Boxing Odds Review – This weekend is light on boxing action. However, several fights in the United States are getting attention at the sport books. Leading the way is the Top Rank promoted card at the Arena Theater in Houston, Texas, that will be airing on UniMas.
Former Lightweight world champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz (40-4) returns to action for the first time in almost a year and a half to face the challenge of Fernando Garcia (30-7-2). Now 33 years old, he has won five fights in a row on and off since his July, 2010 loss to Juan Manuel Marquez. Diaz held the Lightweight world title of the WBA for seven defenses and he was close to being a unified champion, also winning the WBO and IBF belts in his best run, between 2004 and 2008.
Diaz ended his title run and went into a pair of fights with Paulie Malignaggi, bookended by a pair of fights with Marquez that saw him go 1-3 and put away a few good paydays. He is unlikely to reach previous heights and a win against Garcia will only get him a certain level of attention. The fight is important, however, because Diaz will look to get a fight against a contender and a payday shortly. It will be interesting to see what he has left in the tank.
Another fighter on the comeback trail on this card is Mikey Alvarado. Alvarado (34-4) has not fought in 13 months, and he is coming off a streak that saw him go 1-4 in his last five fights. Alvarado is now 35 years old, and personal problems seemed to have derailed his career. His last outing was against Brandon Rios in the third fight of a trilogy that saw two strong performances by both men in the first two battles. In that third fight, Alvarado went out with barely a whimper as he succumbed to Rios in less than three rounds. Here, he is matched in an eight-round bout against Saul Corral (19-6) overall. If Alvarado has trouble with Corral, it could be the last time we see Mikey Alvarado.
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Check out our latest video blog where we review the odds for Top Rank’s fight show on beIN and more.
Boxing Odds Review
The House of Blues in Boston, Massachusetts hosts the return of Irish Lightweight Stephen Ormond (20-2), as he faces veteran Marco Jimenez (21-6).
Lightweight 12 rounds –
Marcos Jimenez +760
Stephen Ormond -1600
Ormond has been fighting often since his February, 2015 loss to Terry Flanagan for the European title in which Ormond was disqualified. He has won three fights in a row, but all were eight rounders against average competition. The bout with Jimenez is for a regional title and is set for twelve rounds, but Jimenez is still a notch below world-level competition. The bottom line is that Terry Flanagan went on to win a world championship after his fight with Ormond, and that is where the Irishman wants to be.
Below are the odds for the Top Rank event in Houston, Texas.
Arena Theater – Houston, Texas – Unimas
Lightweight 8 rounds –
Fernando Garcia +1450
Juan Diaz -4050
Welterweight 8 rounds –
Saul Corral +1450
Mike Alvarado -4050
