All posts by Chris Blain

Joseph Parker vs. Hughie Fury: Which Undefeated Fighter Will Finally Lose?

Sports News & Picks, , , , , ,

Joseph Parker defends his WBO Heavyweight title against mandatory challenger Hughie Fury at the Manchester Arena in England on September 23rd, 2017.

Battle of Unbeaten Heavyweights

This is a battle between two young, up and coming unbeaten heavyweights. Parker boasts a record of 23-0 with 18 KOs while Fury is 20-0 with 10 KOs. These two were first booked to fight last April but the fight was moved to May after Fury was reluctant to travel to New Zealand. The May affair bombed out after Fury pulled out with a back injury.

Finally, the two agreed on a September date in England, with Parker making the second defense of the WBO title he won against Andy Ruiz in December of 2016. Fury will be fighting in a world title bout for the first time in his career and he surely is glad it will be in England and not in Auckland.

A 50-50 Fight?

The champion Joseph Parker is the favorite here at – 125 while the challenger Fury is close by at -105 at Bovada. A lot of people (including British heavyweight David Haye) believe this is a 50-50 fight, but we disagree. Parker is the much better boxer between these two gentlemen and he is more battle tested, having faced better opposition.

The Kiwi has passed all tests thrown in front of him and he’s done so with flying colors. He isn’t hard to counter, that’s a weakness, but considering he withstood heavy hitters like Andy Ruiz Jr. and Carlos Takam proves that he has a solid chin.

On the other hand, Hughie Fury will be fighting only for the third time since 2013 and the first time this year. He hasn’t really faced world class competition before so this is definitely his biggest test to date. The big question for Fury is whether his chin will hold up against world level quality. If he does, this could be the 50-50 fight that some are calling it.

Parker’s consistency

But even then, surviving Joseph Parker’s power is one thing, but beating him is another. Parker has fought consistently, taking at least three bouts every year. His level of competition has grown with each fight and he’s beaten every man put in front of him. In fact, Parker has knocked out 9 of his last 11 opponents.

Parker has fought mostly in New Zealand and this will be his first bout in England. Fury will have the crowd behind him but he’ll need more than crowd support to unseat the champion. Overall, Parker’s just better. He’s going to remain undefeated and keep his belt. We’re picking Joseph Parker to win this fight.

Billie Joe Saunders vs. Willie Monroe Odds and Prediction

Sports News & Picks,

WBO middleweight champion Billie Joe Saunders defends his world title against American challenger Willie Monroe on September 16th, 2017 at the Copper Box Arena in London, England.

Same Date

Coincidentally (or not ?), this fight happens on the same day Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin dispute majority of boxing’s middleweight belts in Las Vegas, Nevada. Saunders wants a piece of the winner of that bout and if he wants to get noticed, he will have to put on a solid performance against Monroe.

Saunders won the WBO belt in 2015 after defeating Andy Lee via majority decision at London’s Manchester Arena. He has defended the belt only once, defeating Artur Akavov in an unimpressive decision in Scotland last December.

Second Try

This marks Willie Monroe’s second attempt at winning a world title. The 30-year old American southpaw was knocked in six rounds out by Gennady Golovkin during his first crack at the middleweight crown in May of 2015. Since that defeat, Monroe has won back to back fights, decisioning John Thompson and Gabriel Rosado in his two fights last year.

By the time Monroe fights Saunders, it will be exactly one year since his last fight. Saunders himself is coming off a long layoff. And it will be interesting to see who is in better shape. With the winner possibly facing the Canelo-GGG winner, both men are expected to go all out for the victory.

Odds and Prediction

Saunders is currently the favorite at -260 at Bovada and Monroe the underdog at +200. Monroe has the quickness, athleticism and southpaw stance can make it difficult for Saunders to find his comfort zone. The American is known  for his defense and outstanding ability to counter punch but he also has good lateral movement and an outstanding chin. Remember he’s only been dropped once in his career and that was courtesy of Gennady Golovkin. The only drawback on Monroe is his lack of punching power as he has not recorded a knockout since 2013.

