Curtis Harper Leaves Ring Before Efe Ajagba Fight Amid Reported Contract Dispute

Heavyweight boxer Efe Ajagba earned the easiest win of his career Friday night when Curtis Harper walked out of the ring when the bell rang to start the fight.

Premier Boxing Champions shared the video from the scene of Harper departing the ring:

Per Patrick Reusse of 1500 ESPN in Minnesota, Harper wanted to see the contract for the fight. Bobby Brunette of the Minnesota Boxing Commission told Harper he (Harper) had already signed the contract and it was filed, but Harper remained steadfast in his refusal to fight. 

Harper told Jordan Hardy of PremiereBoxingChampions.com he "wasn't getting paid enough" and he wanted to be shown respect. 

Ajagba was officially declared the winner by disqualification and improved his record to 6-0.

In an interview in his dressing room after the incident (h/t BoxingScene.com's Francisco A. Salazar), Harper said he "wanted to make a statement" because he felt he wasn't being paid enough to fight Ajagba.

Per Reusse, Harper could be suspended.

The 30-year-old Harper has a 13-6 career record following Friday's loss. He had won six of his previous eight fights.