George Groves v Callum Smith Betting Preview
The second World Boxing Super Series Final takes place in Jeddah. A lot of momentum from the other final and semi finals has died down, which part of the blame has to go to the venue. Why this fight, between two British fighters, is not taking place in Britain still confuses me. Neither fighter will complain of they win the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Groves is the current WBA Super Middleweight Champion and has had a great career. His three losses have come against superstar level fighters in Carl Froch twice and Badou Jack. None of these losses look bad in hindsight. He is a twice ABA champion who won 66 of 76 bouts but did not make it the 2007 Olympics behind James DeGale. Groves avenged that defeat in the professional ranks. He won his world title against Fedor Chudinov after stopping him in six rounds. His quarter final saw him stop domestic rival Jamie Cox with a vicious body shot. As an underdog he overcame Chris Eubank in the semi final with a comfortable decision victory. He has the ability to box and fight with a good amount of power behind his punches. His one issue could be his chin which Froch eventually found and has looked fragile since. Callum Smith has always had huge potential. He was a very good amateur, winning silver at the Commonwealth Games. Everyone assumed he would get to a big level and he showed flashes on his way up. The excitement went up a level when crushing Rocky Firlding in the first round, a win that arguably looks even more impressive now. Following that though his performances kept being underwhelming. Smith turned down a world title shot against Anthony Dirrell to enter the tournament. He beat Erik Skoglund in the first round by unanimous decision in a real war and intriguing fight. His semi final would be against Nieky Holzken after Juergen Brähmer pulled out. It was a drab affair, with Smith cruising to a win. He is big, with beautiful straight punches and good power but too often flatters to deceive. Groves was an utterly ridiculous price against Eubank, Smith and Eubank are of similar ability. Groves is probably still too long. He has proven quality way above Smith. Smith has shown flashes of a boxer with the capability of being top level. He has not done that anywhere near regularly enough for me to believe he can win against Groves. Groves has experience, ability and confidence on his side here.George Groves to win by decision 7-4
George Groves v Callum Smith Betting Preview
The second World Boxing Super Series Final takes place in Jeddah. A lot of momentum from the other final and semi finals has died down, which part of the blame has to go to the venue. Why this fight, between two British fighters, is not taking place in Britain still confuses me. Neither fighter will complain of they win the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Groves is the current WBA Super Middleweight Champion and has had a great career. His three losses have come against superstar level fighters in Carl Froch twice and Badou Jack. None of these losses look bad in hindsight. He is a twice ABA champion who won 66 of 76 bouts but did not make it the 2007 Olympics behind James DeGale. Groves avenged that defeat in the professional ranks. He won his world title against Fedor Chudinov after stopping him in six rounds. His quarter final saw him stop domestic rival Jamie Cox with a vicious body shot. As an underdog he overcame Chris Eubank in the semi final with a comfortable decision victory. He has the ability to box and fight with a good amount of power behind his punches. His one issue could be his chin which Froch eventually found and has looked fragile since. Callum Smith has always had huge potential. He was a very good amateur, winning silver at the Commonwealth Games. Everyone assumed he would get to a big level and he showed flashes on his way up. The excitement went up a level when crushing Rocky Firlding in the first round, a win that arguably looks even more impressive now. Following that though his performances kept being underwhelming. Smith turned down a world title shot against Anthony Dirrell to enter the tournament. He beat Erik Skoglund in the first round by unanimous decision in a real war and intriguing fight. His semi final would be against Nieky Holzken after Juergen Brähmer pulled out. It was a drab affair, with Smith cruising to a win. He is big, with beautiful straight punches and good power but too often flatters to deceive. Groves was an utterly ridiculous price against Eubank, Smith and Eubank are of similar ability. Groves is probably still too long. He has proven quality way above Smith. Smith has shown flashes of a boxer with the capability of being top level. He has not done that anywhere near regularly enough for me to believe he can win against Groves. Groves has experience, ability and confidence on his side here.George Groves to win by decision 7-4