Saunders meanwhile is the better all-around fighter between the two. He also has the clear advantage in terms of punching power. Given his skillset and his opponent’s lack of power, Saunders should be able to walk Monroe and wear him down with body shots. Again, Monroe will make a good match out of this but in the end, the better and more powerful puncher should take this fight. We’re not writing off Monroe because of his athletic ability but given that this is his first fight outside the United States, he’ll likely fall against Saunders.

We’re picking Billie Joe Saunders to win this fight by decision or late stoppage.

UFC 215: Neil Magny vs. Rafael Dos Anjos Odds and Prediction

Sports News & Picks, , , , , , ,

Rafael Dos Anjos is looking to win his second consecutive fight in his new weight class. The former UFC lightweight king will face veteran welterweight Neil Magny in the main card of UFC 215 on September 9th, 2017 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

New Weight Class

After winning his welterweight debut, Rafael Dos Anjos looks to move up the 170-pound ladder by challenging the promotion’s 6th ranked welterweight in Neil Magny. Dos Anjos moved up in weight after back to back losses to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson. Alvarez made a successful 170-pound debut when he defeated Tarec Saffiedine last June.

Neil Magny saw his three fight winning streak end with a knockout loss to Lorenz Larkin at UFC 202. He rebounded with a solid unanimous decision win over an overweight former champion in Johny Hendricks at UFC 207. With a title shot in his sights, Magny looks to beat another former UFC champion in his second consecutive bout as he faces Dos Anjos in Canada.

The Odds

The former lightweight champ Dos Anjos is the favorite here at -200 at Bovada, while the American Magny is the underdog at +160. This is a very interesting fight to call, really. Dos Anjos will only be fighting for the second time as a welterweight. And coming from lightweight, Dos Anjos really looks physically handicapped in this matchup.

Not only does Magny have a massive seven inch advantage in height, he also has a huge ten inch reach advantage over Rafael Dos Anjos. Magny has used his length to average 4.04 significant strikes landed per minute at an impressive 50% accuracy. That’s going to be a problem for a pressure fighter like Dos Anjos who likes to push the pace against his opponents.

Bigger Man Wins

We’ve seen Neil Magny struggle against pressure fighters before and such was the case in his most recent loss to Lorenz Larkin. But Magny has been a welterweight ever since and he’s used to facing bigger men with bigger punches. He’s beaten heavy hitters like Johny Hendricks, Kelvin Gastelum and Hector Lombard in the past two years so you know he’s no fluke. Dos Anjos lands plenty of strikes but he isn’t a knockout artist, not even at lightweight.

Dos Anjos is good, but he’s giving up too much in size here. Magny is going to have his hands full defending RDA’s strikes but the bigger man will prevail. We’re picking Neil Magny to pick up another decision win. If he gets on top of Dos Anjos more than once in this fight, he could win by ground and pound stoppage too.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin: Who will Reign Supreme?

Sports News & Picks, , , , , ,

Mexico’s Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will face Kazakhstan’s Gennady ‘Triple G’ Golovkin for the unified boxing middleweight titles on September 16th, 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The superfight has been billed as ‘Supremacy’ as the winner will walk away with all but two of the major middleweight belts available. Golovkin is the current unified WBA (Super), WBC, IBF and IBO middleweight champion, while Alvarez is both the Ring and lineal middleweight title holder.

After the big McGregor vs. Mayweather fight stole the show in August, all eyes will be on this bout come September.

Mexican Superstar

Alvarez is Mexico’s biggest boxing superstar and the flagship fighter of Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. The 27-year old Guadalajara native sports an impressive record of 49-1-1 with 34 knockouts, with his only loss coming at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Alvarez is a two-division champion, having held the 154-pound title twice.

Alvarez used to be known as the catchweight king after having fought a series of bouts at a catchweight of 155 pounds. The weight was even dubbed as ‘canelo-weight’ in reference to the obvious. But after Alvarez fought Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at a catchweight of 165 pounds at this year’s Cinco de Mayo Weekend, he agreed to fight Golovkin at the middleweight limit of 160.

