Fans of boxing betting may be eying a wagering parlay when HBO presents a fight doubleheader featuring a pair of rising stars against a couple of aging former title holders, from Ft. Lauderdale, May 30.
The feature of the broadcast pits undefeated WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (24-0, 19 knockouts) against former two-time champion Juan Urango (21-1-1, 16 KOs). The opening bout of the evening matches hard punching No. 1 ranked junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo (15-0, 12 KOs) versus former welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (30-2-1, 27 KOs).
Not surprisingly, both Berto and Angulo are heavily favored to keep their records unblemished. Berto, 25, who most recently defeated former welterweight champion Luis Collazo in January, opened as a solid -350 favorite (bet $350 to win $100) to take the scheduled 12-round bout.
Urango, 28, who defeated Herman Ngoudjo to win the vacant IBF light welterweight title in January but steps up to welterweight as a +275 underdog (bet $100 to win $275), has only one setback, a decision loss to Ricky Hatton in 2007.
Like Berto, Angulo is a -350 favorite to beat Cintron, a +275 underdog. Angulo, 26, has won 11 consecutive bouts via KO or TKO. Cintron, 29, whose two defeats were knockout losses to Antonio Margarito, will be fighting at the junior middleweight level for just the third time in his career.
A $100 parlay on the two -350 favorites yields a profit of $65 to chalk players while a $100 parlay on one of the two -350 favorites with one of the two +275 underdogs is worth $382 to the bettor. Truly ambitious gamblers who launch a $100 parlay using both +275 underdogs stand to win $1,306.
Boxing betting fans yearning for even more action on May 30 may want to look to Helsinki, Finland, typically not a place known for pugilistic prowess. It's there that Ruslan Chagaev and Nikolay Valuev will battle it out for the WBA heavyweight championship. Interestingly, at 7-0 and 320 pounds, Valuev is 11 inches taller and nearly 100 pounds heavier than Chagaev, factors which weren't helpful when the Russian giant lost a 12-round majority decision to Chagaev in April of 2007.
Depending on which book you visit, Chagaev (25-0-1, 17 KOs) is the favorite, or the co-favorite, or the underdog against Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs). In fact, of 13 books surveyed, eight listed Chagaev as the slight favorite (though none higher than -150), two opted for Valuev as the betting choice (none higher than -125) and three listed the fight as pick'em.
As befits a heavyweight championship even between two boxers of somewhat questionable skills international bookmakers have provided bettors with plenty of wagering options.
To that end, there isn't just an over/under on the fight; there are four over/unders on the bout. Some sports books have the over/under at 7 1/2 rounds, some at 8 1/2 rounds, others and 9 1/2 rounds and others still at 10 1/2 rounds. In each case, the “over” is the favorite, to a greater or lesser degree.
Bettors also can wager on the way the fight ends:
Chagaev by decision+ 130
Valuev by decision+ 145
Chagaev by KO or TKO+ 700
Valuev by KO or TKO+ 650
12-round draw+1500
Additionally, there's a proposition on whether either or both boxers are knocked down:
Valuev is knocked down- 160
Chagaev is knocked down+ 175
Both are knocked down+ 900
Either is knocked down in the first round+1100
Gamblers aiming for a financial windfall also can get odds of 100/1 that Chagaev stops Valuev inside of a minute of the first round or an even better 125/1 that Valuev knocks out Chagaev in less than sixty seconds of the fight.
Hungarian, German and UK television outlets will broadcast the bout but most gamblers in North America won't have access to the feed, a factor which could dampen boxing betting enthusiasm for the fight.
