After last weekend’s dubbed “Superfight” in Texas, it’s back to more low-key affairs in the UK this weekend, with the Copperbox in East London taking centre stage. Unfortunately, it’s a classic case of scrambling for value when you look up and down the card on Saturday night.
Four headline fights including a plethora of former Olympic talent, Matchroom are looking towards the new breed for a future pay-per-view star on British soil.
So let’s look at the four main fights that will be featuring on this card in the former Olympic Park. Lewis Ritson (1/25), Lawrence Okolie (1/16), Joshua Buatsi (1/50) and Charlie Edwards (1/100) are all strong favourites to notch up victories in front of the 4,000 crowd; a £10 accumulator on these four winning their fights outright would return a miserly £11.38.
The value only lies in the method of victory markets, with Charlie Edwards’ WBC world flyweight championship title defence a good place to start. Edwards takes on Angel Moreno in his first defence since winning the title on Dec. 22 last year. The 26-year-old became part of an elite group of fighters that Eddie Hearn has taken from debut to world title, with minimal risk taken in his first outing since scooping the green and gold scrap.
Edwards has only notched up 6 KOs since turning pro in his 14 victories. Sure, distance fights are more and more common the further down the weights you go, but Edwards stopped both of his opponents before his world title victory. He has shown real maturity in the ring since losing his only fight to the experienced John Riel Casimero in 2016, with a humbling story surrounding the health of his mother inspiring him to progression inside the ring.
Moreno has never been stopped. Despite losing twice (in 2015 and 2016), the Spaniard has reached the final bell in all but 6 of his 23 fights, however, his lack of rounds in recent years is a cause for concern. 8 of his last 9 fights have been six-rounders, with Moreno not being in a 12-round fight since March 2016; Edwards will be targeting a rare stoppage in this fight, with the Surrey-born champion looking to make a statement whilst headlining a show.
Charlie Edwards to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification @ 11/4 (BetVictor)
At 35-years, Moreno may not be equipped to last with this re-born version of Edwards. The WBC champion is capable of producing power, with body attacks a likely tactic in the first half of this fight. It may end in the championship rounds, or Edwards may simply run out of time, but at 11/4, the price for a stoppage is too good to turn down. There is often value to be found in stoppages below lightweight; Edwards will win this fight, but a KO will make life a lot sweeter.
