Boxing lines are up for two fights as we head into this weekend. The first bout takes us to New Zealand on Saturday as up and coming heavyweight prospect Joseph Parker takes on Brazil’s Irineu Costa. The second bout sees Canada’s David Lemieux return to center stage at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Saturday as he faces Gabriel Rosado.
In New Zealand, Parker is the favorite at (-531) right now, with Costa kicking back at (+405). Parker’s record is at a perfect (11-0) with nine stoppages, and he has been handled carefully at this point. Parker, at 22 years old, has his eyes on a future in the heavyweight division post Wladimir Klitschko. For his part, Costa is a hard hitting (15-1) who just dropped his first fight in his first taste of international competition. He proved sturdy in going the distance with contender Christian Hammer, a known quantity in today’s heavyweight division. Parker’s trainer, Olympian Kevin Barry, is said to want Parker using a measured approach and that probably means logging rounds. Parker is coming off a solid 10-round unanimous decision win over veteran Sherman Williams, and he is expected to be more highly skilled than the much more raw Brazilian Costa. Right now, there is no over/under listed on this fight.
The Golden Boy promoted card at the Barclay’s Center sees middleweight David Lemieux return to a bigger stage to face Gabriel Rosado in a fight that sees Lemieux favored at (-200). Lemieux is a fine (32-2) overall, and he has won 7 fights in a row since lsoing back to back fights back in 2011. Lemieux must feel he is back, as this fight airs on HBO in the USA and is in fact his first fight outside of his native Canada.
In the build up to the fight, Lemieux says he is coming to destroy, and he does own 30 KO stoppages in his 32 wins, so he is looking to impress and show his power. Rosado is a solid veteran who has been around the block. He has been in with Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin among others, so he is a good measuring stick. Rosado currently plays (+170) at the books.
Check out this four minute highlight piece on Joseph Parker:
