Tag Archives: Boxing Betting

Jorge Linares vs. Anthony Crolla Odds and Prediction

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Repeat or Revenge.

Those are the two possible outcomes for this lightweight title rematch scheduled on March 25th at Manchester Arena.

Jorge Linares and Anthony Crolla fought to a twelve round decision when they first met in the same venue. Back then, it was Linares’ first bout in a year. He hurt his hand in the 6th round but managed to finish the fight strong and take the decision. After a bloody bout, he is giving Crolla the opportunity to get that fight back.

Top Lightweight

Jorge Linares has established himself as  one of the best lightweights in the planet. He’s won 10 fights in a row and has not lost since back to back knockout defeats to Antonio De Marco and Sergio Thompson in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Overall, the Venezuelan Golden Boy has a record of 41-3 with 27 knockouts. He won the WBA Lightweight title and the vacant Ring Lightweight title last September with a unanimous decision win over Britain’s Million Dolla Anthony Crolla.

Million Dolla

Crolla is one of Britain’s fast rising stars. After his first title challenge against Darleys Perez ended in a draw in 2015, he captured the WBA title by knocking out Perez in the 5th round of their November 2015 rematch. Crolla bested Linares’ fellow Venezuelan Ismael Barroso in his first title defense. Crolla lost to Linares in his next world title fight. Crolla has never lost back to back fights in his career. He’s hoping it stays that way when he fights Linares again on March 25th.

Odds and Pick

Linares is currently at -245 while the underdog Crolla is at +205. The lines aren’t that wide but personally, I don’t think this fight is ending differently as the first one.

Linares won 117-111, 115-113 and 115-114 but if you watch the fight again, it was clearly a no-contest. Linares outboxed Crolla for 12 rounds and the judges’ scores didn’t reflect that. Linares clearly had more power in his punches, more hand speed and was the better boxer. He also displayed a more varied attack than Crolla. Skillwise, we’re giving it to Linares. Crolla does have the home crowd behind him, but even then, it didn’t help him much in the first bout. I’m not saying Crolla doesn’t have a shot at beating Linares. There was a rematch clause and that is why we’re having this fight. But it’s hard to imagine how Crolla can change the outcome in six months time. We’re picking Linares to win on points, this time by a wider points margin.

USBA Heavyweight Title Preview: Travis Kauffman vs. Amir Mansour Odds and Prediction

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Heavyweight Travis Kauffman will face Amir Mansour for the USBA Heavyweight title at the Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania on March 17th.

Road To Heavyweight Championship

The event has been billed as the road to the heavyweight championship as these two veteran fighters have never fought for a world title although both have come close before. Kauffman lost to Chris Arreola by split decision in December of 2015 before that bout was changed to a no-contest after Arreola failed a drug test.

Despite that, Nightmare earned a shot at Deontay Wilder in his next bout. Mansour meanwhile knocked down Dominic Breazeale before retiring on his stool after five rounds. Breazeale went on to challenge Anthony Joshua in his next bout. With missed opportunities like those in the past, a victory be either here should push him closer to that road to the title.

Red Hot

Because the Arreola bout was changed to a no-contest, Kauffman thus enters this fight unbeaten in his last 14 bouts. In his most recent bout, Kauffman stopped Josh Gormley in two rounds last September 2016. Although he doesn’t have many big names in his resume, his red hot streak remains impressive. Kauffman is physically imposing at 6-3 with a reach of 76.

He may not be a special talent like Joshua or Wilder, but he possesses punching power and is a very decently skilled fighter. Kauffman does have a powerful fight hand and if Mansour isn’t careful, things could end early. Kauffman’s last three knockout wins have come under round two.

Father Time

Amir Mansour isn’t just just fighting Travis Kauffman here, he’s also battling Father Time. At 44, Mansour may not have too many opportunities left. In his most recent bout, Mansour looked like he was on the way to upsetting Dominic Breazeale. But he retired on his stool after five rounds due to a bad cut on his mouth. The injury forced him off the ring for the last 13 months and that inactivity may prove to be costly for this aging veteran. Despite his age, Mansour remains to be in shape and as he proved against Breazeale, he still has a lot of punching power left in his fists. Mansour is a pressure fighter who loves to be the aggressor. Five of his last seven wins have been by knockout and it’s likely he’s going for another one against Kauffman.

