Tag Archives: Boxing picks

Luke Campbell vs. Darleys Perez Odds and Prediction

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Britain’s Golden Boy Luke Campbell will fight in the Joshua-Klitschko undercard in a bout that has been declared as a Lightweight title eliminator. The 2012 Olympic Gold medalist will fight former world champion Darleys Perez for the right to face WBA Lightweight champion Jorge Linares.

British Golden Boy

Campbell is Britain’s version of the Golden Boy after capturing gold in both the 2008 European Championships and 2012 Olympics. In winning the latter, Campbell became the first bantamweight from England to win the Olympic Bantamweight gold since 1908. In 2013, he was appointed MBE and turned pro later that year.

As a prize fighter, Campbell has compiled an impressive 16-1 with 13 KOS record. His only blot was a close and controversial split decision loss to Frenchman Yvan Mendy. Campbell has won 10 of his last 11 bouts and he is coming off a 2nd round TKO win over Jairo Lopez last February. Campbell has recorded nine stoppages in his last 10 victories.

His opponent is a man who held the WBA belt Linares now owns. Darleys Perez defended that title three times before losing it to Anthony Crolla. Crolla meanwhile lost the belt to Linares. Perez has won 10 of his last 14 bouts and is coming off a November draw with Maurice Hooker. Six of his last eight victories have been by decision.

The Prediction

Campbell is a solid -500 over Perez who is currently at +350. However, this is no walk in the park for the Briton. Perez is a former world champion who has vast fighting experience. The Columbian is tough,quick and an effective counter puncher. Over the years, Perez has proven that he can absorb punishment and still be in the fight. He’s not going to be intimidated by Campbell and won’t be discouraged by the hometown crowd at Wembley. That’s what Luke Campbell has to be wary about here. He can’t be discouraged if he doesn’t put away Perez early.

Having said that, though, Campbell has to feel confident knowing that Perez got knocked out by Anthony Crolla in his most recent loss because Crolla isn’t known for his punching power. Luke Campbell has tremendous punching power and packs the bigger punches than both Crolla and Perez. He is the far more skilled and polished boxer in this match-up so he can also win this bout on the judges’ scorecards. At the end of the day, it’s going to be a victory for Luke Campbell. Either way, it’s not going to be easy but he will come out of this fight the victor and a better fighter. And well prepared for a possible title shot against Jorge Linares.

We’re picking Luke Campbell to win this fight by late stoppage or unanimous decision.

Andre Berto vs. Shawn Porter Odds And Preview

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Former world champions Andre Berto and Shawn Porter will meet in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card on April 22nd, 2017 at the Barclays Center in New York.

The bout will be the WBC’s title eliminator with the winner between the 5th ranked Porter and the 7th ranked Berto scheduled to face the new WBC champion Keith Thurman next.

Title Eliminator

Showtime Shawn Porter is just 2-2 in his last four bouts but his losses were to IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook and Thurman. Those bouts were close and went down the wire. Porter could have easily won both on another given time. Should Porter get past Berto, he may be staring at a rematch against Keith Thurman.

Like Porter, Berto’s last few bouts have been split 50-50. He’s won just half of his last eight bouts and has virtually lost to every big name that he’s faced. Berto is best remembered for being Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s retirement opponent. He has not won back to back fights since 2010. A win over Porter puts him on line to fight for the WBC belt he successfully defended five times during his peak.

Not The Same

Porter is a solid -420 favorite over Berto who is currently at +300.

Berto’s record is an impressive 31-4 with 24 KOS but he’s clearly not the same fighter he was in his prime. Ever since pulling out of the Shane Mosley bout in 2010 in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquakes, Andre Berto has not been the same ‘Beast’ inside the ring. From being undefeated in his first 27 bouts, Berto suddenly went 4-5 and although he is coming off a 4th round KO win over Victor Ortiz, it’s clear that Berto no longer has the same pop in his punches and has lost a step or two inside the ring.

The Prediction

Porter may be coming off a loss to Keith Thurman but that was a closely contested bout and Porter may have even gained more respect from it. He may not be the flashy boxer but his blue collar work ethic, high level boxing IQ and technical abilities are solid enough to get the job done. Showtime loves to come forward and press the action. That pressure and heavy work rate should pose a lot of trouble for the battle weary Berto.

Of course, Berto is still a very respectable fighter but post shoulder surgery, he cannot keep step with  the tireless Shawn Porter. We’re picking Porter to win on points. He should be able to force Berto to box him and avoid getting into a slugfest where Berto still has the puncher’s chance.

