LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Dereck Chisora and Kubrat Pulev clash during the Chisora v Pulev 2 Press Conference at Canary Riverside Plaza Hotel on July 07, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)
Fight Previews!
This Saturday headlining main events here in the states and abroad feature newly crowned champion in Mark Magsayo, facing a tough style matchup in Rey Vargas as part of a Showtime tripleheader. Also, a rematch between a normally exciting Derek Chisora taking on Kubrat Pulev streaming live on the DAZN app should deliver at least a somewhat competitive bout. Coming off what appeared to be a slow weekend on paper ended up producing a sizable upset so we should be in for some fun this Saturday. Check out the
best new sportsbooks
for betting on Boxing!
Check out the top sportsbooks for betting on boxing
Whatever the sport. Whatever the moment. It’s Never Ordinary at bet365. That’s why if you sign up now you’ll get the choice of two great New Customer Offers, the First Bet Safety Net up to $1000 or Bet $5 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets. Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
Bet $5 Get $200 in Bonus Bets + 3 Weeks of NFL Sunday Ticket
T&Cs apply, 21+
Bet now
Letâs start with a rematch that no one was really screaming for but on face value will be a two-way fight and this hack-of-a-scribe finds it hard to complain about that. Chisora will have to find his way inside and land meaningful punches in the first part of the fight if he has any legit chance of pulling out the âWâ. Speaking of winning, Chisoraâs hand hasnât been raised going all the way back to 2019 over David Price. Look for Pulev to fight at range and control the action with his impressive jab. Beyond the jab and movement Pulev will land flush right hands either straight or via upper cut.
Even though their first meeting back in 2016 was a split-decision the cards shouldâve been all in favor of Pulev. Unless Kubrat has fallen of the ledge and the age factor catches up to him Pulev should win this second go round comfortably. And to be fair Chisora could fall off the cliff due to the amount of damage heâs taken over his long career. Pulev has fought just one time since getting stopped by Anthony Joshua to close out 2020. It should be mentioned Chisora coming up short against an outside boxer type in Joseph Parker in his last two-outings did make a pretty good account so letâs hope for the best.
My Prediction is Kubrat Pulev by Unanimous Decision.Â
By the way Iâm picking Israil Madrimov to move to 9-0 by defeating Michel Soro in the rematch from a first bout that ended strangely. If you didnât see it the referee couldnât hear the bell ring to close the 9th round as Madrimov teed off on Soro. Look for Madrimov to end the fight a round or two earlier and in a legal fashion. Israil started his career flashing fancy footwork with punching power but in back to back fights prior to Soto he was sloppy at times jumping with his shots and getting hit clean. In his controversial win over Soto it appeared Madrimov had tightened up his skills. Although Soto deserved a rematch from what took place the outcome will be the same. Check out the
best bookmakers
for betting on boxing!
In the main event on Showtime styles clash when fresh off a major victory over Gary Russell Jr., Mark Magsayo takes on a tough mandatory challenger. Rey Vargas is over 5â10â with a 70.5 reach which is pretty impressive for a 126-pounder. And unlike some fighters who have reach and height advantages, Rey will use ever-bit of what he has which should mesh well facing a come-forward boxer. Besides a knockout win over Julio Ceja, Mark Magsayoâs resume was very thin making him a big underdog versus Gary Russell Jr. Yes the injury Gary sustained made it clear as day he was limited but Magsayo did do some things in the early rounds that stood out.
After rounds 3 Gary threw three jabs the rest of the 9 rounds landing 11 in total. The crazy part is Magsayo threw over 200 jabs yet only managed to land 10. He simply outworked therefore out-landed Russell something he will need to do this Saturday. Activity not just the amount of punches Magsayo will have to throw and land but the recent lack of activity of his opponent could play a big part. Vargas was inactive for 26 months from his win over Tomoki Kameda in July of 2019 to his most recent win over Leanardo Baez. The odds for this fight are basically even which means Rey Vargas has great value.
Vargas should get the early lead pumping his jab along with movement from the outside. At some point Magsayo will need to close the distance using his foot speed and if possible tying up Vargas while using his one hand free to land shots to the body/hip. It will be difficult for Magsayo to unload combinations but he must keep pace with Rey who threw nearly 800 punches in that victory over Kameda. Magsayo should be able to win a few rounds in the first say 6 to 8, but if he doesnât cut the ring off and also make Vargas pay it will be a very long and frustrating night for him and quite possible the viewing audience. Regardless if the scorecards end up around say 7-5 or something like 9-3 the skills, reach, and now-how in the ring gives Rey Vargas more paths to victory.
Check out our top sportsbook bonuses for betting on boxing
Whatever the sport. Whatever the moment. It’s Never Ordinary at bet365. That’s why if you sign up now you’ll get the choice of two great New Customer Offers, the First Bet Safety Net up to $1000 or Bet $5 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets. Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
My Official Prediction is Rey Vargas by Unanimous Decision.
The undercard of the Showtime triple consists of Brandon Figueroa in his first fight since taking a close points-loss to Stephen Fulton, against a quality opponent in Carlos Castro in a WBC title eliminator. If Figueroa comes thru this bout he could be matched with the winner of the main event or a step up fight none the less. The opening bout is an interesting matchup between rising prospect Frank Martin facing highly-suitable replacement boxer in Jackson Martinez. The skills Martinez posses should give Frank Martin a thing or two to think about so letâs see if he can adapt.
Side Note: Prospect Cesar Francis at the 140-pound division goes against the hardened-vet Raymundo Beltran in the main event on ProBoxTv.
Â
Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
This site is using
Cloudflare
and adheres to the
Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted
Google's Privacy Guidelines
to keep your data safe at all times.