Both fighters are currently at -115 in this pick ‘em bout. But given the age difference and the fact that Kauffman will be fighting in his home town, we’re giving our pick to Travis Kauffman. Not only will he have the crowd cheering on for him but  endurance matters in the heavyweight division. Sure, it was injury that forced Mansour to quit against Breazeale, but he was running out of gas after failing to put Breazeale away after the knockdown. We’re picking Travis Kauffman to win this bout, possibly on points or another ‘No Mas’ from Mansour.

Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs Odds and Prediction

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They’re calling it Middleweight Madness in the Mecca of Boxing.

It may not be as massive as the Canelo vs GGG match-up would’ve been but this is the first legitimate middleweight title fight in years. Not only that, it is the best middleweight matchup that could be made today.

Unification

In a year of title unifications, boxing’s unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin looks to add Daniel Jacob’s WBA (regular) title to his collection. If he wins, Golovkin doesn’t just become the WBA’s lone champion, he will also be two belts short of achieving his dream as an undisputed world champion. Only the WBO belt, now owned by Billie Joe Saunders and the Lineal title, held by Canelo Alvarez will then be not in the Kazakh’s hands.

Golovkin is the universally recognized middleweight champion and lays claim to the WBC, IBF, WBA ( Super ) and IBO belts. Along the way, Triple G has bulldozed past his opposition, knocking out all but three of his 36 opponents in the professional boxing ring. At 91.7%, he holds the highest knockout rate in boxing’s middleweight history. On March 18th, he hopes to add one more name to that list.

Miracle Man

Daniel Jacobs’ monicker Miracle Man was conceived because he overcame a form of cancer to win a world title. Jacobs has won 12 fights in a row since losing to Dmitry Pirog in 2010 and he’s won all of them by knockout. Now he fights the division’s boogeyman in a title bout that is set to decide the best middleweight in the planet.

At 6-0 and with a 73-inch reach, Jacobs size has been an advantage over his past opponents and it will be so against Golovkin. He has good movement plus legit punching power so he won’t be like any of the opponents that Gennady Golovkin has dismantled. But the catch with Jacobs is that he has a weak chin which failed him against Pirog and which had him dropped against Sergio Mora recently.

Odds

Golovkin is heavily favored here at -800 while Jacobs is pegged at +450. The odds are a little bit over the top, considering Jacobs’ abilities. In between his bouts with Sergio Mora, Jacobs annihilated then unbeaten Peter Quillin in just one round in the Battle of New York in 2015. Twelve straight knockout wins isn’t a fluke and so is Daniel Jacobs. But then again, his opponent has racked up 23 straight KOs himself and has a streak of KOs dating back to 2008.

The thing with Golovkin is that his fight resume isn’t that good. But the reason is because he is the most avoided boxer in the planet. In his most recent bout, welterweight champion Kell Brook ‘exposed’ Golovkin before waving the white flag in Round 5. Brook showed that with speed and movement, Golovkin can be hit. Like Brook, Jacobs can frustrate Golovkin with his boxing. But Golovkin is a relentless predator who has a chin that has withstood over 300 amateur bouts and his entire professional career. It’s interesting if Jacobs can keep up with GGG’s pace and brawling style.

It’s true that Danny Jacobs is the best fighter that Gennady Golovkin will have ever faced. But the real question is whether he is good enough to beat Triple G. We think not. We’re picking Golovkin to win by another knockout

Deontay Wilder vs. Gerald Washington Odds And Prediction

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WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder returns to action on February 25th, 2017 in his home state of Alabama.

