Oleksandr Usyk Returns Against Unknown Kickboxer on RING/DAZN PPV

Oleksandr Usyk is back against a no-hoper, but there is a glimmer of hope on the undercard. Richard Torres faces his toughest test to date versus Frank Sanchez. Also, veteran boxer Jack Catterall takes on Shakram Gyiasov. The title of this article isn’t a shot directly pointed at Oleksandr, rather it’s the folks behind the event. Yes, Usyk is getting paid handsomely for this bullshit opponent, and this boxing podcaster would further criticize him if he chose to finish his career fighting nobodies.

However, I don’t expect Usyk, who is known to be a road warrior, to keep this gravy train going. After all, Usyk got to this point securing the lineal title by cleaning out the heavyweight division. Although the Ukrainian native’s resume of wins is impressive, he is not a boxer who can carry a pay-per-view just off name alone. The fact that his fight in headlining a PPV is a complete joke. Ever since the Turki’s Saudi money was injected into the sport of boxing most of his fights have been on PPV. At first, it was matchups like Beterbiev vs Bivol, a fight that didn’t have enough money in it to be made. The undercards were stacked no doubt but as time went on, the level of engagement and overall interest from the boxing public decreased.

When it’s pretty much all on PPV, especially during the afternoons in America, head-to-head competing against peak sports viewing was never going to work. DAZN who promised to kill PPV now has at least 12 a year further shrinking the audience. To the most hardcore boxing fan who already buys several PPV’s a year the ultimate subscription does save them money. But the normal boxing/sports fan will not pay 45 dollars a month by far passing most other streaming platforms price points. Time to step off my soapbox and break down these fights.

Injury issues for Frank Sanchez are the biggest reason he comes into this fight against Richard Torres as a sizable underdog. Torres is a crude aggressive brawler. He could face huge problems when facing a ‘boxer’ style fighter at the top level. That or a boxer who thrives on timing and can fight on the inside. To be fair, Torres has made some improvements along the way. This boxing junkie loves this style of fight even if the concerns for Sanchez knee injuries linger.

Inflammation to the knee of Sanchez was the reason this fight got pushed back. The same knee hurt enough to require surgery after his fight versus Agit Kabayel. This boxing scribe won’t go as far as saying Sanchez only lost to Kabayel because of the knee but certainly affected his performance. Sanchez must be on the move throughout the rounds, limiting the time spent on the ropes or trapped in the corners. Torres will look to target the body until he is able to open head shots with clean punches. Torres must beware of smothering his attack. Sanchez must use his jab and make Torres respect him with counter punches or pot shots to freeze Richard in his tracks.

As previously mentioned, Sanchez is an underdog or live dog depending on your perspective. The betting books have Sanchez upwards of +300 on the money line and Torres around –430. Sanchez by decision +500 and +700 by stoppage/DQ. Torres is +270 by decision and –130 via stoppage/DQ. If Sanchez’s knee is able to hold up, I absolutely love +500 by decision. Which can be hedged by one or even both methods of victory bets for Torres. My prediction in this article is based off Sanchez is relatively healthy which may not be reality, so keep that in mind.

My Official Prediction is Frank Sanchez by decision.

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Side Note: Keep an eye on the undercard fight between Jack Catterall and Shakram Gyiasov. Gyiasov is solid but untested at this point, so we get to find out what he’s made of on Saturday. Catterall is the craftier more tested boxer which has me leaning towards Jack.

My Pick: Jack Catterall by decision. Best Bet: -130 by Catterall by decision.

Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio