Boxing Betting Tips
Sunny Edwards v Adrian Curiel – Edwards Points or Decision
Juan Francisco Estrada v Jesse Rodriguez – Rodriguez Points or Decision
Teofimo Lopez v Steve Claggett – Lopez To Win the Fight in Round 3-4
The big boxing this weekend is between the little men, with super flyweight champ Juan Francisco Estrada going up against pound-for-pound star Jesse Rodriguez and Britain’s Sunny Edwards facing former champ Adrian Curiel in Phoenix, while over on Miami Beach super lightweight titleholder Teofimo Lopez takes on Steve Claggett.
Sunny Edwards v Adrian Curiel – Edwards Points or Decision
TV: DAZN, Sunday 3am
Credit to Sunny, he lost his title in America in December but the Brit has stayed Stateside to reset his trajectory, and he’s even appearing on the undercard of the man who beat him. There are lots of big fights out there for Edwards, but he has to get past Mexico’s Curiel first.
Curiel also lost a belt in his last bout, but that was a light flyweight and now he’s moving up by four pounds to face Edwards. ‘Gatito’, 25, has already had 30 professional contests, and he looks a much tougher prospect than the youth who lost a few fights earlier in his career.
‘Showtime’ Sunny, 28, hadn’t lost before his 9th-round stoppage loss last year, and many considered him to be the best in the division after winning a title in 2021 and defending it four times. The slickster looks to be in great shape and ready for another run at flyweight gold.
Neither man is known for their power, and both have KO ratios around 20%. It won’t surprise anyone if this goes the distance, but Edwards to win on points is still worth adding to any acca.
Juan Francisco Estrada v Jesse Rodriguez – Rodriguez Points or Decision
TV: DAZN, Sunday 4am
It may not get the hype of Fury-Usyk or Crawford-Spence, but Estrada-Rodriguez is a super-fight between boxing superstars. Estrada, 34, is a two-division unified world champion and future hall-of-famer, while Rodriguez, 24, is also already a champ in two divisions. It’s old guard against new guard, and it’s going to be a war.
The super flyweight title on the line in Phoenix is the one that Estrada picked up when he edged a decision over the great Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in December 2022. The Mexican legend hasn’t fought since that night, and he has only been in two contests since March 2021 – inactivity and age are real concerns for ‘El Gallo’.
In the same period of time, Rodriguez has gone from fighting 8-rounders with club fighters to being in five consecutive world title fights. The unbeaten American known as ‘Bam’ has taken out former champs and long-term rivals of Estrada including Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
Rodriguez burst on to the scene in February 2022 when he was drafted in at late notice to step up and face Cuadras. The young southpaw won his first strap by unanimous decision that night, and four months later he followed it up with an 8th-round demolition job on Thai champ and hard nut Sor Rungvisai.
In December ‘Bam’ showed his impressive combination of skills and power again to stop the elusive Sunny Edwards in the flyweight division. There’s no doubt that the Texas man is heavy-handed, but his KO ratio of 63% is matched almost exactly by Estrada.
With the question marks over Estrada’s activity and age, I have to pick Rodriguez to win. To get to the very top in boxing you need to have a lot of things but one of the big ones is the heart for the fight, and there’s no doubt the veteran Mexican has that. I think Estrada will be competitive and win a few rounds, but Rodriguez will just be too fresh and win it on points.
Teofimo Lopez v Steve Claggett – Lopez To Win the Fight in Round 3-4
TV: Sky Sports, Sunday 4am
The ultra-talented Teofimo has had a career with massive moments but also many forgettable fights. Lopez, 26, is coming off a big win over Josh Taylor where he won a version of the super lightweight crown and then a luke-warm performance against Jermaine Ortiz in his first defence, and this weekend he faces Canada’s Claggett.
Claggett, 35, has been battling away as a pro since 2008, notching up plenty of wins but a fair few losses too. In the last three years the 140-pounder seems to have found a new gear and he’s put together a run of nine wins with seven KOs, albeit against opponents below world level.
You can’t begrudge a solid pro the shot at a title, but Claggett isn’t world class. The Canadian is game and tough, but I don’t think that will get him very far against an elite boxer coming into his prime – I’m backing Teo to win with an early knockout.
Saturday Night Boxing Tips
Sunny Edwards v Adrian Curiel – Edwards Points or Decision
Juan Francisco Estrada v Jesse Rodriguez – Rodriguez Points or Decision
Teofimo Lopez v Steve Claggett – Lopez To Win the Fight in Round 3-4
*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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