The Bronze Bomber spent the second half of 2016 on the shelf after he suffered hand and biceps injury during his dominant victory over Chris Arreola in July of 2016. With his injuries fully healed, Wilder faces unbeaten challenger Gerald Washington at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Another Replacement Opponent

Washington is the second consecutive replacement opponent that Wilder will be facing. Last July, Chris Arreola stepped in after Wilder’s original opponent Alexander Povetkin was pulled from the bout for testing positive for a banned substance.

Wilder’s original opponent for February 25th also failed a similar drug test. Andrzej Wawrzyk tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol in two random drug tests administered by VADA in January hence he was stripped of his opportunity to fight Wilder.

Washington fought in the undercard of Wilder-Arreola and recorded a fourth round knockout of former title challenger Ray Austin. The US Navy veteran has a professional record of 18-0-1 with 12 KOs. The bout marks the first title fight for Washington and the fifth title defense for Wilder. It will be Washington’s second fight in Alabama while it will be the 9th bout for Wilder in his home state.

A Massive Favorite

Wilder is a massive favorite over Washington at -1400. The challenger is pegged at +700.

Like Wilder, Washington took up the sport at a late age. He made his pro debut in 2012 but is already 34 years old. Washington is perhaps one of the heavyweight who matches Wilder’s size. He’s 6-6 and has a reach of 82’ inches. On the other hand, the champion is slightly taller at 6-7 and longer at 83’. But given Washington’s length and punching power, he can be very dangerous is he’s able to land cleanly on Wilder.

But Washington is slower and has less technique than Wilder. He’s more of a free swinger who doesn’t have much defense. He bullies his opponents with his aggression and relies solely on his powerful right hand. Similarly, Wilder is a work in progress but he is far advanced in terms of skill and technique. Along with Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder is perceived to be the future of the heavyweight division. This should be a shootout and we expect Wilder to win by early knockout.

Boxing Betting: Jermell Charlo vs. Charles Hatley Odds and Prediction

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Jermell Charlo makes the first defense of his WBC junior middleweight title against mandatory challenger Charles Hatley on March 11, 2017 as the co feature of Gary Russell Jr vs Escandon at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Wrong Tree

Hatley is best remembered for crashing Jermall Charlo’s post fight interview during the latter’s IBF title defense against Austin Trout. Hatley, together with promoter Don King, gate crashed the interview and announced himself as Jermall’s next foe. Unfortunately, Hatley was barking at the wrong tree. He was mandatory challenger for the WBC belt which Jermell won earlier that night. The incident caused a commotion and led to some shoving between the opposing parties. That has since transformed to something personal between Jermell and Hatley who will meet inside the ring next month during the former’s first title defense.

The Future

A former Olympic alternate and US amateur welterweight champion, Charles Hatley is one of the top prospects in boxing’s rising 154 pound division. Known as the Future, Hatley has a record of 26-1-1 with 18 KOs. He’s won nine fights in a row and is coming off knockout wins over Saul Roman and Anthony Mundine. At 5-10, Hatley utilizes his length to keep his opponents at bay. He’s knocked out four of his last five opponents and is coming off his biggest win against Mundine. However, he last fought in November 2015 and it will be interesting how the long layoff will come to play against Jermell Charlo.

One Half

Jermell Charlo is one half of the Charlo Brothers. Twin brother Jermall is the IBF 154-pound king. The Charlos are the first twins in boxing history to hold world titles in the same weight class simultaneously. So that’s where Hatley’s confusion was rooted. Jermell won his WBC title by knocking out John Jackson last May. He’s got one of the quickest hands in the division and is tough to beat when he’s in the zone. Charlo’s and exciting fighter with lightning combinations. He has knocked out his last two opponents.

Bad Blood?

Jermell and Hatley have gone back and forth verbally. The incident with Jermall seems to make this personal for the two who are incidentally both from Texas. Charlo though is a big -1200 favorite to defeat Hatley who is at +775. Given that this is only Jermell’s first title defense and the bad blood between the two, Hatley is live underdog here perhaps worthy of a look. But if you dig deep into the match-up, Charlo seems to be stronger, faster and better skilled than Hatley. Jermell’s power and quickness should be the difference. We’re picking Jermell Charlo to win by late stoppage or unanimous decision.

