Matt Gipon: David Haye to KO The Bomber Bellew in London?

Matt Gipon takes a look at the stats and makes his picks for the big rematch...

It’s the rematch. It’s revenge. This time we are going to make Paddy pay!

Mr Power was the puppet master for Haye-Bellew 1 but when David faces Tony this weekend we are coming out on top. There’s a huge undercard for us to put the pain on Paddy early doors and we can land a final blow with a bet on Gennady Golovkin in his late night fight with Vanes Martirosyan.

Head over to PaddyPower.com for the latest Boxing odds

Having got the first Haye-Bellew bout horribly wrong I have been putting in the long hours watching promo videos and studying social media activity. In Sky’s The Gloves Are Off – where the boxers straddle their chairs back to front and face-off across a dimly lit table – Bellew asked Haye if he is humble now and I thought even if he’s not I am.

Haye might not be completely chastened but he’s saying the right things. The Londoner admitted his wild approach in the early rounds last time was amateurish and he claims he’s replaced negative vibes with positive energy, which shows he’s employed a new sports psychologist, spiritual guru or particle physicist at the very least.

Ultimately, what happens in this fight is down to Haye because Bellew will be Bellew.

‘The Bomber’ won’t look like he’s in great nick but he’ll be ready for a 12 round war, he’ll be defensively well-drilled and he’ll still be wobbled if he gets caught clean.

Compared to the original contest Haye has a trainer he’s listening to and he’s dropped some of the excess bulk. The Londoner won four of the first five rounds last time and a ‘Hayemaker’ with the right game plan could take out the Merseysider in rounds 4-6, which is a tasty 7/2.

On the other hand you could argue that at 37 years of age, with a injury list longer than Jack Wilshere’s and after another year of inactivity Haye could be in worse physical condition than ever. If that’s true the bet to back is another Bellew win in rounds 7-12 at 13/2.

I don’t think Haye can be more poorly prepared than he was in March 2017 and I think his recently found respect for Big Tone will mean he boxes in a more measured way. The opposite will be true for Bellew who will be more aggressive knowing that his pension is banked and his boxing status is guaranteed.

Bet of the bout: Haye to win by KO at 4/5 (in my humble opinion).

After winning a world title aged 25 Paul Butler was hailed as the next big thing but after a loss one year later to boxing superstar Zolani Tete he’s had to take the long route back to the business end of boxing. There’s a vacant bantamweight world title on the line this Saturday but the unbeaten Emmanuel Rodriguez stands in the way.

The Puerto Rican, who is 25, is probably more hyped than Butler ever was and he’s just 1/3 to take the title. Rodriguez was outstanding international youth amateur and that means he’s well schooled and well travelled.

Neither man possesses real KO power and they are evenly matched enough that this one is set to go the distance. Don’t be shy about having a dabble on the draw at 22/1 but Rodriguez on points is stand out selection in this one.

Bet of the bout: Rodriguez on points at 6/4.

This Saturday Joe Joyce gets a shot at the Commonwealth crown in only his fourth professional outing but at 32 the 2016 Olympic silver medallist doesn’t have the time to go around posing with his blinging chain.

The champion who Joyce is aiming to dethrone is Jamaican heavyweight Lenroy Thomas, best known for his 2017 split decision victory over British contender Dave Allen. Allen was favourite for that fight and Joyce is a huge front runner for this one.

The Londonder is a decorated amateur and has a perfect KO record as a pro but his technique doesn’t flow naturally. He’s big, strong and called The ‘Juggernaut’ for a reason. I see this one going a few rounds before Joyce gets on top and forces the stoppage.

Bet of the bout: Joyce by in rounds 4-6 at 2/1.

Undercard

If Joyce’s career is in the fast lane then Martin Joseph Ward is on single carriageway making slow but steady progress. The Commonwealth and European super featherweight champ defends his belt against Belfast’s James Tennyson in a bout that should be entertaining for as long as it lasts.

‘Wardy’ is not known as a puncher but Tennyson has been KO’d twice in his career before round 6. The Northern Irishman can bang a little himself and there is some evidence that MJW doesn’t take a shot too well. The punt is Tennyson in rounds 1-6 at 13/2 but the best bet is Ward in rounds 5-8 at 5/1.

Neither man can nick a title in the fifth and final big fight in London but it has every chance of stealing the show. John Ryder and Jamie Cox are both fringe world level operators but only the winner can realistically hope for a shot at the championship in the foreseeable future.

Ryder is coming off a career best win against great Dane Patrick Nielsen, while Cox’s profile has never been bigger since his unsuccessful showdown with George Groves in October. Both like to get into a scrap and I’m backing it not to go the distance at 11/10.

GGG v Canelo Martirosyan

Bellew-Haye 2 is big but this Saturday was supposed to be the date of the absolutely humongous rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez. Canelo was caught with something naughty (drugs) in his system so instead we have the ‘Mexican-style’ bout between GGG and Vanes Martirosyan.

Martirosyan might not be a boxer you would normally block out a night in your diary for but he always comes to fight and any contest featuring Golovkin is worth watching. The Kazakh king’s opponent has challenged for belts twice before but he’s always come up short.

Golovkin may not have the fight that he wants but he can equal the middleweight record of 20 defences and score his first KO win in more than one whole year. Martirosyan is tough but he’s a career light middleweight and I reckon ‘Triple G’ will finish the fight in the middle rounds.

Bet of the bout: Golovkin to win in rounds 5-8 at 7/5.

Jab viciously at the chin of the latest Boxing odds over on PaddyPower.com