On Saturday night, a couple of MMA legends throw down in the boxing ring when Anderson Silva takes on Tito Ortiz. Also on Saturday, the man who beat Mike Tyson twice, Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield, fills in for COVID inflicted Oscar De La Hoya. Check out analysis, Boxing Lines and picks for a couple of under the radar boxing matches before turning our attention to the two biggest fights of the night. 

Top Boxing Matches to Bet On The Weekend September 10th Edition

Andy Vences -105 vs Jono Carroll -125

• When: Saturday, Sep. 11

30-year-old Andy Vences has a terrific 23-2-1 record with 12 knockout victories. On Saturday, he takes on tough Irish boxer Jono Carroll. The favorite has a 19-2-1 record with 5 knockouts. Vences has a shot if he can get his jab working. But Carroll is terrific at closing the space. Also, Vences tends to fight moving backward, which is never a good strategy versus a brawler like Carroll. The chalk looks tough to beat. 

Boxing Pick: Jono Carroll

Joe Fournier +800 vs David Haye -1600

• When: Saturday, Sep. 11

Haye heads into his exhibition type bout on a 2-match losing streak. Both losses happened agianst top cruiserweight Tony Bellew. Joe Fournier is 9-0, but he hasn’t come close to fighting someone as talented ad Bellew. Haye should dominate Fournier. But this is the favorite’s first bout since 2018. Who knows? Haye could be vulnerable and, so far at least, Fournier has shown he’s got a really good chin. We’re taking a shot. 

Boxing Pick: Joe Fournier

Light Heavyweight: 8 Two-Minute Rounds – Evander Holyfield -115 / Vitor Belfort -105

• When: Saturday, Sep. 11

Oscar De La Hoya tested positive for COVID, which ended his dream of returning to the ring versus Vitor Belfort. Instead of calling off the fight, promoters made a phone call to The Real Deal who not surprisingly jumped at the chance to make a decent pay day.

Both guys should bring very good boxing skills into the fight. Belfort looks like he knows what he’s doing. Forget the mitt work. Pay attention to Belfort’s feet. 

He doesn’t cross his feet, but, then again, whenever he trained, he didn’t face someone trying to get him to cross his feet, which is why even though Evander is taking this on short notice, he’s the pick.

Holyfield hasn’t fought since 2011. But he’s one of those guys that’s always in shape, always in the gym, and always working. 

Belfort is 1-0. Don’t expect Evander to have forgotten how to trip up an inexperienced fighter. Holyfield could get Vitor running around in circles on Saturday night. The Real Deal gets it done.  

Boxing Pick: Evander Holyfield 

Cruiserweight: 8 Two-Minute Rounds – Anderson Silva -845 / Tito Ortiz +595

• When: Saturday, Sep. 11

Anderson Silva returns to the ring to battle fellow legendary mixed-martial-arts fighter Tito Ortiz. Will Silva make it two impressive boxing wins in a row? Check out the keys to the fight before our pick.

Silva’s keys to victory

Silva must display the movement he used in his victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Granted, Chavez Jr. never lived up to the hype, but Anderson did beat a professional boxer by using boxing skills. If Silva displays the same boxing skills on Saturday night, he should easily handle Ortiz. 

Ortiz’s keys to victory

Ortiz has always had some boxing skills. But to beat Silva, he must do a couple of things. First, he must close the distance because we know Silva will use movement to stay away from Tito’s reach. Second, Ortiz must use his grappling and wrestling ability to put Anderson into positions where he can land punches. If Tito does those two things, he can win this fight.

Fight Analysis

Tito Ortiz isn’t a boxer. Based on his fight versus Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Anderson Silva is. If we think about it, Silva transitioning from MMA to boxing makes a ton of sense. 

While dominating in the Octagon, Silva used a style based on a Brazilian dance called capoeira. During his MMA days, Silva displayed feet movement that would made more than one successful professional boxer envious.

All Anderson did was translate his already taught skills to the ring. Ortiz doesn’t move as well, and he flares his punches. 

Also, unless someone taught him to change his stance, it’s too wide for boxing, Silva will have him crossing his feet all night. Anderson Silva wins. 

Boxing Pick: Anderson Silva 

Boxing Betting News

Odds and Lines: Boxing Lines | Specials | Props

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