Adrien Broner vs. Adrian Granados Odds And Prediction

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Adrien Broner returns to the boxing ring on February 18th, 2017 against Adrian Granados at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Problem

Broner is known by his double meaning nickname ‘The Problem”. That’s because when he’s focused, he is a handful for his opponents inside the ring. Broner’s mix of speed, athleticism and power easily make him one of the sport’s best fighters. In fact, the 27-year old Broner has already won world titles in four different weight classes. However, there’s a big ‘if’ with Adrien Broner.

When he isn’t fully committed to his craft, Broner has been a big problem. His lack of professionalism, poor work habits and off the ring distractions have cost him not just possible world titles but big money fights with big time fighters. Broner was ( and still is?) a protege of Floyd Mayweather Jr. As such, he intends to follow Floyd’s road to becoming a multi-million dollar fighter. But before he realizes his self created monicker ‘About Billions’, he’s got to get his act together for good. AB has won two in a row, both by stoppage and will be looking to cement a title shot against Ricky Burns.

A Scrappy Opponent

Getting another world title may be looking to far ahead. Broner’s opponent isn’t a household name but is a solid fighter. Adrian Granados is ranked in the Top 5 by both the WBA (#3) and WBC (#5).

He’s coming off a victory over Ariel Vasquez in July of 2016. Granados’ ticket to fame was his 2015 victory over Amir Imam. However, Granados has fought only once since that win and that was against Vasquez. The scrappy Illinois native is an aggressor inside the ring and doesn’t give up easily.

He’s lost four times in his career but has never been knocked out. He’s a solid dude who won’t be rattled by the moment, fighting a 4-division champion like Broner and fighting in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.  He’s gonna go there and scrap with AB.

The Odds

Broner is the -290 favorite while Granados the +245 underdog in this fight. We all know the stuff that Broner is made of but many of us haven’t seen Granados fight. But the key to this fight is which Adrien Broner will show up on fight night.

When Broner is on top of his game, he is one of the better fighters in the sport today. He is more skilled than Granados and should take this one by decision. If we gauge his last two bouts, we can say that it looks like Broner has matured at age 27. He’s fighting at home and is looking ahead at a title fight with Burns. That should be more than enough motivation for him to zero in on this bout. But then he’s Adrien Broner, the biggest enigma this sport has ever seen.

You really can’t predict which one’s gonna show up on the day of the fight. Given that risk though and weighing it with his talent level, we’re picking Broner to beat Granados here.

Sammy Vasquez vs. Luis Collazo Odds and Prediction

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Sammy Vasquez and Luis Collazo kick-off the Premier Boxing Champions’ (PBC) 2017 calendar with a 10-round main event welterweight bout on February 2nd at the Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi.

Making Collazo Pay

The two were slated to fight each other last July but a calf muscle injury suffered by Collazo forced the cancellation of the fight. As a result, Vasquez went on to face Felix Diaz Jr. in the undercard of Wilder-Arreola and suffered his first ever loss as a professional. Now Vasquez isn’t just eager to get back to his winning ways, the Sergeant is looking to make Collazo pay for playing a part in the derailment of his title bid.

A former National guard who served two tours of duties in Iraq, Vasquez was an undefeated contender who was closing in on a title shot when he got ambushed by Diaz. On the other hand, ex-world champion Collazo is looking to keep his career going after losing to Amir Khan in 2014 and Keith Thurman in 2015.

How Much is Left?

Vasquez has a 68% knockout ratio and he gets his KOs with wicked body shots and relentless combinations. When he lands his power shots, Vasquez is very tough to beat. Vasquez likes to be the aggressor in a bout and he’s proven to have a very good chin. In his last fight, Vasquez took a heavy beating from Diaz, so it will be interesting how he responds after his first career setback.

Collazo, meanwhile, is a tricky opponent who is accurate with his punches. He may no longer be a spring chicken at 36 years of age but he still packs decent power in his punches. Six of his last eight wins have been by knockout and he almost dropped Keith Thurman with a solid body shot during their bout.

