Tag Archives: Boxing Odds

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.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather vs. McGregor: Does McGregor Really Have A Chance?

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Love it or hate it, the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight is really happening.

Boxing’s undefeated pound for pound king returns from a two-year retirement on August 26th to face the UFC’s only con-current two division champion in a 12-round boxing match at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A Freakshow?

Detractors call this a freak show because McGregor has never competed in a boxing match before, whether as an amateur or a professional. On the other hand, Mayweather has fought the best fighters of his era in the UFC and not a single one of them was even close to defeating him without a submission move. So, what chance does McGregor have in winning this fight?

Boxing experts don’t think that McGregor can land a meaningful punch against boxing’s best defensive fighter ever. Not inside a boxing ring, not with boxing gloves and not with boxing rules. Put them in an MMA cage under MMA rules and it’s another story. But McGregor supporters argue that their man has God-given punching power and that all it takes is one shot to change the tone of the fight.

No One Can Take The Left

Conor McGregor is one of the best strikers in MMA. Striking in MMA includes boxing. And among his compatriots, McGregor is one of the best boxers. Paired against perhaps the best ever in boxing, that’s another story. Still, McGregor possesses otherworldly punching power in his left hand, which he says no one can take. It will be interesting though if he can land it against the defensive genius.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is looking for win #50 that will separate him from the legendary Rocky Marciano. It was perfect to pick Conor McGregor because not only will he be making the most money against the Irishman, but also because he will toy around with McGregor. Without his kicks to set up his punches, McGregor may be as good as dead against the best boxer of this generation.

Odds and Prediction

The odds here are currently -7000 for Mayweather and +1100 for McGregor. This isn’t even going to be close. Forget the Paulie Malignaggi photos. Mayweather may be 39 but he ain’t no Malignaggi. If McGregor can touch up Malignaggi, he doesn’t have the quickness to catch Mayweather. Also, McGregor’s head movement isn’t good enough for boxing, Floyd is going to target that head like practice.

Still, let’s give it to McGregor and give him the puncher’s chance because he does have some serious power in his left hand. However, he won’t be wearing those four once UFC gloves so that is an advantage to Mayweather. McGregor needs a miracle to win here, which is unlikely  but not impossible.This is going to be a huge event for both boxing and MMA but as to the winner, there is no doubt that the boxer beats the non-boxer in a boxing match.

We’re picking Floyd Mayweather to win by unanimous decision, 120-108 across all scorecards

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.

Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Arthur Abraham: Can King Arthur Win One More Title?

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Chris Eubank Jr. defends his IBO Super Middleweight title for the first time against former champion Arthur Abraham in London in late July. Eubank is looking for legitimacy while Abraham is looking for another world title.

Second Super Middleweight Bout

Eubank Jr., the son of former two division world champion Chris Eubank, will be fighting at super middleweight for only the second time in his career. He knocked out Renold Quinlan in the 10th round of his super middleweight debut last February, annexing the latter’s IBO belt.

Previously, Eubank campaigned at middleweight and won the interim WBA middleweight title in 2015 by knocking out Fedor Chudinov in two rounds. Eubank also won the British middleweight title with a 10th round KO win over Nick Blackwell in 2016. Eubank’s lone defeat was a split decision loss to Billie Joe Saunders in 2014.

More Experience at 168

Abraham is a former two division champion. The hammer-fisted Armenian though is now already 37 years old, giving up a decade in age to Eubank Jr. Since losing to Robert Stieglitz in 2013, Abraham has been 10-1 losing only to Gilberto Ramirez in 2016. Abraham has lost only five times in his decorated career and his other losses were to Andre Dirrell, Carl Froch and Andre Ward in the Super Six Middleweight tournament of 2010. Abraham’s lost only twice as a super middleweight and both were in title defenses. He is the more experienced fighter between the two at 168.

Odds and Prediction

Eubank is a -600 favorite while Abraham is a +400 underdog in this matchup between young blood and old dog. It’s going to be a fun fight to watch these two power punchers go at each other. Eubank is the young, athletic and explosive power puncher while Abraham is a classic brawler who always comes forward with haymaker after haymaker until he lands a shot that will hurt his opponent.

It’s actually a dangerous fight for Eubank Jr. because he has never fought someone in the caliber of Arthur Abraham. Having said that though, Eubank Jr. is faster with his hands and feet. He is the more athletic and explosive puncher at this stage of their respective careers.

Abraham is much slower and I don’t think he can hang up with a younger and more athletic opponent if the fight doesn’t end early. Eubank can use his skills to box around Abraham and win on points. It’s just not going to be easy as his previous wins but there is no doubt who takes this. We’re picking Chris Eubank Jr. to win on points.