George Groves v Callum Smith Betting Preview
The second World Boxing Super Series Final takes place in Jeddah. A lot of momentum from the other final and semi finals has died down, which part of the blame has to go to the venue. Why this fight, between two British fighters, is not taking place in Britain still confuses me. Neither fighter will complain of they win the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Groves is the current WBA Super Middleweight Champion and has had a great career. His three losses have come against superstar level fighters in Carl Froch twice and Badou Jack. None of these losses look bad in hindsight. He is a twice ABA champion who won 66 of 76 bouts but did not make it the 2007 Olympics behind James DeGale. Groves avenged that defeat in the professional ranks. He won his world title against Fedor Chudinov after stopping him in six rounds. His quarter final saw him stop domestic rival Jamie Cox with a vicious body shot. As an underdog he overcame Chris Eubank in the semi final with a comfortable decision victory. He has the ability to box and fight with a good amount of power behind his punches. His one issue could be his chin which Froch eventually found and has looked fragile since. Callum Smith has always had huge potential. He was a very good amateur, winning silver at the Commonwealth Games. Everyone assumed he would get to a big level and he showed flashes on his way up. The excitement went up a level when crushing Rocky Firlding in the first round, a win that arguably looks even more impressive now. Following that though his performances kept being underwhelming. Smith turned down a world title shot against Anthony Dirrell to enter the tournament. He beat Erik Skoglund in the first round by unanimous decision in a real war and intriguing fight. His semi final would be against Nieky Holzken after Juergen Brähmer pulled out. It was a drab affair, with Smith cruising to a win. He is big, with beautiful straight punches and good power but too often flatters to deceive. Groves was an utterly ridiculous price against Eubank, Smith and Eubank are of similar ability. Groves is probably still too long. He has proven quality way above Smith. Smith has shown flashes of a boxer with the capability of being top level. He has not done that anywhere near regularly enough for me to believe he can win against Groves. Groves has experience, ability and confidence on his side here.George Groves to win by decision 7-4
Gennady Golovkin v Saul Alvarez Betting Preview
Once again, this contest has been long anticipated by boxing fans. Ever since the first contest finished in a controversial draw, fans have been desperate to see the rematch. It was originally slated for earlier this year, but Canelo failed a drugs test which put the fight in doubt. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, and we are set for a huge rematch. The first bout saw was incredibly controversial, mainly because of the Adelaide Byrd scorecard which gave Canelo a wide victory to make the right a draw. It was a close fight and I had Canelo winning, in contrary to most people. Golovkin was coming forward all night but his pressure was largely ineffective with Canelo showing great movement and taking the early and late rounds. Golovkin (38-0-1) has been a terror at middleweight after a decorated amateur career which included an Olympic silver medal in 2004. He was something of a gym story at first after beginning training with Abel Sanchez in 2010. His career really took off when beating Milton Nunez for the WBA Regular Title. He reminded under the radar, but his US debut saw him stop Grzegorz Proksa in five. As a champion he terrorised the division stopping Geale, Brook, Ishida, Macklin and Rosado. He added the WBC title to his mantle by defeating Marco Antonio Rubio. The IBF title came when he beat David Lemieux. Prior to the first Canelo bout, he was also pushed to the brink by Daniel Jacobs. Golovkin is best known for his aggressive stalking and power punching, stopping 33 opponents. He is intelligent as a puncher and with his footwork. He is not quick, but his footwork cuts the ring off well. His best work comes from his jab and left hook, which is particularly dangerous to the body. He has a superb chin which has seen him never knocked down. He does not use a lot of head movement though, preferring a shell technique which can leave his body open to attack. Canelo (49-1-2) turned professional at 15 and has been a huge prospect for years. In his third bout he defeated future world champion Miguel Vazquez. In his 25th bout he won the NABF Welterweight Title. He