Collazo has been in the ring with the best in the business and his experience towers over Vasquez. However, the question with Collazo is how much is left in that tank especially since we haven’t seen him fight since his 2015 defeat to Thurman.

The Pick

Vasquez is a -270 favorite over Collazo who currently stands at +210. Collazo has fought better opposition in his career and will have several tricks to show Vasquez on fight night. However, the younger lion may not only be the hungrier fighter here, he is also the one who can push the pace and dictate the tempo.

Vasquez’s aggressive style and hard punches may overwhelm Collazo whose stamina hasn’t been good enough in recent fights. This fight is going to have a good start but the longer this one goes, Collazo won’t be able to keep up with a hungry contender who may be nearing his prime.

We’re picking Sammy Vasquez to win by decision or stoppage in the second half of the fight. Either way, it’s going to be a dominant win for the Sergeant.

Mikey Garcia vs. Dejan Zlaticanin Fight Odds and Prediction

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Mikey Garcia looks to become world champion once again as he challenges unbeaten Dejan Zlaticanin for the WBC Lightweight world championship in the co-main event of Frampton-Santa Cruz 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada on January 28th.

A Three Division Champion?

After winning world titles as a featherweight and junior lightweight, the Oxnard, California standout is looking to win a third weight class at the young age of 29. After spending two and a half years in the sidelines due to a contract dispute with Top Rank, Garcia returned to action and knocked out former featherweight titleholder Elio Rojas in five rounds in the undercard of Santa Cruz-Frampton 1 at the Barclays Center in New York last July 30, 2016. Now, Garcia fights again as the co-main event of the same headliner. This time around, he moves up in weight and faces a dangerous opponent, who like him is undefeated as a professional.

Dynamite In His Fists

Little is known of Dejan Zlaticanin in the U.S. market but the 32-year old fighter is known as ‘Dynamite’ for packing major power in his fists. Dinamita won the WBC title with a third round knockout of Frank Mamani and will defend it for the first time on January 28th. He owns notable wins over Petr Petrov, Ivan Redkach and Ricky Burns, too, so he isn’t a patsy.

Zlaticanin is the first fighter from Montenegro to win a boxing world title. He is also hoping to become the first superstar of the sport from his country. He gets that opportunity when he faces undoubtedly the biggest name in professional boxing career. Zlaticanin has promised not just a win. He is predicting to knockout his more popular opponent.

First Time on Big Stage

Zlaticanin is a very polished boxer who has very good offense. He mixes his punches well and is an accurate puncher. He’s not so much of a one punch knockout artist. But the accumulation of heavy blows often takes it toll on the opposition. Zlaticanin has won five of his last eight bouts by knockout. This will only be his third fight in the United States and his first on the big stage.

Loves The Challenge

Garcia has been in the limelight all of his career and he’s proven to be one of the sport’s best boxers when active. However, this is only his second fight in three years and that’s hard not to overlook especially against an excellent opponent like Zlaticanin. But when he’s on top of his game, Garcia has ridiculous skills and power. His boxing IQ and pedigree are supreme. Mikey has never backed away from a challenge and that’s why he took this fight.

Garcia is -225 favorite to beat Zlaticanin who is at +175. Despite his inactivity in recent years, he lives for these type of big fights. Zlaticanin has the power to stop Garcia, but Mikey’s boxing IQ will likely be the key here. We’re picking Mikey Garcia to win this fight

Carl Frampton vs. Leo Santa Cruz 2 Odds and Prediction

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Carl Frampton defends his WBA (Super) Featherweight title for the first time against the man he won it from-Leo Santa Cruz on January 28th, 2017 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Immediate Rematch

After a scintillating first bout in July of 2016 where Frampton won by a close majority decision, two of the world’s best small weight fighters go at it one more time. Frampton dealt Santa Cruz his first defeat in 34 fights and the latter immediately asked for a rematch which the Jackal agreed upon just as quickly.

