Boxing Betting Free Picks

Up to Boxing Free Picks

in Boxing Free Picks

Wagering on Boxing – Can Rahman Pull Off Shocker?

Bookmark and Share by Charles Jay

BetUS Sportsbook bettors who follow the sport of boxing might see history made once again on Saturday, when former world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, who shocked the world when he knocked out Lennox Lewis on 2001, challenges Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF and WBO heavyweight belts, in a scheduled 12-round bout that will take place at the SAP-Arena in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.

Here are the odds on the fight, as they are posted at BetUS Sportsbook:

IBF/WBO Heavyweight Title

Germany -- December 13

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO -1000

HASIM RAHMAN +650

UNDER 6.5 ROUNDS -130

OVER 6.5 ROUNDS Even

For betting purposes, let's sixe up the contestants:

KLITSCHKO (51-3, 45 KO's), the -1000 favorite in the BetUS boxing betting odds, is in his second go-around as a heavyweight champion. He won the super heavyweight gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Athens, beating Lawrence Clay-Bey among others. He was stopped in a relatively early fight against journeyman Ross Puritty when he quit with an injury after ten rounds. he came back nicely with a slew of wins, then scored an easy decision over Chris Byrd (who had previously beaten his brother Vitali) to capture the WBO title, floorng Byrd in the 9th and 11th rounds. he defended against Derrick Jefferson, Frans Botha, Charles Shufford, Ray Mercer and Jameel McCline, then was stopped by southpaw Corrie Sanders in March of 2003. Another attempt to win the title failed when Lamon Brewster stopped him in five rounds in April of 2004, and there were huge questions about Klitschko's ability to take a punch. Those concerns were not assuaged even in a win over Sam Peter a year and a half later, when Klitschko went down three times. Finally, Wladimir got to face Byrd again, this time for the IBF title, and once again made easy work of him, scoring a seventh-round stoppage. He's made five defenses since, including a stoppage of Brewster in the rematch. His last fight was on July 12, an eleventh-round KO of Tony Thompson. Brother Vitali won the WBC title over Peter on October 11.

RAHMAN (45-6-2, 36 KO's), the +650 underdog at BetUS, won his first 29 bouts as a pro before being stopped by David Tua. In November 1999 he was knocked out - and out of the ring - by Oleg Maskaev. He rehabilitated himself with a stoppage of Corrie Sanders, then got a title shot in South Africa against Lennox Lewis in April 2001. Rahman knocked out Lewis in five rounds to claim the title, in one of the biggest upsets in years. Lewis came back seven months later to knock Rahman out, and then "The Rock" went over two years without winning. After several easy fights, he won the "interim" WBC title over Monte Barrett in August of '05, then had a disappointing draw with former middleweight champ James Toney. he fought Maskaev in a rematch in August 2006, and was not doing badly when he threw the jab. When he tried to brawl, he was stopped in the 12th and final round. Rahman has come back with four wins over so-so opposition, then in his last fight was stopped in three rounds by Toney, a result that was changed to a no-decision when it was ruled that the cuts Rahman had sustained were the result of an accidental headbutt.

When I look at Rahman, I see someone who really hasn't done anything significant since, well, since the win over Lewis. That's seven years in which he has come up short when the opportunity has presented itself. Forget the "title win" over Barrett; that really meant nothing. But I wonder what Rahman really has left right now. We don;t want to use the word "fluke," but Lewis did show him who was boss in the rematch. Gee, so did Maskaev.

Rahman's chance here is to wind up and land a bomb. If he does that, it could be early, but I don't know that he'd have enough to do it late. I think it's altogether possible that the 6'7" Klitschko (okay, I'm rounding up a bit) keeps Rahman at bay with a jab Rahman can't penetrate, and stops him pretty early. Klitschko has the tools that can thwart Rahman, in that he can stand back and throw power shots without having to brawl. This is a fight that doesn't present a terrific value with the favorite, which is why I'd rather come in on the total.

I'm not sure Rahman is a guy coming in just to survive, like Thompson and Sultan Ibragimov before him. That will end this thing quicker, if Wladimir is sharp. I'm going under the 6.5 rounds and laying -130 as it is posted in the BetUS boxing betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: UNDER 6.5 ROUNDS (-130) **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

(Charles Jay of www.ebookies.com is a former manager, matchmaker and color commentator in professional boxing. He currently pulls no punches in the BetUS Locker Room)