This has to be seen to be believed. And there’s an explanation, too!
Friday night’s Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 card in Minneapolis had a rare instance of a fighter winning without even throwing a punch. Seriously.
Nigerian heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba (6-0, 5 KOs) recorded what has to be the quickest win in the history of boxing, as he defeated club fighter Curtis Harper (13-6, 9 KOs) at :01 of round 1 in a scheduled six-rounder. How did that happen? Well, as you’ll see in the video below, Harper got himself disqualified when upon hearing the opening bell, decided to walk out of the ring and head back to the locker room.
First time I’ve ever seen this: heavyweight boxer Curtis Harper walks out of the ring at the opening bell for his fight against Efe Ajagba on live TV! Ajagba wins by DQ without a punch thrown #PBConFS1 pic.twitter.com/U8EH9Vaduf
— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) August 25, 2018
Bizarre doesn’t even begin to describe what happened there. What could inspire Harper to pull off such a stunt on a nationally televised card? Was he terrified of Ajagba’s power and had a change of heart? Did he have to go to the bathroom? What was Curtis Harper thinking?
Well PBC reporter Jordan Hardy was able to get Harper’s explanation, and he apparently wanted to “make a statement” about not getting proper pay.
If y’all are wondering I spoke to Harper and he said he walked out of the ring because he’s not getting paid enough to fight and that he wants respect. ??? #AjagbaHarper #PBConFS1
— Jordan Hardy (@PBCJordanHardy) August 25, 2018
There is no word on how much Harper was scheduled to make, but seeing as this is a six-rounder, it’s surely not a lot. He probably isn’t going to get paid considering what just happened. I don’t know if Harper is going to get respect out of literally walking out of a fight on live TV… but he will be a meme!