Kazakh Destroyer

Golovkin is the Kazakh destroyer also known as the god of war. Triple G is unbeaten in 37 bouts and has 33 knockouts. His 89.8% knockout rate is the highest in middleweight championship history. Golovkin knocked out an impressive 23 straight opponents from 2008-2017 to gain the reputation as one of the sport’s most feared punchers. He had been eyeing Alvarez for two years now and with Canelo finally doing away with the catchweight, the true super fight is finally happening.

Odds and Prediction

This one could go either way, really, and could be a tough spot to make money betting on boxing. Golovkin is currently the slight favorite at -170 and Canelo the underdog at +150.

Golovkin has never been knocked down either in the amateurs or in the pros. But while he has an iron chin, he is not hard to hit. Golovkin loves to bait his opponents by taking clean punches from his opponents in order to land his haymakers. No problem there, because as we said, his jaw is granite.

But against an excellent counter puncher like Canelo Alvarez who can work the body as well as the head, Golovkin’s 35-year old body could wear out. And even if it doesn’t, Alvarez will feast on him with a lot of scoring punches. Canelo also has better movement and defense to avoid Golovkin’s big shots.

This is going to be a real super fight, far better than Mayweather-Pacquiao. It will be Golovkin’s power versus Canelo’s finesse. Unless Golovkin shows better defense, Alvarez should score all night on him. GGG will find it hard to knock out a moving boxer like Canelo. Both will have their share of highlights in this bout but in the end, the better boxer should win.

We’re picking Canelo Alvarez to come out victorious via decision. It could be close, though.

MMA Predictions: Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko Odds and Preview

Sports News & Picks, , , , , , , , , ,

Amanda ‘The Lioness’ Nunes defends the UFC women’s bantamweight title against Valentina ‘The Bullet’ Shevchenko at UFC 215 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada on September 9th, 2017.

Keep our Fingers Crossed

The rematch between these two bantamweights is finally happening. But still, let’s keep our fingers crossed.

These two were supposed to headline UFC 213 last month but after making weight, Amanda Nunes inexplicably pulled out of the fight after she ‘fell ill’ and despite being cleared by UFC doctors to fight. And despite criticisms, she wasn’t stripped of her belt and the fight was rebooked to UFC 215.

Nunes beat Shevchenko by unanimous decision during their first meeting at UFC 196. But during that fight, Shevchenko finished strong and exposed a lot of holes in Nunes’ game. Nunes went on to become world champion and Shevchenko rose from the ranks by beating the likes of Holly Holm and Julianna Pena.

Lines Have Changed

Nunes opened as a -125 favorite against Shevchenko’s +105 when this rematch was first scheduled for UFC 213. This time around, the lines have changed and it’s Valentina Shevchenko at -125 and Amanda Nunes at +105.

No doubt this is going to be another dogfight between these two strikers. Amanda Nunes is a fantastic finisher with her fists, having stopped 13 of 14 opponents. But the one opponent she couldn’t finish was, well, Valentina Shevchenko.  During their first fight, Nunes started out fast but lost steam in the end. She walked away with the victory but not after getting pummeled by the Bullet.

Mental Edge

Shevchenko may not have Nunes’ power but she has the more diversified attack, thanks to her Muay Thai background. Shevchenko is patient and calculated and she has the counter striking skills to frustrate Nunes. Nunes has the edge in power and athleticism here. But when it comes to skill, technique and more importantly cardio, it’s Shevchenko.

You got to wonder why Nunes pulled from UFC 213 when she was cleared by the doctors. Well, she said she felt ill. But if she was, then why was she cleared to fight? Something tells me Nunes is sick with Valentina-itis. The Bullet is inside her mind. That mental edge could be a big factor in this fight. So will be Valentina’s cardio, skill level and counter striking. We’re picking Shevchenko to become the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion.

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Marco Huck: Can Huck Win The WBO Title Again?

Sports News & Picks, , , , ,

Oleksandr Usyk defends his WBO cruiserweight title against Marco Huck in the cruiserweight quarterfinals of the World Boxing Super Series. The fight will be held at the Max Schmeling Halle in Berlin, Germany.