featured on the Mayweather - Mosley undercard where he stopped Jose Miguel Cotto. Following this he moved up to light middleweight and became the second man to stop Carlos Baldomir. He won the WBC light middleweight title beating Matthew Hatton. He reeled off six defences including beating Shane Mosley and Austin Trout before losing a decision to Floyd Mayweather. Since then he has won seven straight winning the WBO Light Middleweight and WBC Middleweight titles with wins over Erislandy Lara, Amir Khan and Miguel Cotto. Canelo is more stylistically flexible with the ability to go forwards or backwards. His punching is precise with brilliant speed and accuracy. He will likely look to counter punch here and will use him combination punching to allow him to exchange. Canelo tends to put himself against the ropes which is dangerous against Golovkin and could be potentially show he has stamina issues. His struggles have been against slick boxers who move well; Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Like the first fight, I expect public money to be with Golovkin as a fan favourite and someone who was seen as robbed in the first bout. In a bout between a boxer and a pressure fighter, the rematch tends to favour the boxer who will have adjusted to the opponent’s tendencies. I think he will once again use his speed and movement to keep GGG from landing. Canelo will have also learnt that GGG has a chin made of steel and will be less likely to hunt for a knockout. I think he will be the improved fighter from the first bout. Once again, I fancy Canelo by decision although it scares me that potentially judges could be influenced by the view that GGG was robbed in the first bout. Best bet: Canelo to win by decision (3.25 @William Hill)
Gennady Golovkin v Saul Alvarez Betting Preview
Once again, this contest has been long anticipated by boxing fans. Ever since the first contest finished in a controversial draw, fans have been desperate to see the rematch. It was originally slated for earlier this year, but Canelo failed a drugs test which put the fight in doubt. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, and we are set for a huge rematch. The first bout saw was incredibly controversial, mainly because of the Adelaide Byrd scorecard which gave Canelo a wide victory to make the right a draw. It was a close fight and I had Canelo winning, in contrary to most people. Golovkin was coming forward all night but his pressure was largely ineffective with Canelo showing great movement and taking the early and late rounds. Golovkin (38-0-1) has been a terror at middleweight after a decorated amateur career which included an Olympic silver medal in 2004. He was something of a gym story at first after beginning training with Abel Sanchez in 2010. His career really took off when beating Milton Nunez for the WBA Regular Title. He reminded under the radar, but his US debut saw him stop Grzegorz Proksa in five. As a champion he terrorised the division stopping Geale, Brook, Ishida, Macklin and Rosado. He added the WBC title to his mantle by defeating Marco Antonio Rubio. The IBF title came when he beat David Lemieux. Prior to the first Canelo bout, he was also pushed to the brink by Daniel Jacobs. Golovkin is best known for his aggressive stalking and power punching, stopping 33 opponents. He is intelligent as a puncher and with his footwork. He is not quick, but his footwork cuts the ring off well. His best work comes from his jab and left hook, which is particularly dangerous to the body. He has a superb chin which has seen him never knocked down. He does not use a lot of head movement though, preferring a shell technique which can leave his body open to attack. Canelo (49-1-2) turned professional at 15 and has been a huge prospect for years. In his third bout he defeated future world champion Miguel Vazquez. In his 25th bout he won the NABF Welterweight Title. He featured on the Mayweather - Mosley undercard where he stopped Jose Miguel Cotto. Following this he moved up to light middleweight and became the second man to stop Carlos Baldomir. He won the WBC light middleweight title beating Matthew Hatton. He reeled off six defences including beating Shane Mosley and Austin Trout before losing a decision to Floyd Mayweather. Since then he has won seven straight winning the WBO Light Middleweight and WBC Middleweight titles with wins over Erislandy Lara, Amir Khan and Miguel Cotto. Canelo is more stylistically flexible with the ability to go forwards or backwards. His punching is precise with brilliant speed and accuracy. He will likely look to counter punch here and will use him combination punching to allow him to exchange. Canelo tends to put himself against the ropes which is dangerous against Golovkin and could be potentially