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Boxing fans are in for a treat on Saturday with an absolutely stacked card headlined by a rematch between undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and former champion Dmitry Bivol. Beterbiev won their first meeting with a razor-thin decision.
The card was deemed the “Fight Card of the Century” by Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh and despite some fight week adjustments due to illness, it still holds up incredibly well. Heavyweight Joseph Parker is set to face a rising contender in Martin Bakole after his original opponent, IBF champion Daniel Dubois, was forced to withdraw just two days beforehand. WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson is also back in action when he takes on Josh Padley, who is also a late replacement after Floyd Schofield Jr. was forced to withdraw with an illness. Plus, maybe the crown jewel of the undercard pits top junior middleweight talents against one another when Vergil Ortiz Jr. takes on Israil Madrimov.
You can catch up on everything there is to know about the full card by reading our look at the biggest storylines heading into the event and our preview of the undercard.
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With so many big fights, we dove into the card to identify the best bets to be made. Let’s take a look at where you should put your money if you’re so inclined.
Artur Beterbiev (c) vs. Dmitry Bivol
Dmitry Bivol moneyline (+105)
This fight really is a toss-up and the first fight was extremely close. That said, the majority of media scorecards were tilted toward Bivol, with another significant chunk seeing the fight as a draw. As good as Beterbiev is, Bivol is the man I believe who has the better chance to make significant adjustments to his style for the rematch. Beterbiev is who he is: an underrated technician who wants to come forward and land his heavy punches. Bivol has a bit more flexibility to his game and in such a close fight, I’d go toward the guy who arguably deserved the win the first time around and who is more likely to make necessary adjustments for the rematch, especially as a slight underdog.
Martin Bakole vs. Joseph Parker
Under 8.5 rounds (-115)
Bakole is a very live underdog at +125 but the safer play here is to expect explosive action early leading to a finish before we reach the halfway point of Round 9. Bakole is a man nobody in the heavyweight division seeks to fight. He’s big, he’s tough and he hits very hard. Bakole made a talented prospect in Jared Anderson look foolish in his last outing and Parker has been down many times in his career. At the same time, Parker has looked as good as ever in his most recent fights and Bakole is coming in on two days’ notice for an opponent he wasn’t preparing to face. Look for someone to get stopped in the first half of the fight.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov
Vergil Ortiz moneyline (-125)
Madrimov is a very good fighter, as proven by him nearly pulling off a massive upset over Terence Crawford. However, Crawford was adjusting to a new weight in that fight and that could have played a factor in addition to Madrimov’s effectively awkward style. Ortiz is a handful for anyone and is definitely comfortable at junior middleweight. There were some scary moments for Ortiz against Serhii Bohachuk as he had to pick himself up off the canvas twice to battle his way to a majority decision, but Bohachuk’s power is a level above Madrimov and Madrimov won’t be looking to go blow-for-blow in this fight. Ortiz will have to navigate Madrimov’s tricky style, but his pressure should be effective as the fight goes on. Rather than picking a specific KO or decision result for Ortiz, play it safe with the moneyline.
Other bets to consider
- Callum Smith (+165) vs. Joshua Buatsi — Smith is an underdog for valid reasons, but Buatsi has simply never taken a significant step up in his level of competition. Smith is experienced against elite fighters and has enough tricks up his sleeve to pull off the minor upset over someone who hasn’t proven they’re ready to fight at this level despite being 31 years old and having won an Olympic medal.
- Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel under 9.5 rounds (-115) — Two hard-hitting heavyweights stepping into the ring with the chance to move closer to a world title shot could make for an explosive fight. Kabayel will be the busier fighter but when Zhang connects, he hurts people. This is a fight with full potential to end in the first half of the fight.
- Shakur Stevenson vs. Josh Padley over 8.5 rounds (-115) — Until given a reason not to, I’m not going to believe Stevenson has it in him to step on the gas pedal, even in a case where he’s fighting a relatively unheralded opponent who took the fight on extremely short notice. Stevenson has all the skills to go in and thrash a fighter like Padley in short order, but he doesn’t seem to have that instinct so we’ll play the over in this one.
Who wins Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, and which method of victory prop could bring a huge return? Join SportsLine here to see which bets you need to make for the fight, all from the accomplished veteran combat sports analyst who has consistently delivered winners.
