Boxing Tips
8pm – Caoimhin Agyarko v Troy Williamson
Troy Williamson to Win in Round 9 – 10
9:30pm – Tyrone McKenna v Lewis Crocker
Tyrone McKenna Points or Decision
10.30pm – Michael Conlan v Jordan Gill
Michael Conlan to Win in Round 9 – 10
4am (Sunday) – Ryan Garcia v Oscar Duarte Jurado
Ryan Garcia To Win in Round 4 – 6
A bumper month of boxing begins with a Belfast-Houston DAZN double header – Irish favourite Mick Conlan headlines the Odyssey against fellow contender Jordan Gill, while over in Texas social media and boxing superstar Ryan Garcia has a tough assignment with Oscar Duarte.
8pm: Caoimhin Agyarko v Troy Williamson
Troy Williamson to Win in Round 9 – 10
The first tasty fight lined up for us in Belfast is the super welterweight bout between hometown boxer Caoimhin Agyarko and County Durham’s Troy Williamson. Caoimhin, 26, is powerful and slick, and Paddy and the pundits make him a decent favourite, but the Irishman is susceptible to getting hit and dropping his workrate.
Williamson, 32, is a former British champ and his only loss has come against fellow North East fighter Josh Kelly by wide unanimous decision. Williamson and Agyarko were good amateurs, but not on the level of Kelly, and I think we’ll see a close fight on Saturday. Agyarko could show superior skills, but I like the big odds on Williamson forcing a late upset stoppage.
9.30pm: Tyrone McKenna v Lewis Crocker
Tyrone McKenna Points or Decision
A battle of Belfast is the main support act on Saturday at the Odyssey Arena – long-standing fan-favourite Tyrone McKenna, 33, takes on rising prospect Lewis Crocker, 26, in a welterweight 10-rounder. The younger man is odds-on but McKenna has only lost to world-level operators in recent years.
‘The Croc’ is unbeaten in 17 bouts but he hasn’t always converted his dominance against lower level into KOs – only 58% of his wins have come inside the distance. He’ll try to assert front foot pressure, but this is a step up,
‘The Mighty Celt’ has been to the top and faced the best, and he has the experience to use his long southpaw style to full effect. The slight worries around McKenna are his 16-month lay off and only one fight at welter since moving up, but he’s grittier than his lanky frame makes him look and I’m backing him to win on points.
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10.30pm: Michael Conlan v Jordan Gill
TV: DAZN
Michael Conlan to Win in Round 9 – 10
Michael Conlan has fallen short at the top level twice now, but he hasn’t given up on his goal to win a world title. The Irish featherweight meets Britain’s Jordan Gill who, like Conlan, is coming off a defeat to a world class opponent. Both men need a win in this weekend’s 12-round showpiece to get back to title contention.
Back in May, Conlan faced 126-pound titleholder Luis Alberto Lopez, but the unorthodox Mexican found the target too easily and walked off with his belt after just five rounds. Gill’s last fight, in October 2022, finished in similar fashion, with Kiko Martinez having too much power for the Brit.
The results mean both men have two losses on their records, both by KO, but the similarities run deeper than just their resumes – Conlan, 32, and Gill, 29, are slick fighters, with good footwork, high IQ and flashy combinations, and both get into more scraps than they should.
The difficulty for the away boxer this Saturday is that the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist is just a bit better at everything – Conlan is a bit bigger, a bit faster, he has slightly better defence and he has more experience.
In 2022 both men faced Karim Guerfi – Gill was losing on the cards after seven rounds, his balance had been taken away by blows to the ear and the side of the head, and he was trapped in a corner, but he pulled out a right hand from hell and won the contest by KO. Conlan won his fight with Guerfi thanks to a first round stoppage.
Conlan isn’t known for his power but he’s scored knock-downs against four of his last five opponents. Gill isn’t a bigger puncher either, and without that he will struggle to avoid getting overwhelmed by Mick. Jordan has looked fragile against better opponents, and I think Conlan can get a late stoppage win on Saturday.
4am (Sunday morning): Ryan Garcia v Oscar Duarte Jurado
TV: DAZN
Ryan Garcia To Win in Round 4 – 6
Ryan Garcia returns to the ring for the first time this weekend since losing to fellow boxing big-timer Gevonta Davis. In the opposite corner is Mexico’s Oscar Duarte Jurado – it almost goes without saying that he’ll be tough, and he’s got an 80% KO ratio, but Garcia should have more than enough to get another notch in the win column.
Duarte is big for a lightweight, like Garcia, and he definitely has power, but he doesn’t have any notable wins, and he has a loss on his record against the mediocre Adrian Estrella. Compare that to Garcia who has wins against Olympic champ Luke Campbell and former titleholder Javier Fortuna, and it’s clear why the American is favourite.
The loss to Davis was clear, but even pound-for-pound ranked ‘Tank’ Davis struggled a bit with Garcia’s hand speed. ‘King Ry’ KO’d Fortuna in six rounds and Campbell in seven – I think he’s improved since then and can get the job done a round or two quicker.
Boxing Betting Tips:
Caoimhin Agyarko v Troy Williamson
Troy Williamson to Win in Round 9 – 10
Tyrone McKenna v Lewis Crocker
Tyrone McKenna Points or Decision
Michael Conlan v Jordan Gill
Michael Conlan to Win in Round 9 – 10
Ryan Garcia v Oscar Duarte Jurado
Ryan Garcia To Win in Round 4 – 6
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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