show he has stamina issues. His struggles have been against slick boxers who move well; Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Like the first fight, I expect public money to be with Golovkin as a fan favourite and someone who was seen as robbed in the first bout. In a bout between a boxer and a pressure fighter, the rematch tends to favour the boxer who will have adjusted to the opponent’s tendencies. I think he will once again use his speed and movement to keep GGG from landing. Canelo will have also learnt that GGG has a chin made of steel and will be less likely to hunt for a knockout. I think he will be the improved fighter from the first bout. Once again, I fancy Canelo by decision although it scares me that potentially judges could be influenced by the view that GGG was robbed in the first bout. Best bet: Canelo to win by decision (3.25 @William Hill)
Gennady Golovkin v Saul Alvarez Betting Preview
Once again, this contest has been long anticipated by boxing fans. Ever since the first contest finished in a controversial draw, fans have been desperate to see the rematch. It was originally slated for earlier this year, but Canelo failed a drugs test which put the fight in doubt. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, and we are set for a huge rematch. The first bout saw was incredibly controversial, mainly because of the Adelaide Byrd scorecard which gave Canelo a wide victory to make the right a draw. It was a close fight and I had Canelo winning, in contrary to most people. Golovkin was coming forward all night but his pressure was largely ineffective with Canelo showing great movement and taking the early and late rounds. Golovkin (38-0-1) has been a terror at middleweight after a decorated amateur career which included an Olympic silver medal in 2004. He was something of a gym story at first after beginning training with Abel Sanchez in 2010. His career really took off when beating Milton Nunez for the WBA Regular Title. He reminded under the radar, but his US debut saw him stop Grzegorz Proksa in five. As a champion he terrorised the division stopping Geale, Brook, Ishida, Macklin and Rosado. He added the WBC title to his mantle by defeating Marco Antonio Rubio. The IBF title came when he beat David Lemieux. Prior to the first Canelo bout, he was also pushed to the brink by Daniel Jacobs. Golovkin is best known for his aggressive stalking and power punching, stopping 33 opponents. He is intelligent as a puncher and with his footwork. He is not quick, but his footwork cuts the ring off well. His best work comes from his jab and left hook, which is particularly dangerous to the body. He has a superb chin which has seen him never knocked down. He does not use a lot of head movement though, preferring a shell technique which can leave his body open to attack. Canelo (49-1-2) turned professional at 15 and has been a huge prospect for years. In his third bout he defeated future world champion Miguel Vazquez. In his 25th bout he won the NABF Welterweight Title. He featured on the Mayweather - Mosley undercard where he stopped Jose Miguel Cotto. Following this he moved up to light middleweight and became the second man to stop Carlos Baldomir. He won the WBC light middleweight title beating Matthew Hatton. He reeled off six defences including beating Shane Mosley and Austin Trout before losing a decision to Floyd Mayweather. Since then he has won seven straight winning the WBO Light Middleweight and WBC Middleweight titles with wins over Erislandy Lara, Amir Khan and Miguel Cotto. Canelo is more stylistically flexible with the ability to go forwards or backwards. His punching is precise with brilliant speed and accuracy. He will likely look to counter punch here and will use him combination punching to allow him to exchange. Canelo tends to put himself against the ropes which is dangerous against Golovkin and could be potentially show he has stamina issues. His struggles have been against slick boxers who move well; Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Like the first fight, I expect public money to be with Golovkin as a fan favourite and someone who was seen as robbed in the first bout. In a bout between a boxer and a pressure fighter, the rematch tends to favour the boxer who will have adjusted to the opponent’s tendencies. I think he will once again use his speed and movement to keep GGG from landing. Canelo will have also learnt that GGG has a chin made of steel and will be less likely to hunt for a knockout. I think he will be the improved fighter from the first bout. Once again, I fancy Canelo by decision although it scares me that potentially judges could be influenced by the view that GGG was robbed in the first bout. Best bet: Canelo to win by decision (3.25 @William Hill)