Okay boxing betting buffs…it’s value-packed pugilistic affairs that you’re looking for over the course of the coming week, then look no further. A pair of intriguing matchups are on tap for the coming weekend, highlighted by the huge welterweight title fight between reigning champ Terrence Crawford and similarly unbeaten challenger Jose Benavidez.
Okay, with that said, let’s get to my pair of expert boxing picks.
Top Boxing Betting Picks of the Week – October 8th Edition
Our new P4P Rankings. Feel free to hate them, call us idiots, ect: 1. Vasyl Lomachenko 2. Naoya Inoue 3. Oleksandr Usyk 4. Terence Crawford 5. Canelo Alvarez 6. Gennady Golovkin 7. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai 8. Mikey Garcia 9. Leo Santa Cruz 10. Anthony Joshua
— FightNights.com (@boxing) October 7, 2018
Lightweight Bout
When: Saturday, October 13 Where: Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, UK Boxing Odds: Francesco Patera +2000 / Lewis Ritson -4000
25-year-old Francesco Patera (19-3, 7 KOs) will be looking to pull off the huge upset over Lewis Ritson (16-0, 10 KOs) when he takes on the increasingly popular Englishman in his hometown of Newcastle, on October 13th. The vacant EBU lightweight championship will be on the line, which Patera once held before losing it in a rematch against former champ Edis Tatli.
Patera comes into this affair off a unanimous decision win over Ruben Gouveia in May that came on the heels of his title fight rematch loss against Tatli last December. Conversely, 25-year-old Lewis Ritson has won six straight fights via KO or TKO including his third round KO win over Oscar Amador in September.
“He’s a good fighter. He fights like a warrior, he comes forward and fights hard. I think he’s tough and he works hard,” Patera said of Ritson. “I will expect a great atmosphere, I know they will all be against me, but I don’t mind that. I know England is a passionate country and they love their boxers.”
Prediction
There’s a reason why Lewis Ritson is such an overwhelming favorite and it’s because he’s by far, the better technical boxer and much stronger puncher in this affair. Ritson is clearly well on his way to becoming a legitimate contender for the biggest lightweight titles there are while Francesco Patera is more of mid-level boxer whose upside is far, far less than Ritson’s. I like Lewis Ritson to get the win via fourth round KO.
Boxing Betting Pick: Lewis Ritson Via Fourth round KO
WBO Welterweight Title Bout
When: Saturday, October 13 Where: Chi Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska Boxing Odds: Jose Benavidez +1215 / Terrence Crawford -2395
26-year-old California native Jose Benavidez (27-0) stands 5’10” with a 74-inch reach. He comes into this bout off a stunning first round KO win over Frank Rojas in June and that win came on the heels of an eighth round TKO win over Matthew Strode in February. Benavidez is a tough brawler that has overcome being shot in the leg in late 2016 in an incident that doctors believed put his boxing career in major doubt. Benavidez has some decent hand and foot speed and is an excellent counter-puncher that also uses combinations very well.
Reigning welterweight champion Terence Crawford (33-0) is 31-years-old and stands 5’8” with a 70-inch reach. The Nebraska native comes into this bout off a compelling ninth round TKO win over Jeff Horn in June that gave him the WBO welterweight title. Crawford also beat Julius Indongo via third round KO in August of 2017 to give him three stoppage wins in his last four fights. Overall, Crawford has an impressive 24 KOs in his career.
Prediction
If Jose Benavidez were facing just about any other lightweight on the planet, he’d almost5 certainly be favored, seeing as how no one has managed to figure him out in 27 bouts. Unfortunately, Benavidez is facing a superior fighter in Terrence Crawford that has a big edge in experience, technical boxing skills and defense.
Not only does Crawford have plenty of punching power of his own, but he avoids getting hit far better than Jose Benavidez. Crawford get get the job done in close or outside and rarely, if ever, leaves himself exposed to his opponent’s best punch.
Crawford has been involved in a whopping 12 consecutive bouts with a belt on the line and he’s managed to win every time. Make no mistake about it, while Jose Benavidez presents a great challenge for Terrence Crawford, the reigning champ ins the pick to win and retain his belt via unanimous decision.
Boxing Betting Pick: Terrence Crawford Via Unanimous Decision
