Tag Archives: Boxing Betting

George Groves vs. Jamie Cox Odds and Prediction

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George Groves defends his WBA (Super) super middleweight title for the first time against unbeaten Jamie Cox on October 14th, 2017 at the SSE Arena in Wembley London.

The bout is part of the ongoing World Boxing Super Series super middleweight tournament which began in September. The winner of this contest will move forward to face the winner of the October 7th match between Chris Eubank Jr. and Avni Yildirim.

Grizzled Veteran

Groves is the grizzled veteran who brings an impressive record of 26-3 with 19 KOs. He has won five fights in a row and has not lost since being outpointed by Badou Jack in 2015. Groves is well known for his two fights with Carl Froch and although he lost both fights, he is a force to reckoned with.

Jamie Cox is the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist who has compiled a record of 24-0 with 13 KOs . Cox will be making his first ever world title fight appearance and unfortunately for him, he is doing so against one of the toughest super middleweights in the business.

Big Step Up

Groves is a -450 favorite at Bovada to beat Cox, who is currently at +325. Groves biggest advantage is his vast fighting experience. He’s fought some of the best names in the weight class Fedor Chudinov, Martin Murray, Badou Jack, Carl Froch (twice), Glen Johnson, James DeGale. Groves may only be a modest 4-3 against those fighters, but still he has proven that he can compete at world title level.

In his most recent bout, Groves finally became a world champion after three failed attempts. Groves knocked out Chudinov in the sixth round of their WBA (Super ) super middleweight title bout. He then entered the 8-man World Boxing Super Series – super middleweight division tournament. His first assignment is the unbeaten Cox.

Cox has the tools to win this fight. His fast combinations and punching power are no fluke. He can turn the tide quickly and win this fight in a hurry. Cox is a pressure fighter who likes to bring the fight to his opponents. Five of his last six victories have been by knockout. But this bout won’t be decided by punching power. Rather, it will be won with experience and boxing ability. This is such a huge step up in level of opposition for Cox. He might not be able to rise to the occasion.

An Explosive Fight

Although he was stopped twice by Carl Froch, Groves is no easy man to put down. He’s a brawler who’d gladly accept Cox’s invitation to meet at the center of the ring. He has power in both hands and although he has good defense, he’d rather take some more punishment in order to deliver some. Seven of Groves’ last 10 wins have been by stoppage, so this is going to be an explosive fight.

But when it goes down the stretch, it’s going to be Groves’ boxing that will shine. We’re not expecting this fight to end by knockout. We think this is going to be a long and hard grinder. In the end, the more experienced boxer should win it. This should be a good fight. We’re picking George Groves to win on points.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

Chocolatito vs Rungvisai 2: Will Lightning Strike Twice?

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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.

Miguel Cotto vs. Toshirio Kamegai: Will This Be Cotto’s Final Bout?

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Puerto Rican boxing superstar Miguel Cotto is eyeing a sixth world title as he faces Japanese Yoshirio Kamegai for the vacant WBO Super Welterweight title on August 26th, 2017 at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California.

A Real Boxing Fight

August 26th is more popular for being the fight date of the intriguing Mayweather vs .McGregor bout, which will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. But if you’re looking for a real boxing fight on that weekend, this is the fight for you.

Cotto has been one of boxing’s toughest warriors, having faced the best boxers of his generation. But the first four division champion from Puerto Rico has not fought since losing to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in 2015. Cotto has stated that 2017 will be his last as a professional boxer and if he stays true to his word, this may be a swansong bout you might not want to miss.

The Right Dance Partner

Roc Nation couldn’t have picked a better dance partner for Cotto’s aggressive action style. They picked Japanese slugger Yoshihiro Kamegai who has never been in a boring bout. Kamegai is coming off a September of 2016 win over Jesus Soto Karas and has won five of his last eight bouts. His last 7 wins have come by stoppage and he has not lost since 2015.

Despite his brawling style, Kamegai has never been knocked down or knocked out in his career. He’s lost thrice but all were by decision. He has a solid chin and packs a heavy punch. He likes to pressure his opponent by constantly moving forward. Kamegai’s style is perfect for Cotto as we expect these two men to go to war right from the get go.

Prediction

This is a very dangerous fight for Miguel Cotto. He hasn’t been himself in recent years and he has not fought in two years. He is also fighting an opponent who is bigger than him and has a longer reach. You bet Kamegai is going to use his size advantage and try to land big shots to make Cotto think twice.

However, Kamegai has lost in the biggest fights of his career. He’s lost to Johan Perez, Alfonso Gomez and Robert Guerrero. On the other hand, Miguel Cotto has been in the ring with the best of his generation. Even at an advanced age, Cotto can still box with the best in the business. Cotto has a proven chin and a left hook that can end the fight in an instant. Despite going 3-3 in his last 6 bouts, we’re still picking Miguel Cotto over Yoshihiro Kamegai. Cotto by late stoppage here.

Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Miguel Marriaga Odds and Prediction

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Vasyl Lomachenko ( 8-1, 6 KOs ) will defend the WBO Super Featherweight title against Miguel Marriaga ( 25-2, 21 KOs ) of Colombia on August 5th, 2017 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California USA.

