BOXING has been on a high in recent years and this spring and summer should see some real blockbuster bouts.
I asked contributor Danny Cox to give me some tips on forthcoming big fights for a betting pullout I had to do for the Record last week. In case you missed the article here it is.
Danny says: First stop on March 31 in Cardiff is a mouth-watering heavyweight unification fight as IBF and WBA champion Anthony Joshua attempts to add Joseph Parker’s WBO crown to his collection.
This should be a belter with a bout against WBC champion Deontay Wilder and a chance to be the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis awaiting.
Parker could cause Joshua problems but the Brit’s power should produce a stoppage in the latter half of the fight.
Joshua to win by KO/TKO/DQ is 1-3 with betfair. To finish it in rounds 7-12 appeals at 9-5 with Ladbrokes, as does rounds 10-12 at 11-2 with William Hill. Rounds 9-10 at 11-2 with Hills and round 9 at 12-1 at McBookie also tempt.
Both fighters to be knocked down may also be worth a look at 10-1 with Paddy Power.
Be sure to clear the diary on the weekend of May 5 as a double bill of rematches hits our screens. David Haye seeks to avenge his defeat by Tony Bellew last year.
If the former is fit he should edge it in the middle rounds.
Haye to win is 7-15 at Marathonbet and win by KO/TKO/DQ is 4-5 at Ladbrokes. Higher value picks can be found on Haye rounds 5-8 at 3-1 with Ladbrokes, rounds 7-12 at 16-5 with Paddy Power, rounds 5-6 at 6-1 with Ladbrokes while rounds 5, 6 and 7 can be had on their own at 12-1 with various firms.
You can then set your alarms for the rematch between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin in Las Vegas in the early hours of May 6.
A draw in the first fight deprived Golovkin of his perfect record but not his WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight titles, which are on the line again. He will want to cement his reputation as one of the finest-ever middleweights by defeating Alvarez whose only loss so far was to Floyd Mayweather.
I fancy a Golovkin points win. He’s 8-13 at Marathonbet and the points win is 9-4.
The fight to go the distance at 8-11 with Paddy Power is attractive and for those who fancy history to repeat itself the draw/technical draw is 20-1 with Hills, bet365 and others.
Billy Joe Saunders, James De Gale, Amir Khan, Terence Crawford, Manny Pacquiao and Carl Frampton should all win in April/May. Adonis Stevenson and Badou Jack do battle on May 19 for the WBC light
heavyweight title.
Special mention goes to a featherweight rematch where Leo Santa Cruz will be looking to repeat his 2015 majority decision win over Abner Mares on June 9 in LA.
There’s so much to look forward to when the first bell sounds.
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
