Italian, Guido Vianello, believes he should have been awarded the win in his recent fight against Nigerian rival Efe Ajagba.
Both fighters have sparred themselves in the past and Vianello was in Ajagba’s camp ahead of his win over Kazakh’s Zhan Kossobutskiy.
Ajagba retained his WBC Silver Heavyweight title after he was declared winner by a split decision over fellow 2016 Olympian, Vianello. The decision, however, didn’t sit well with the Italian.
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Vianello, who previously sparred with Ajagba and even helped him prepare for a past victory, feels he landed the more damaging punches during the bout. While acknowledging room for improvement in the middle rounds, Vianello expressed confidence in his performance and vowed to learn from the experience.
“I hurt Efe, but he didn’t hurt me,” Vianello told ASN Sports TV. “I think I won the fight.”
The close fight saw Vianello wobble Ajagba with a flurry of punches in the second round.
Despite the loss, Vianello remains optimistic about his future. He plans to return to training soon and believes he can overcome any obstacle. This defeat marks only the second blemish on Vianello’s professional record, with his previous loss coming in 2023.
Meanwhile, Ajagba extends his winning streak to five fights, bouncing back from his sole professional loss to Cuban fighter Frank Sanchez in 2021.
