Boxing betting will get a boost when Showtime and HBO bring the action to gamblers during the first two weekends of April. As has conclusively been proven by other sports, most notably football, events that appear on television generate more activity at the betting windows.
Showtime gets the first opportunity at retaking its part of the TV and betting marriage vows when it broadcasts the WBC/WBO light welterweight unification bout between Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley and Kendall "Rated R" Holt from Montreal, Saturday, April 4. The fight between the two American boxers will be the biggest prize fight held in the French speaking Canadian city since Roberto Duran upset Sugar Ray Leonard in the "Brawl in Montreal" nearly three decades ago.
Bradley, the undefeated WBC champion, opened as a modest -170 favorite (bet $170 to win $100) to defeat Holt, the WBO belt-holder and the +145 underdog (bet $100 to win $145).
Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs) claimed his 140-pound title with a split decision upset of Junior Witter in England last May then successfully defended the belt when he earned a unanimous verdict over Edner Cherry in September.
Holt (25-2, 13 KOs) won the WBO crown with a first round knockout of Ricardo Torres last July then scored a split decision triumph over previously unbeaten Demetrius Hopkins, the nephew of longtime middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, in December.
The over/under on the scheduled 12-rounder is 11 1/2 rounds with "over" listed as a slight -120 favorite. Bettors who think the bout won’t reach the midway point of the final round lay -105.
Gamblers looking for a "plus" can get +150 that Bradley wins via decision or +175 that Holt gets the nod from the judges. Individual round projections for a knockout range from 33/1 to 40/1 if you can choose the right boxer in the exact round.
HBO takes over the broadcast duties a week later when Paul "The Punisher" Williams and Ronald "Winky" Wright collide in a middleweight attraction at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, April 11. Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) moved to a -170 favorite after opening a notch lower at -160. Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) is up to +150 from his +140 opening price.
Williams, who can carry more weight on his 6-1 frame, moved up to middleweight shortly after avenging his only loss, a 12-round decision to Carlos Quintana that cost him his WBO title. Williams knocked out Quintana in the first round of their rematch. He then fought at light middleweight where he destroyed Verno Phillips, setting the stage for his showdown with Wright who, like Williams, is an opponent few boxers want to face.
That may help explain why Wright has been idle since July of 2007 when he lost a unanimous decision to Bernard Hopkins. A hard-to-hit lefty with a tricky style, Wright has beaten Sugar Shane Mosley twice and Felix Trinidad while earning several world titles.
An over/under on the scheduled 12-rounder had not been posted when this story was filed but prices may be up by the time you read this.
Gamblers also were waiting for odds on the heavyweight tussle between Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola (26-0, 23 KOs) and Jameel "Big Time" McCline (39-9-3, 23 KOs), a supporting bout on the Williams-Wright undercard.
Arreola, who hasn’t been forced to go the distance since October of 2005, will be a big favorite over a clearly declining McCline, who recently halted a three fight losing streak. Don’t expect the over/under to be too high.
With Showtime and HBO lending a glove, the first weeks of April promise to be exciting ones for boxing betting fans.