Beautiful Brutality: Why Martin Murray Will Beat Gabriel Rosado

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Martin Murray returns to the middleweight division on April 22nd when he faces veteran Gabriel Rosado at the Liverpool Echo Arena in England.

Moving Down

After three failed tries at the middleweight title which culminated in an 11th round TKO loss to Gennady Golovkin in February of 2015, Martin Murray has since campaigned at super middleweight. There, Murray won five of seven bouts but lost another title shot against Arthur Abraham in November of 2015. Another loss to countryman George Groves last June may have made Murray think twice about staying at Super Middleweight. Two fights later, he goes down to 160 pounds once again to face an opponent who, like him, has tried but failed to win a world title in his decorated career.

An Uphill Battle

Gabriel Rosado was a 21-5 up and coming contender when he was stopped by Gennady Golovkin in his first attempt at a world title back in 2013. Since then, it’s been an uphill battle for the Pennsylvania native. Rosado has won only twice since, losing four times and earning one no-contest over the period. To his credit, though, Rosado fought top some notch competition lately: Peter Quillin, Jermell Charlo, David Lemieux, Joshua Clottey and Willie Monroe Jr. With the losses piling up, Rosado needs to rebound quickly or else his career could be ending pretty soon. Facing Murray is a big challenge but it will also be a huge reward bout if Rosado wins. If you ask Rosado, there isn’t any doubt that he will.

The Odds

Murray is currently a -350 against Rosado’s +265. And while this bout is going to be competitive, brutal and bloody, we’re going with Martin Murray here. Sure, he’s always been exciting to watch with his brawling style but Rosado has been struggling in the last couple of years. With two wins in his last seven fights, he appears to be on the way down. Murray meanwhile has won five of seven bouts since the Golovkin loss. Four of those wins were by KO and his losses were to Arthur Abraham and George Groves. This fight’s in England and Murray’s only loss in his home country has been against Groves.

Murray’s weakness was his lack of power but with four KO wins in seven super middleweight fights he’s proven otherwise. Murray’s rugged style is a bad match-up for Rosado and if he’s expecting a Gatti-Ward style war, he’s not going to win this at all. Murray is one of the sport’s toughest competitors. This could end in a stoppage with the brutality expected but if this one’s going to get stopped, it will be in Murray’s favor. I can’t see Rosado winning on points either with Murray being the better all-around fighter between the two. We’re picking Martin Murray to beat Gabriel Rosado.

A New Era: Liam Smith vs. Liam Williams Odds and Prediction

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It’s Liam verus Liam on April 8th at England’s Manchester Arena when former WBO super welterweight champion Liam Smith tests the unbeaten British and Commonwealth super welterweight title holder Liam Williams in the co-main event of Terry Flanagan’s 5th title defense against Petr Petrov.

A New Era

Dubbed as ‘A New Era’, Liam vs. Liam features two of England’s best 154-pounders. Smith was the former WBO world champion before losing to Canelo Alvarez by 9th round TKO in September 2016. Smith returned to action on March 18th and won a 4-round bout against Marian Cazacu in Spain. He will be fighting on back to back months.

Williams won the British and Commonwealth 154-pound titles by stopping Gary Corcoran at the Wales Ice Rink in July of 2016. He is coming off a November victory over Gabor Gorbics. For his achievements last year, the undefeated Williams was named as the British Boxing Writers Young Boxer of the Year for 2016.

Incidentally, Smith and Williams are the #1 and #2 super welterweights in Britain, respectively so bragging rights is an added prize aside from the WBO European belt which will will be on the line when these two collide on April 8th.

Odds and Prediction

Manchester Arena will definitely be fully packed for this contest because many British boxing fans consider this to be a truly 50/50 bout. The odds currently say that Williams is a -125 and set Smith at even money at +100.

It may look interesting that the young up and comer is favored over the more experienced former world champion but Liam Williams may be the best super welterweight in Britain today. The 24-year old Welshman is a very accurate puncher who possesses a very strong right uppercut. At 5’10”, he’s got good size and length. Williams also comes in on fire, having won his last 8 bouts by stoppage.

Smith ,meanwhile, has a polished offensive game and throws very good combinations. Smith has a balanced head and body attack and while he may not have the same power as Williams but eight of his last wins have come via knockout. The one big concern here is that he will be fighting in back to back months which is always risky. No question that his last bout was just a four rounder but the quick turnaround could backfire against a talented blue-chip contender who has all the motives to beat him.

We’re picking Liam Williams to win here because he’s got the better jab and the heavier hands. Smith may appear to be much more experienced but in reality, his resume isn’t that good. So get your popcorn ready. This should be a good one but we expect Williams to remain undefeated.

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.

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.