Known for his volume punching and fast hands, Leo Santa Cruz is looking to rebound from his first ever career loss. It will be interesting to see how he recovers, especially since he will be fighting the very man who beat him the last time out. Carl Frampto,n meanwhile, is still high over that victory which is without doubt the biggest win of his career. The Belfast native is looking to keep his momentum going as he is 3-0 on U.S. soil.

Reversal Of Roles

During the first encounter, the highly touted Santa Cruz was a -300 favorite to beat the +265 Frampton. This time around, the roles have been reversed. The Jackal is now the favorite, although not by much, to beat Santa Cruz once again. Oddsmakers have Frampton as a -145 favorite over Santa Cruz, who is currently pegged at +125.

Despite the close lines, it’s highly unlikely that this fight is ending much differently. Santa Cruz may have the flashy offensive numbers but with his volume punching comes his tendency to get hit more often. Against a patient and calculated opponent like Carl Frampton, that will be disastrous.

Quality over Quantity

During their first bout in July of 2016, Santa Cruz threw 1002 punches as compared to Frampton’s 668. However, he only out-connected the Jackal 255-242 in total punches landed. That’s a huge disparity of 36% against 25% in punch accuracy.

It wasn’t just that. Frampton also landed more of the telling blows during the fight, outscoring Santa Cruz 206-191 in total power punches landed. Those numbers show you that while Santa Cruz is indeed a high volume output puncher, he wasn’t as accurate against Frampton’s excellent defense. On the other hand, the smarter Frampton was able to land the more high quality punches as Santa Cruz was on the offense.

Given that the rematch is merely six months after their first encounter, Frampton will likely get the nod once again. No doubt, Leo Santa Cruz has a solid chin and the Jackal may not get a stoppage here. But given Santa Cruz’s quantity and the Jackal’s quality, Carl Frampton should come out as the winner, by a clearer unanimous decision.

Boxing Betting: Can Yuri Foreman Upset Erislandy Lara?

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WBA and IBO Super Welterweight champion Erislandy Lara looks to stay busy as he awaits a big money fight with the other champions in his weight class. The 33-year old Cuban faces former champion Yuri Foreman on January 13th in Hialeah, Florida.

Red Hot Division

2016 saw the rise of boxing’s 154-pound division with the arrival of the Charlo twins. Jermall and Jermell winning world titles made the light middleweight division more interesting enough for Canelo Alvarez to return to the division he once dominated. Alvarez won the WBO version of the title by beating Liam Smith last September. With three big names holding the other three belts, Erislandy Lara must stay relevant to get one of them.

After losing a disputed split decision to Canelo in 2014, Lara has won four fights in a row. In his most recent outing, Lara scored an impressive UD win over Vanes Martirosyan in May of 2016.

Former Champion

Yuri Foreman won the WBA Super Welterweight title in 2009 by defeating Daniel Santos. He lost it in his first title defense against Miguel Cotto the following year. During that loss, Foreman tore his ACL and took nine months off before losing to Pawel Wolak in his next fight. The Fighting Rabbi then took 22 months off before his current six-fight winning streak against unknown competition. He’s boxed over 200 rounds in his career and has faced some quality opposition along the way. There is no way to disrespect Foreman, but it’s unlikely he will get past Lara.

Cherry Picked Opponent?

Lara is a huge -7000 pick to beat Foreman who is currently at +3000. During his prime, Foreman was a solid boxer with excellent defense. But that was before he had his injuries and long layoffs. He hasn’t fought a meaningful bout since Cotto and hasn’t been really impressive against low quality opposition either.

Many think Foreman is simply a cherry picked opponent to keep Lara busy.  Lara is younger, faster and stronger than the aging Foreman and he has the tools to make this an easy looking fight. If you are looking to bet on a knockout though, this isn’t the fight to bet on. Twelve of Foreman’s last 14 victories have been by decision while Lara is known as a technical fighter who uses excellent defense to avoid getting hit. He also owns a 74 inch reach that keeps him out of danger against any opponent. We’re picking Lara to win by a wide unanimous decision.