Ajagba vs Shaw – ESPN+, Sky – Jan. 14 – 10 pm ET

January 14: Efe Ajagba-Stephan Shaw Heavyweight Showdown Tabbed as New Main Event at Turning Stone Resort Casino LIVE on ESPN – Shaw replaces Oscar Rivas, who was forced to withdraw with an injury – Click here to buy tickets!

Ajagba-Shaw & Guido Vianello-Jonnie Rice heavyweight doubleheader will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

WHEN IS AJAGBA VS. SHAW? DATE, START TIME

• Date: Friday, January 6
• Main card: 3 a.m. GMT / 10 p.m. ET
• Main event ringwalks (approx): 5 a.m. GMT / 12 a.m. ET
• The fight will take place at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona.
• US viewers can watch Ajagba vs. Shaw live on ESPN+  while in the United Kingdom, the event will be broadcast on Sky Sports.
• The main card is set to get underway at 3 a.m. GMT / 10 p.m. ET with the Ajagba vs. Shaw ringwalks scheduled for 5 a.m.

The matchups have changed, but a high-octane heavyweight doubleheader will still go down Saturday, Jan. 14, at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

In the 10-round main event, Efe “The Silent Roller” Ajagba will now take on St. Louis native Stephan “Big Shot” Shaw. Oscar Rivas was originally slated to fight Ajagba but had to withdraw with an eye injury.

Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello, who was scheduled to fight Shaw in the co-feature, will now face the upset-minded Jonnie Rice in a 10-rounder.

Ajagba-Shaw and Vianello-Rice will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ and includes a 10-round junior lightweight tilt between Adam “BluNose” Lopez and Abraham “El Super” Nova.

“Stephan Shaw stepped up and has a tough task against one of the division’s biggest punchers in Efe Ajagba,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We’re pleased that Guido will remain on the card against a formidable opponent in ­Jonnie Rice. This will be a fantastic heavyweight doubleheader at Turning Stone.”

Shaw (18-0, 13 KOs) went 3-0 with two stoppages in 2022, including a shutout eight-round decision over Rydell Booker in November. Ajagba (16-1, 13 KOs) is one of the heavyweight division’s hardest punchers and is coming off a second-round stoppage over Jozsef Darmos in August.

Vianello (10-0-1, 9 KOs), a 2016 Italian Olympian from Rome, has won three fights since a 2020 draw to Kingsley Ibeh. Rice (15-6-1, 10 KOs) has faced a host of heavyweight hopefuls, including Ajagba and Shaw. Following back-to-back losses in 2020, Rice re-energized his career with a fifth-round TKO over then-unbeaten prospect Michael Coffie in July 2021. He repeated the deed on New Year’s Day, outlasting Coffie via a 10-round unanimous decision.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, tickets priced from $49 to $89 are on sale now and can be purchased at the Turning Stone Resort Casino Box Office, charge by phone by calling 800.771.7711 or online at Ticketmaster.com.

AJAGBA VS. SHAW FIGHT CARD

(ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)

• Efe Ajagba 235 1/4 vs. Stephan Shaw 239.5
(Heavyweight — 10 Rounds)

• Guido Vianello 239 lbs vs. Jonnie Rice 274 1/4 lbs
(Heavyweight — 10 Rounds)

(ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT)

• Abraham Nova 129 lbs vs. Adam Lopez 129 lbs
(Junior Lightweight — 10 Rounds)

• Haven Brady Jr. 132 3/4 lbs vs. Ruben Cervera 130 1/4 lbs
(Lightweight— 8 Rounds)

• Bryce Mills 143 lbs vs. Margarito Hernandez 144 1/4 lbs
(Welterweight — 6/4 Rounds)

• Floyd Diaz 122 lbs vs. Edwin Rodriguez 121.5 lbs
(Junior Featherweight — 8 Rounds)

• Brian Norman Jr. 149 lbs vs. Rodrigo Damian Coria 148 1/4 lbs
(Welterweight — 8 Rounds)

• Bruce Carrington 128 lbs vs. Juan Antonio Lopez 127.5 lbs
(Featherweight — 6 Rounds)

• Dante Benjamin Jr. 174 lbs vs. Emmanueal Austin 175 lbs
(Light Heavyweight— 6 Rounds)