Huge upset in the boxing betting action over the weekend as Eleider Alvarez knocked down champion Sergey Kovalev twice in the seventh round before finishing with one last punch to win the WBO light heavyweight belt. Kovalev was in control of the fight through six rounds and leading 59-55, 59-55 and 58-56. Here’s a look at three matches this week in what is a fairly quiet weekend overall in the sport. Be sure to check the latest boxing odds during the week.
“We have to make an almost perfect fight. Although my opponent does not have many professional fights, she has a long amateur career, and few boxers have that kind of punch. She has knocked down almost all her rivals. We already beat her once but can`t be over confident,” Juarez said.
Top Boxing Betting Picks of the Week – August 6th
Bj Flores 34-3 V Trevor Bryan 19-0August 11 at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix AZI can’t wait …….. @WorldBoxingNews @SkySportsBoxing @WBABoxing @fightnews pic.twitter.com/DPDpJpBhMf
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Jesus Rojas vs. Joseph Diaz Jr.
Rojas puts his WBA “regular” featherweight title on the line Saturday from Hollywood, Calif., in a fight streamed on Facebook Watch. The 31-year-old Rojas is 26-1-2 with 19 knockouts. He comes off a win over Claudio Merrero for the interim World Boxing Association World Featherweight Title. Rojas blasted Marrero with a seventh-round left hook to knock him out.In the seventh round, as they were trading blows, Rojas Marrero with a clean left hook. Marrero was on his knees, but he was unable to beat the count, and referee Russell Mora counted him out at 2 minutes, 59 seconds. Rojas won despite complaints that Marrero twice bit his ears. Marrero was making the first defense of the interim 126-pound belt he won April 29, also in Las Vegas, when he scored a spectacular first-round knockout of Carlos Zambrano. Rojas, of Puerto Rico, moved to 13-0-2 in his last 15 fights since dropping an eight-round decision to Jose Angel Beranza in 2008. Rojas previously held a pair of regional WBA titles: the WBA-NABA and WBA Fedecaribe featherweight titles.Diaz, just 25 and from the USA, is 26-1 with 14 KOs. Diaz Jr. is a southpaw who represented the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. After that, he signed with Golden Boy Promotions and began a promising career that has earned him a spot at the pinnacle of the featherweight division. Diaz Jr.’s first title opportunity was against Gary Russell Jr. in May. Though he did not win, Diaz Jr.’s impressive efforts earned him an immediate title shot but this time against Rojas.Mariana Juarez vs. Terumi Nuki
This scheduled 10-rounder Saturday has Juarez defending her WBC women’s bantamweight title from Mexico City. Juarez (49-9-4), with her exceptional style and iron determination, has won three world titles in different categories, two of them from World Boxing Council. Nuki (10-3) lost to Juarez in July of last year by unanimous decision.Nuki was able to connect numerous times in the first round, especially with right hands to the head. It was all Juarez from the second round on, as she effectively countered the slower Nuki, with a straight right and left hands to the head. Nuki continued to press the action, but Juarez battered her with repeated combinations that began to bruise Nuki’s face. During the final two rounds, Juarez switched back and forth between a southpaw and conventional stance. All three judges scored the bout 98-92 in favor of Juarez.“We have to make an almost perfect fight. Although my opponent does not have many professional fights, she has a long amateur career, and few boxers have that kind of punch. She has knocked down almost all her rivals. We already beat her once but can`t be over confident,” Juarez said.
