Boxing Tips
10:30pm Saturday: Adam Azim v Sergey Lipinets
Azim by Points or Decision
2am Sunday: Isaac Cruz v Angel Fierro
Cruz To Win the Fight in Rounds 5-6
3am Sunday: Brandon Figueroa v Stephen Fulton
Figueroa To Win the Fight in Rounds 7-12
4am Sunday: David Benavidez v David Morrell
Benavidez To Win the Fight in Rounds 7-12
Will both fighters be knocked down? Yes
*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.
This weekend Adam Azim looks to continue his ascent to boxing stardom with a win over former title holder Sergey Lipinets, while over in America the big show in Las Vegas is headlined by the terrifyingly good scrap between unbeaten studs David Benavidez and David Morrell. Let’s get into it!
10:30PM SATURDAY: AZIM V LIPINETS – AZIM POINTS OR DECISION
TV: Sky Sports
Azim is just 12 fights into his pro career but under the expert guidance of the McGuigan clan he’s ready to step up to world level and face veteran former champ Lipinet. There’s a Mickey Mouse belt on the line but, more importantly, a win on Saturday will put the Brit, 22, in prime position to challenge for certified gold in the next 12 months.
In his last four fights Lipinets has lost two, but it is worth noting that the Kazakh, 35, is far from finished. The losses have only come against world class opponents and the only time he was stopped was against welterweight supremo Jaron Ennis.
This bout is being made in the super lightweight division, or 140-pounds in old money, and it will pit Azim’s speed and power against Lipinets’ industry and experience. If the away fighter can get inside the rising star’s jab then it will be a really competitive contest.
Azim has razor sharp punches but he’s only managed three KOs in his last five bouts. The concern for Lipinets is whether he can still make the weight without killing himself to do it. I expect the veteran still has enough left to put in another hard shift, so I’m backing Azim to win by decision.
2AM SUNDAY: CRUZ V FIERRO – CRUZ WIN IN ROUNDS 5-6
TV: AMAZON PRIME
Isaac Cruz is up there with the most exciting fighters in boxing today, but after establishing himself as one of the main men at 140lbs in the last few years he came up short in his last fight in August. This is a rebuilding job for the Mexican, and the opponent they have chosen for him is the solid, but limited, Angel Fierro.
I can’t see anything other than two Mexicans going hell-for-leather on the undercard in Vegas, and I think that plays into Cruz’s hands. The pocket-sized ‘Pitbull’ Cruz is rough and aggressive in the extreme and I expect him to get back to winning ways with a middle rounds stoppage.
3AM SUNDAY: FIGUEROA V FULTON – FIGUEROA WIN IN ROUNDS 7-12
TV: AMAZON PRIME
A couple of years ago Fulton-Figueroa was considered one of the pound-for-pound fights of the year when they met for a super bantamweight unification clash in 2021, but losses for both men have taken a little bit of the shine off this scrap. Brandon Figueroa lost the first fight with Stephen Fulton by mixed decision, but he moved up in weight and he’s been on a rampage ever since.
Standing 5’9’’ tall, 122-pounds was always going to be incredibly hard for Figeuroa to make, and the extra four pound allowance at featherweight suits the American. Fulton wasn’t so stretched to make the bantamweight limit and his move up to featherweight was the result of a comprehensive stoppage loss to the sensational Naoya Inoue.
I think the beating Inoue dished out to Fulton, 30, may have taken something from him permanently, and despite his undoubted talent it is going to be really hard for him to keep pace with the volume and pressure of Figueroa, 28. My pick is for Brandon ‘The Heartbreaker’ to win the featherweight title outright on Saturday with a KO in the second half of the contest.
4AM SUNDAY: BENAVIDEZ V MORRELL – BENAVIDEZ TO WIN IN ROUNDS 7 – 12
TV: AMAZON PRIME
This fight is blockbuster – these are probably the two best fighters without world titles in boxing and respect to them for putting their unbeaten records on the line in a fight without any trinket attached.
‘Canelo’ Alvarez is holding the belts hostage at 168-pounds, so both these men moved up to light heavyweight to continue their careers. With the 175lb titles tied up in the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, the winner of this fight put themselves in prime position for a shot at the unified champ later in 2025.
David Benavidez, 28, has a combination of irresistible pressure and power, while David Morrell, 27, brings lightning fast aggression – there is no way this fight fails to catch fire. Cuba’s Morrell has limited professional experience and he hasn’t dealt with much fire coming back at him, and that is pretty much the only weakness for either man.
Benavidez gets stronger as the fight goes on and I wonder if Morrell can put enough of a dent in him to stop the juggernaut. I think it will be a back-and-forth fire fight in the first six rounds, but I am backing the Mexican-American to take over after round 6 and get the stoppage.
Will both fighters be knocked down? Yes
Paddy has gone all-out with his offering of markets on this fight and there are plenty of brilliant #WhatOddsPaddy bets, but my wildcard pick is for both men to be knocked down. Benavidez has a KO ratio of 84% and Morrell’s KO statistic is 81% – the power is real and even a glancing blow either way could drop the recipient.
Saturday’s Boxing Tips
10:30pm Saturday: Adam Azim v Sergey Lipinets
Azim by Points or Decision
2am Sunday: Isaac Cruz v Angel Fierro
Cruz To Win the Fight in Round 5-6
3am Sunday: Brandon Figueroa v Stephen Fulton
Figueroa To Win the Fight in Rounds 7-12
4am Sunday: David Benavidez v David Morrell
Benavidez To Win the Fight in Rounds 7-12
Will both fighters be knocked down? Yes
*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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