The latest version of the British Invasion to America's shores means that boxing betting fans will be tested on successive Saturday nights, April 25 and May 2.
Showtime and HBO have the respective broadcast honors (the latter on pay-per-view), boosting wagering prospects for a pair of title bouts that lack for neither artistic appeal nor betting competitiveness.
A household name in his native England, Carl Froch will be looking to broaden his profile when defends his WBC super middleweight title against former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, April 25.
The undefeated Froch (24-0, 19 knockouts) either is a narrow favorite or slight underdog, depending on which boxing betting venue you visit. In fact, Froch was as high as -125 (bet $125 to win $100) at one outlet and as low as +110 (bet $100 to win $110) at another. In the meanwhile, Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs) was as big a favorite as -150 or as small an underdog as -110.
The total on the scheduled 12-round bout is 10 1/2 rounds with bettors who believe the fight will reach the midway point of the 11th round asked to lay -150. Gamblers who think the bout will end before that juncture take back +110. In a slight variation, it's -135 that the fight goes the distance and -105 that it does not go to the judges.
There also are odds (all “plusses”) on which of these five possible outcomes will occur:
Taylor by decision+ 150
Taylor by KO, TKO or DQ+ 375
Froch by decision+ 350
Froch by KO, TKO or DQ+ 210
Draw+2000
For the truly clairvoyant, many books also are offering individual round betting where a bettor can get odds of anywhere from 20/1 to 50/1 for correctly predicting which fighter wins in which exact round.
Froch will be making the first defense of the vacant 168-pound title he gained with a unanimous 12-round decision over Jean Pascal in December. Taylor, who has twice defeated Bernard Hopkins and boasts victories over former champions Cory Spinks, William Joppy and Raul Marquez, earned his shot by defeating Jeff Lacy in November.
IBO and Ring Magazine world junior welterweight champion Ricky “Hitman” Hatton will lead the second British invasion when he tussles with Ring Magazine's No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, May 2.
Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) opened as a -225 betting favorite when the line was posted Feb. 7 but has swelled to -250 in the last two months. Hatton, who opened at +195, now is +210.
The over/under on the scheduled 12-rounder is 10 1/2, with “over” the favorite at -140. “Under” is even money. In a bit of a twist, it's -110 that the bout goes the distance and -125 that it does not.
Like Froch versus Taylor, gamblers also can wager on one five possible outcomes:
Pacquiao by decision+ 200
Pacquiao by KO, TKO or DQ+ 170
Hatton by decision+ 400
Hatton by KO, TKO or DQ+ 333
Draw+2500
Some books also are offering a handful of propositions on the fight, including whether either fighter will be knocked down in the bout. “Yes” is -1000 and “no” is +600.
You also can get +1800 (18/1) that the bout will be won by a first round KO, TKO or disqualification, +6600 (66/1) that Pacquiao wins in 60 seconds or less, and +10000 (100/1) that Hatton wins the fight in a minute or less.
Individual round prices range from 18/1 to 50/1.
Pacquiao was the 2008 Fighter of the Year when he won three bouts in three different weight divisions, including a knockout of Oscar De La Hoya in his most recent outing. Pacquiao, who has won 24 of his last 25 fights, also has victories over Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.
Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) has won two straight bouts—-a TKO of Paulie Malignaggi and a unanimous decision over Juan Lazcano—-since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via 10th round TKO in December of 2007.
Like the first British Invasion of America that featured The Beatles more than 40 years ago, this latest cross-Atlantic foray figures to be music to the ears of boxing betting fans.