Pound for Pound Recognition

Since losing to Orlando Salido in his second professional bout, Vasyl Lomachenko has been a dominant force. In his last three bouts, he’s made former champions Roman Martinez, Nicholas Walters and Jason Sosa look like beginners. Loma was looking forward to a rematch with Salido but when negotiations fell off, they settled with Marriaga because they couldn’t find a taker.

The 29-year old Lomachenko is a southpaw who stands at 5-6 and has a reach of 65 inches. Lomachenko has won his last five bouts by stoppage and he will be fighting in California, his adopted hometown. This is his third title defense since November and he’s still looking for that pound for pound recognition.

Tough and Aggressive

Miguel Marriaga is coming off a loss to Oscar Valdez and he also lost to Nicholas Walters in the past. Despite that, the Colombian is a tough customer whose aggressive style can give Lomachenko some troubles. Remember that Lomachenko was bullied by a very aggressive Salido during the former’s only pro defeat. If Marriaga can duplicate that attack, he may catch Loma off guard.

Marriaga has not lost back to back fights before and he is hoping to avoid that. He throws with a purpose and he is fundamentally sound. He’s got a good chin, as he withstood 12 rounds with Walters and Oscar Valdez. He’s won seven of his last nine fights by knockout and he’s looking to add the biggest name to his resume. However, he’s facing serious odds against Lomachenko.

A Longshot

Lomachenko is a -10000 favorite here while Marriaga is a +1600 underdog. Many fans are calling this a mismatch, but don’t sleep on Marriaga despite him being a longshot. The Columbian has a two inch height and three inches reach advantage over the two-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko. So don’t expect Loma to get into a slugfest with Marriaga.

Meanwhile, Miguel Marriaga will use his aggressive style to try and push Lomachenko back to the ropes and put him on the defensive. While he may have more punching power than Lomachenko, there is no way Marriaga can win this if Lomachenko gets into offensive groove.

The Prediction

Marriaga must fire first and must set a frenetic pace. If he does both, he will put himself in a position where he can pull off this major upset. That’s easier said than done, though. We know what Lomachenko can do inside the ring. We know his ring IQ, intelligence, footwork and hand speed.

Given Marriaga’s reputation, this is guaranteed to be an entertaining fight. Marriaga has everything to gain and nothing to lose. But beating Lomachenko in this weight class at this stage in time is almost impossible. If he won’t be fooled into a brawl, he’s going to make this look like a boxing clinic. We’re picking Vasyl Lomachenko to win on points. A knockout can’t be ruled out if Marriaga becomes desperate and starts throwing caution to the wind.

Terrence Crawford

Terence Crawford vs. Julius Indongo: Who Will Become Undisputed Champion at 140 pounds?

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Terence Crawford faces Julius Indongo in a 140-pound title unification bout on August 19th, 2017 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Undisputed Champion

Terence Crawford has been on the brink of superstardom for quite some time now. But after failing to land a fight with Manny Pacquiao, Crawford now sets his sights on becoming the undisputed light welterweight champion. This is only the fourth time in history where the four major belts are on the line in one fight and the first one not involving Bernard Hopkins. Crawford first won the WBO belt by beating Ricky Burns and then captured the WBC strap by defeating Viktor Postol. Now he stakes both against an opponent who owns the other two major belts at 140 pounds.

Road Warrior

Indongo fought the first 20 bouts of his pro career in his native Namibia but has fought on the road in his last two bouts. Both have been world title bouts and both have been fought on his opponent’s home soil. Indongo knocked out Eduard Troyanovsky in Russia to win the IBF and IBO 140 pounds titles. Four months later, he traveled to the United Kingdom to unify the belts with WBA light welterweight belt. Indongo beat Ricky Burns by unanimous decision to become unified 140-pound champion. Now after achieving his dream to be unified champion, Indongo has a shot at immortality as he challenges unbeaten 140-pound superstar Terence Crawford for the WBO, WBC, Ring and lineal 140 pounds titles.

Can’t Underestimate

Crawford is the big favorite here at -1000 while Indongo is the understandable underdog at +600. All of us know who Terence Crawford is but this may be the first time you’ve heard of Julius Indongo. Even then, you can’t underestimate the challenger. He beat Troyanovsky in Russia and Burns in the United Kingdom. He’s a proven fighter whose awkward style can catch Terence Crawford off guard. Indongo is rangy and moves around the ring pretty well. He isn’t really known for his punching power but three of his last four bouts have ended in knockout, including the win over Troyanovsky.

Class By Himself

Bud Crawford, however, is in a class by himself at 140. He’s too smart to fall into Indongo’s traps and won’t be lured into a brawl. Crawford’s going to catch Indongo with his perfectly timed counters and hurt him at some point in the fight. Five of Bud’s last six bouts have ended in stoppage and it’s likely this one’s headed in that direction, too.

Indongo’s a worthy challenger but Bud Crawford’s too smart a boxer for him. Indongo has never faced an opponent at Crawford’s level. We think he’s pushing his luck too far here. We’re going to pick Terence Crawford to win by stoppage after round 6.