World Boxing Super Series

The World Boxing Super Series is the first major boxing tournament since the Super Six World Boxing Classic of 2009. It’s a joint venture by Sauerland Promotions and former Golden Boy President Richard Schaeffer. The tournament has two weight classes: super middleweight and cruiserweight.

In the cruiserweight division, Oleksandr Usyk is among the four champion in the tournament. The winner of Usyk vs Huck will go on to face the winner of the WBC title bout between champion Mairis Briedis and challenger Mike Perez in the semifinals.

WBO champions

Usyk is unbeaten in 12 professional bouts and has 10 wins via knockout. He won the WBO belt in his 10th bout and after defeating  Krzysztof Głowacki in 2016. Usyk has defended the title twice and is coming off a decision win over Michael Hunter last April.

Marco Huck is the second longest reigning cruiserweight title of all-time, making 13 defenses of the WBO title from 2009-2015 before losing it to Glowacki. Huck is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision loss to WBC champion Mairis Briedis and is looking to win another world title. He faces a daunting task against the formidable Ukrainian.

Odds and Prediction

Usyk is a heavy -3500 favorite to defeat Huck who is currently at +1200 at Bovada. As far as names are concerned, this sounds like a marquee match-up. This is boxing though and Usyk has so many advantages against his opponent. Usyk is younger and bigger than Huck. He also has better movement and more punching power. He may also be too quick for the slow German.

Usyk and Huck have a common opponent in Krzysztof Glowacki. Glowacki knocked out Huck in 11 rounds while Usyk simply toyed around and gave him a boxing lesson for 12 rounds. Huck has let many of his opponents dictate the pace of the fight and has struggled against southpaws throughout his career. He has the home court advantage but it’s not going to be enough.

Oleksandr Usyk is going to remain unbeaten. We’re picking Usyk to defeat Marco Huck by a wide decision.

UFC Fight Night 115: Will the Skyscraper Remain Unbeaten in Rotterdam?

Sports News & Picks, , , , , ,

Stefan Struve is unbeaten in Rotterdam. In 2008, Struve submitted Ralf Wonnik via armbar in just 15 seconds. Two fights ago at UFC Fight Night 87, Struve knocked out Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva in just 16 seconds.

On September 2nd, 2017, Struve looks to add yet another spectacular win in front of his countrymen as he faces Alexander Volkov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 115 at Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The Skyscraper

Struve is known as the Skyscraper because at 7 feet, he is the tallest fighter on the UFC’s roster. After losing three of four fights, Struve had a good 2016 where he went 2-0. He was supposed to fight Junior Dos Santos at UFC Fight Night 105 last February but was forced out of the bout because of a shoulder injury.

Alexander Volkov is the current M-1 Global heavyweight champion. The 28-year old Russian is a former Bellator heavyweight tournament winner and heavyweight champion. He is unbeaten in the UFC at 2-0 and he is coming off a unanimous decision win over Roy Nelson at UFC on Fox 24 last April.

Odds

Volkov is the slight favorite here at -135 and Struve is the underdog at +105 at Bovada. Not many heavyweights can stand and trade with Struve because of his height and length but in this case, Volkov can hold his own because he is 6-7 with long arms. Having said that, size may not be a factor here even if Struve is still taller. However, the big difference here is Struve’s ability to finish the fight on the ground.

Volkov has been taken down in each of his last fights and if Struve can force him to the ground, he will not only be taken out of his comfort zone but Struve will have the big advantage there. Seventeen of Struve’s 28 wins have come via submission so if he can put Volkov down, he’s got a bag of submission tricks at his disposal.

Prediction

The problem with Struve is that his chin has always been suspect. Six of his losses are by knockout and Volkov has a 65.28% KO rate with 18 KOs in 28 victories. If Volkov can stay on his feet for most of the fight, he’ll likely get the better of the Skyscraper.

