Ajose, Darley Perez Shine on ShoBox

Friday night’s edition of ShoBox had a distinctly international flavor as Ajose Olusegun (left) introduced himself to American fight fans with a flourish by out-pointing the rugged Ali “The Angel” Chebah in a 12-round barnburner at junior welterweight from Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif.

A member of Nigeria’s 2000 Olympic team, Ajose (30-0, 14 KOs) has been listed as the WBC’s top contender at 140 lbs. for years. That distinction that is often meaningless but Ajose proved the exception. In fact, this fight was set up as an eliminator for the belt stripped from Tim Bradley and “won” by Mexican legend Erik Morales last month in Las Vegas. Chebah, originally from France, was similar in that he was a highly ranked veteran but lacked any wins that would ring out to U.S. fight fans.

Which puts us in the uncomfortable position of having to credit a sanctioning body for creating an attractive matchup between two unknown fighters that would have otherwise never gotten a chance to impress the televised audience. Both men came ready to fight and were able to withstand the other’s blows over a frenetic 12-rounds. The third saw Ajose score two questionable knockdowns that appeared to be more due to a lack of balance from Chebah, but he recovered to give Ajose plenty to handle in the middle rounds. The fourth in particular saw some excellent give-and-take.

Chebah (35-2, 28 KOs) is a tough fighter that tends to slap a bit; he has a good beard but not enough power to make noise at this level. Ajose, on the other hand, would be a handful for almost anyone. He can clearly take a punch and his awkward, southpaw movement would pose headaches for most fighters. He tends to dive in and out but his jerkiness and unpredictability make him very difficult to hit. His exceptional stamina and ability to both give and take for 12 rounds make him the perfect opponent for a PPV undercard.

But becoming the WBC’s mandatory challenger is no guarantee Ajose will finally get his title shot. The African seems all risk and no reward for Morales; hopefully another top junior welter like Bradley or Robert Guerrero is willing to take the test. It would be a shame to let him ride off into the sunset without ever truly showing what he can do.

2008 Colombian Olympian Darley Perez (below, left) was clinical in dispatching Mexican veteran Oscar Meza in his American debut in the co-feature. Meza’s corner correctly threw in the towel after the sixth when it became apparent the tide had turned against their man. Perez has the look of a contender and possible champion in the lightweight division.

The first five rounds saw a game Meza come forward and present an attractive target for the well-schooled boxer-punch, who responded with his left hooks and heavy shots to the body. Even after Meza had his best moment by rocking Perez in an exchange the Colombian impressed, tying up for a moment then rallying quickly and responding like a fighter to win the round. Perez has few discernible weaknesses and should be ready for a title shot within the next year.