This weekend sees the highly anticipated rematch of last year’s controversial ‘Supremacy’ fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and ‘GGG’ Gennady Golovkin.
Battling to a draw at the T-Mobile Arena last September, the two best middleweights on the planet will do it all over again on Saturday night, with a score to settle for both…
Marred by judge Adalaide Byrd’s controversial 118-110 scorecard in favour of Canelo in the first fight, the Kazakh, Golovkin, will be looking for revenge after feeling he was the clear winner in the opening fight. A clear winner, perhaps not, however, there is no way ‘GGG’ only won two of the twelve rounds contested last September; Golovkin will be looking to draw a thick line under this rivalry.
Canelo’s failed drugs test has also added to the narrative of this rematch. Originally scheduled for Cinco de Mayo earlier this year, the Mexican was banned for six months for levels of clenbuterol in his blood; contaminated Mexican meat was the excuse given.
The undercard features high-profile clashes between David Lemieux and Gary O’Sullivan, Jaime Munguia and Brandon Cook and Roman Gonzalez and Moises Fuentes.
With the talking over, where do the advantages lie on fight night? What are the markets worth looking at?
Canelo-GGG – Canelo to win on points @ 21/10 [BetFred]
With Canelo 6/4 in the outright fight market, backing the Mexican to win on points is a sure way to mark up your price with limited risk. Sure, Canelo has KOs on his record, but with the granite chin of Golovkin in front of him again, the likelihood of the Mexican winning this by stoppage is unlikely.
Adding to this, we have the history of Canelo and the judges. The Mexican is often heavily favoured by judges (unjustly or not), so backing Canelo to get the nod on the verdict shows a sensible system, with this fight expected to be even closer than the first.
Canelo-GGG – Will the fight go to the distance – Yes @ 4/9 [BetVictor]
You only have to look at the first fight to see why this price is so short. Both threw bombs, both took bombs, with neither fighter’s chin ever looking in real danger. Golovkin is tipped to be the most likely fighter to stop the fight, however, a year on from the first, the Kazakh’s power is highly likely to have diminished by a couple of percent at least. So much is on the line for both guys, and if you are reluctant to pick a winner in this pound-for-pound top ten clash, then backing the fight to go the distance is beneficial.
Canelo-GGG – Draw @ 22/1 [BetVictor]
Surely not, again?! I mean, thunder can often strike twice in boxing. I am not saying that a repeat draw is likely to occur, but at a price of 22/1 it’s worth a small stake considering how closely matched these two fighters are. Jack-Stevenson, Jack-DeGale, Canelo-GGG, KSI-Logan Paul (cough, cough), there have been plenty of high-profile draws in the past 18 months; but don’t get me wrong, there will be outrage if there is another!
David Lemieux vs Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan – David Lemieux win @ 8/15 [BetVictor]
Since being schooled by Billy Joe Saunders in Canada last December, the 39-4 middleweight is back to challenge the colourful Irishman Spike O’Sullivan. Spike is tough, and may allow this fight to go rounds, however, if Lemieux connects then Spike may retreat in this fight. We saw O’Sullivan struggle against the flawed Chris Eubank Jr.; his Canadian challenger has more of a varied skillset.
Lemieux needs a win to climb back into the conversation at 160-pounds, 8/15 isn’t a fantastic price, but it’s surely a safe bet against the 34-year-old.
