Boxing betting sharps haven't been intrigued by the heavyweight division in quite some time. The major complaint among casual fans is that the division is "dead," there are no superstars, and there's just no competition. For the most part, they are absolutely right. The current heavyweight champions, Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko and Nikolai Valuev, have all defended their titles off major television markets in the United States, and have remained in Russia and Germany primarily. Not to mention that their competition has been mediocre pugilists such as Fres Oquendo and Hasim Rahman, widening the boxing lines each time out.

But the incredible buildup to the Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye contest on June 20 is proof that the heavyweight division, and boxing odds as a whole, are not dead. The tilt will be staged in Germany still, but in a stadium which holds 70,000 spectators. In addition, HBO has purchased the rights to the broadcast, in addition to the European feed.

What's most surprising is all of the bets people are purchasing on the BetUS Sportsbook for this fight. Most would attribute this to the brash, arrogant "marketing" of David Haye. The British fighter wore a t-shirt displaying both of the Klitschko brothers' heads cut off to a recent press conference, sparking massive controversy. Does behavior like that have a place in boxing? Nonetheless--people either want to see the cocky Brit prevail, or get his head cut off next month!

Klitschko goes into the fight a decided favorite on boxing odds, thanks to a long line of easy victories over the best the division has to offer currently. He is riding ten consecutive victories since a stunning loss to Lamon Brewster, and all of them have looked elementary to those betting on boxing. On the other hand, Haye is completely unproven in the heavyweight division, outside of a victory over a washed up Monte Barrett. Haye was indeed a successful cruiserweight, albeit entirely overseas. For all of his trash talk, Haye has never really made an attempt to test himself, or the North American market.

Is there a reason for that? The boxing lines certainly think so. Haye may be nothing more than a glorified cruiserweight, who will likely see the pace of this fight dictated by a bigger, stronger and crisper puncher in Wladimir Klitschko.

Despite all the hype, the smart choice for boxing bettors would be to stick with the man who possesses a whopping 83.6 KO rate--Klitschko.

The Pick: Wladimir Klitschko, KO 7