Struve is 7-1 in the Netherlands and 2-0 in Rotterdam. He has always fought well in front of his countrymen and this one should be no different. Volkov is an excellent fighter but Struve is a tried and tested veteran. Of course, the four inch reach and five inch height difference is still there. And yes, Struve’s submission skills should be the key. We’re picking Stefan Struve to pull of the upset by decision or submission.

Chocolatito vs Rungvisai 2: Will Lightning Strike Twice?

Sports News & Picks, , , , , ,

Former #1 pound-for-pound fighter Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez looks to redeem himself against the only fighter to beat him. The Nicaraguan boxer faces current junior bantamweight world champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in a rematch on September 9th, 2017 at the StubHub center in Carson, California.

Controversial Loss

Chocolatito was the toast of the boxing world when he ran into the rugged (perhaps dirty) Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Gonzalez had won world titles in four different weight classes and he was blowing by every opponent he faced. But after 46 wins (38 of them by knockout) Gonzalez was beaten in a close Fight of the Year contender which many thought he won.

Rungvisai won the fight by majority decision despite being out-landed in the 12-round affair. Chocolatito was also the more accurate fighter in that fight  but the fact that he was bloodied after several uncalled headbutts by the Thai fighter made it appear that Rungvisai was doing more damage. Six months later, the two meet each other again in a rematch.

Odds

Rungvisai was a +1000 underdog against a very high -2000 favorite in Gonzalez. Despite the upset, it was Chocolatito who landed over 150 more punches than Rungvisai and was 14% more accurate than the Thai fighter. Gonzalez also overcame several headbutts to be the busier fighter in that fight. Despite the numbers, the judges inexplicably gave the decision to Rungvisai.

It’s hard to believe that lightning is going to strike twice for Roman Gonzalez. He is simply the better fighter than Rungvisai in all aspects of the game except perhaps in the headbutt department.  All Chocolatito  has to do is avoid getting headbutted and rough-housed by the dirty tactics of the fighter from Thailand. He just has to keep his poise and let his supreme boxing skills do the job for him. Gonzalez is just too good not to win this time around.

Prediction

Rungvisai is tough, aggressive and packs a mean punch but he is not Roman Gonzalez. He stood toe to toe with Chocolatito but he got plenty of help from the headbutts and the judges as well. Sorry to say this but Chocolatito was robbed in that first fight.

He won’t be robbed again. He already knows what to expect from his opponent and if there is going to be a knockout in this contest, it will be in favor of Chocolatito. We’re picking Gonzalez to win by  wide decision or by knockout. It’s a cute saying but lightning doesn’t strike twice on the same person.

Bellator MMA

Bellator 182: Can Andrey Koreshkov Avoid Back to Back Defeats?

Sports News & Picks, , , , , ,

Former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov returns to the cage against rising contender Chidi Njokuani at the main event of Bellator 182 on August 25th, 2017 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Koreshkov is coming off a first round knockout loss during his rematch with Douglas Lima at Bellator 164 last November. The loss was only the second in 21 fights for Koreshkov and his first since 2013. Not only did the loss snap the Spartan’s six fight winning streak, it also stripped him of the title he won from Lima in 2015.

Losing The Rematch

Koreshkov won the Bellator welterweight title with a five round unanimous decision win over Douglas Lima at Bellator 140. After an impressive first title defense against former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at Bellator 153, Koreshkov faced Lima in a highly anticipated rematch and lost the fight.

After a tactical first couple of rounds, Koreshkov and Lima stood toe to toe against each other in Round three. After it appeared that Koreshkov hurt Lima during the fierce exchange, the former champion unleashed a deadly counter left hook that knocked Koreshkov out cold. The loss was only Koreshkov’s second defeat but both losses have been by knockout.

Chidi Bang Bang

Njokuani, the brother of former UFC fighter Anthony, isn’t known as ‘Chidi Bang Bang’ for nothing. The 28-year old Nigerian-American has a 58% knockout ratio with 10 KOs in 17 wins. He has not lost since 2013 and is coming off a unanimous decision win over UFC veteran Melvin Guillard. Prior to that, Njokuani destroyed Andre Fialho in 21 seconds at Bellator 167.

