

8. Martin Bakole (21-2-1, 16 KOs)

9. Moses Itauma (13-0-0, 11 KOs)

10. Efe Ajagba (20-1-1, 14 KOs)