Saturday’s Boxing Tips:
4am Sunday: Vasyl Lomachenko v George Kambosos Jr
Lomachenko To Win the Fight in Round 9 – 10
Kambosos Jr to Land 150+ Punches in the Fight
3am Sunday: Andrew Moloney v Pedro Guevara
Guevara Points or Decision
*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.
We’re going Down Under for the big boxing event of the weekend as the legendary Vasyl Lomachenko takes on Australian favourite and former world champ George Kambosos Jr for a vacant lightweight strap, and on the undercard Andrew Moloney faces Pedro Guevara in a duel that promises to be an absolute war.
VASYL LOMACHENKO V GEORGE KAMBOSOS
4am Sunday
TV: Sky Sports
LOMACHENKO TO WIN THE FIGHT IN ROUND 9 – 10
When undisputed champ Devin Haney moved up to 140-pounds all the belts at lightweight became available, and one of those titles is up for grabs for the winner of the main event in Perth. ‘Loma’ is a big favourite, but Kambosos will not roll over on home territory.
Lomachenko, 36, has been a pro for more than 10 years now and his absolute best years are behind him, but there’s still juice left in the tank and last year he lost a razor close decision to Devin Haney in a fight many thought the Ukrainian won.
Realistically Loma has never been a true lightweight and he’s undersized in the division – the maestro had five fights at super featherweight and won all of them inside the distance, while in his last six contests he’s only won once by KO.
Kambosos, 30, does not have the double Olympic gold pedigree nor the titles in multiple divisions like his opponent, but in 2021 he shocked the boxing world by beating Teo Lopez, a unified champ and the “next big thing”, and the man who had just beaten Lomachenko.
Since that night Kambosos has lost twice by wide margins to Devin Haney but was victorious in his last fight against British southpaw Maxi Hughes. The crafty style of Hughes and the long range rapier shots of Haney didn’t suit George, but he should be more comfortable against an opponent who wants to come and fight.
Lomachenko is known for his balletic footwork and angles, but as a shorter man with short arms he needs to be at close range. Kambosos is taller but also has short levers, and he’ll be happy to have the fight on the inside and look to counter with volume.
‘Ferocious’ Kambosos is a tough guy that will always be aggressive but his record of only 10 KO wins in 23 bouts accurately reflects his power. Vasily has lost three times but he’s never been stopped, and if he was buzzed I think he would be smart enough to ride it out safely.
Other than Sydney man’s massive win against Lopez his other biggest wins are the mixed decision victory against Hughes and split decision wins over Lee Selby and Mickey Bey – in other words he’s struggled to separate himself from B-level guys at lightweight.
Lomachenko is odds-on to win on points on the weekend and I see why, but I have a feeling that the UKrainian will show that there are levels between these two men. When it gets deep in the fight and Kambosos is busted up he won’t quit, but his corner, or the referee, or the doctor can still stop the fight.
KAMBOSOS JR TO LAND 150+ PUNCHES IN THE FIGHT
Paddy has set out a whole plethora of great bets in his #WhatOddsPaddy section, but the ones that interest me are the punch stat specials. This fight is likely to go into the later rounds, both guys throw a lot of shots, and neither is known for their KOs – I think there could be a large number of punches thrown and landed!
It feels like there is more value on Kambosos side of the punch stat bets – the home fighter landed 182 shots against Lopez, while Lopez landed 183 against Loma. Luke Campbell, who tried to counter Lomachenko at times, landed 131 punches against the Olympian. I like the odds on Kambosos to land 150+ punches in Perth.
ANDREW MOLONEY V PEDRO GUEVARA
3am Sunday
TV: Sky Sports
GUEVARA POINTS OR DECISION
The best fight on the undercard should be a ding-dong battle between super flyweight contenders Australia’s Moloney and Mexico’s Guevara. There’s an interim strap on the line, so the winner should get a shot at a title in the next 12 months.
Both of these men have similar records – Moloney, 33, has 26 wins with three losses, but each loss was in a world title fight. Guevara, 34, has 41 wins and four close decision losses, with three of those losses in championship bouts.
The slight difference between the men is that Pedro was a champ at light fly, while Andrew has come down to the super fly division. Paddy favours the home fighter, but I think Moloney might be killing himself just a bit too much to make the weight. I think it’s going the distance and I think it’s going to be close – I’m taking the bigger odds on the underdog.
Saturday’s Boxing Tips:
4am Sunday: Vasyl Lomachenko v George Kambosos Jr
Lomachenko To Win the Fight in Round 9 – 10
Kambosos Jr to Land 150+ Punches in the Fight
3am Sunday: Andrew Moloney v Pedro Guevara
Guevara Points or Decision
*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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