After a bit of a lull in terms of boxing betting, the boxing odds page on the BetUS sportsbook is suddenly filled with options for fans of pugilism. Fans in North America, Britain and the Philippines, naturally were ecstatic about the Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton contest earlier in the month, however the European prizefighting audience is just as excited about the heavyweight title tilt between Ruslan Chagaev and Nikolay Valuev taking place on the weekend.

The Uzbekistani (Chagaev) and the Russian (Valuev) first met in a highly anticipated WBA world championship match in 2007, and largely disappointed the viewing audience. Fans expected a slugfest between two powerful big men, however what transpired was a lazy jab and hug fest that neither man could have been proud of. That is made evident by the fact that the two are meeting once again, with the monster Valuev looking to avenge the majority decision loss to Chagaev. Oddly enough, Chagaev suffered an injury and had to forfeit his title back to Valuev, meaning he is looking to regain his title from a man who never beat him.

If Valuev wins…

As champion, there’s no question Valuev has been a pay per view and boxing betting draw. However, he is looking more and more human as his career progresses, leaving the sports betting community to wonder how long he has left atop the sport. With that in mind, one can assume that he will be sniffing out the big dogs as soon as he can, in order to cash in on a possibly fading career. While Evander Holyfield is lobbying for a rematch after a hotly disputed loss, ‘The Real Deal’ isn’t a draw in either North America or Europe at this point. The more logical path for the Russian monster is to tap into the North American or British market for the first time.

Valuev likely would target Vitali Klitschko, or perhaps the winner of the Wladimir Klitschko-David Haye contest for a unification bout. The other option is to offer American Chris Arreola a title shot, which HBO would most certainly snap up for a fair sum of money.

If Chagaev wins…

Chagaev has yet to lose, and has publicly stated his desire to fight Vitali Klitschko, who has also stated that he is waiting for the winner of this title contest. Despite his undefeated record and previous victory over Valuev, the time he took off for injury a year ago, and vicious cut suffered in his last fight in February are both concerns for those betting on boxing.