Njokuani relies on his kickboxing base and utilizes kicks to slow down his opponents and score knockouts ( he has four KOs via leg kicks or knees ). Although he is known more for his kicks, Njokuani can also hold his own with his punches. In fact, he’s never been knocked out before as all of his six losses have been by decision.

Odds and Prediction

Former champion Koreshkov is the betting favorite here at -325, while Njokuani is the underdog at 255. There is more pressure on Koreshkov to win as he has not lost back to back fights in his career. Both of these fighters will be fighting in New York for the first time and it will be interesting to see who does better in their Big Apple debut.

This is a good fight between two athletic specimens who both love to fight on their feet. If you take a look at their losses, neither of these two guys have lost by decision. Both love to win by knockout but while Koreshkov always looks for the quick stoppage, Njokuani is like a surgeon who wears his opponents out before finishing them.

We’re picking Koreshkov, though, because we don’t think Njokuani can take the pressure of the Spartan. Koreshkov is more powerful and has a more diverse attack. We’re picking Andrey Koreshkov to win on points.

Brandon Moreno vs Sergio Pettis: Which Flyweight Will Continue To Surge?

Sports News & Picks, , , ,

Two surging flyweights will headline the UFC’s return to Mexico City on August 5th, 2017 as Sergio Pettis takes on Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC Fight Night 114 at the Mexico City Arena in Mexico City, Mexico.

Showtime’s Brother

Sergio Pettis is the younger brother of former UFC Lightweight titleholder Anthony Pettis. The 8th ranked Pettis will put his three-fight winning streak on the line against a fighter ranked just one spot below him. Since his upset loss to Ryan Benoit during his flyweight debut at UFC 185, Pettis has recorded wins over Chris Cariaso, Chris Kelades and John Moraga.

Pettis started his UFC career at bantamweight and after going 3-1 with a pair of Fight of the Night bonuses. Prior to the UFC he competed in the Resurrection Fighting Alliance promotion and the North American Fighting Championships. He was the first RFA Flyweight champion and a former NAFC Bantamweight champion.

First Headliner

Ninth ranked Brandon Moreno has racked up 11 consecutive wins, including 8 stoppages, after starting his MMA career with a 3-3 record. Moreno is 3-0 in the UFC with two victories by submission and two post fight bonuses. In his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 96 last October, Moreno submitted Luis Smolka. Two months later, he beat Ryan Benoit by split decision and then choked out Dustin Ortiz at UFC Fight Night 108 in Nashville.

Moreno has forced 7 of his last 9 opponents to tap out so you’ve got to look out for his submission skills here. This will be Moreno’s fourth fight in his birthplace of Mexico City and his first in Mexico under the UFC banner. This is also the first time in his career that he will be headlining a UFC event.

Odds

This one’s pretty much interesting with Moreno a slight -140 favorite against Pettis who is at +120. These are two young and hungry up and comers who would like to push their careers to the Top 5 and position themselves for a possible title shot.

Moreno averages 3.2 takedowns and 2.3 submissions per fifteen minutes and those show you how he wants to fight. He’s very good on the ground and he has excellent submission skills. In his most recent fight against Dustin Ortiz, Moreno was taken down four times, yet he still was able to submit Ortiz. Pettis can hold his own against Moreno on the ground but he’d rather have this fight on its feet where he averages 4.02 significant strikes per 15 minutes.

Prediction

Sergio Pettis’ ground game has shown some improvement lately but he might not want to test it against a very good submission artist like Brandon Moreno. Pettis will likely be content to strike against Moreno. He will utilize his leg kicks to mix with his punches. If he is going to win, it’s going to be via a decision. Pettis’ last six bouts have ended in a decision and he hasn’t stopped anyone since 2013.

For Moreno to win, he must take this fight to the canvas where he has the significant advantage. Moreno should look for takedowns more than usual and keep an aggressive pace. For Pettis to win, he must fight the perfect fight. A simple striking mistake could put him down on the mat against an excellent finisher and he doesn’t want that to happen. We’re picking Brandon Moreno to win his 12th straight fight by submission.