Carl Frampton vs. Andres Gutierrez: Will The Jackal Bounce Back From His First Career Defeat?

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Carl Frampton will face Andres Gutierrez in a WBC Featherweight title eliminator on July 29th, 2017 at the SSE Arena in Belfast. The bout marks Frampton’s return to the boxing ring since losing to Leo Santa Cruz by majority decision on January 28th of this year.

Return of the Jackal

Frampton is the first boxer from Northern Ireland and the second from Ireland to win a world boxing title in two different weight classes. Known as The Jackal, Frampton was the IBF and WBA super bantamweight champion before moving up in weight to challenge the then unbeaten Leo Santa Cruz for the latter’s WBA (super) featherweight title in June of 2016.

Frampton turned in a performance of a lifetime when he defeated Santa Cruz by majority decision but lost to the Mexican in a rematch held at the MGM Garden Arena last January. Santa Cruz is slated to rematch three division champion Abner Mares on October 7th in a fight that will determine the sole WBA featherweight king. With Santa Cruz going another direction, Frampton set his eyes set on the WBC featherweight belt. A win over Gutierrez sets up a bout between current WBC champ Gary Russell Jr.

Rising Mexican Contender

Andres Gutierrez is a rising Mexican contender. The 23-year old recently bounced back from the first loss of his career with a TKO win over little known Wallington Orobio. One fight back, Gutierrez suffered a controversial majority loss against former world champion Cristian Mijares in a WBC silver featherweight title bout. Gutierrez was four pounds over the weight limit during that fight.

Before the loss to Mijares, Gutierrez was aiming at Leo Santa Cruz but the latter didn’t take a fight with him. Now, he has the chance to face Leo’s rival. A victory over Carl Frampton will not only lead to his first ever world title shot but it could also lead him to a future bout with Santa Cruz, the man he claims avoided him.

Odds and Prediction

Frampton is the heavy favorite here at -2500 while Gutierrez is at +1000. Many think that Gutierrez isn’t ready for a fight of this magnitude and they are pointing at the Mijares fight as an example of why Gutierrez isn’t the real deal yet. But if you take a look at that fight, Mijares’ face was battered and bruised. The fans thought Gutierrez won but the judges gave the more well known fighter the nod.

Gutierrez has good punching power and Frampton was  knocked down by the late Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. in his U.S. debut in 2015. He has knocked out 25 of 35 opponents and his last three victories have been by stoppage. The only catch with him is that he can be wild at times while on the offensive end. Frampton meanwhile is a complete fighter and is considered the #2 featherweight in the world. The Jackal is a smart boxer who also has good punching power. He has beaten world beaters before and is no stranger to big fights. The only concern in this bout is that he gives up an inch in height and five inches in reach. It will be also interesting how he fights coming off a loss. All things considered, we’re picking Carl Frampton to win by unanimous decision.

Adrian Broner vs Mikey Garcia

Mikey Garcia vs. Adrien Broner: Will Garcia Solve The Problem?

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Lightweight champion Mikey Garcia moves up in weight to face former four division world champion Adrien Broner on July 29th, 2017 at the Barclays Center in New York.

Multiple Division Champs

This is a battle between two men who have won world titles in at least three different weight divisions. Garcia is a three-division world champion, while Broner has won four belts in as many weight classes. Mikey Garcia is undefeated in 36 bouts with 30 KOs. Thirteen of his last 14 wins have come by stoppage and he is coming off a January knockout victory over Dejan Zlaticanin. It will be Garcia’s second fight this year and third since 2016. He’s really trying to make up for lost time after being in a long layoff due to a contract dispute.

Broner, meanwhile, has a 33-2 record, with his two losses coming at the hands of Marcos Maidana and Shawn Porter. It’s interesting to note that both bouts were fought at the welterweight division so Broner is really undefeated at 140 pounds. Broner has all the tools to be a great boxer but has been lazy and passive in some of his recent fights.

Odds and Prediction

Mikey Garcia is the solid favorite here at -450, while Adrien Broner is the underdog at +420. Don’t let those odds fool you, though. This is yet another great boxing matchup for 2017. Hats off to both men for stepping up to face each other.

Garcia should be the more prepared fighter in this bout, as you don’t know what you’re getting with Broner. That’s why he’s called The Problem. Despite that, you could make a case for both. If Mikey Garcia employs his patient style of fighting where he just pick spots, Broner is a world of trouble. Garcia will wear Broner down and may stop him late in the fight. But then Mikey has said that he wants to be aggressive in this fight and go for the KO. Should he do that, he will fall to Broner’s plan. The Problem is an excellent counter puncher  who has serious knockout power.

Mikey himself has impressive knockout power but at a contested weight of 140 pounds, it will be Broner who has the advantage in size and punching power. It’s going to be interesting to see if Mikey Garcia can hurt Broner in this fight. But even if he can’t hurt The Problem, Garcia is going to box him all night long. We’re picking Mikey Garcia to beat Adrien Broner on points.