Boxing Betting Free Picks
WBC-WBO Jr. Welterweight Title Fight - Timothy Bradley vs. Kendall Holt
by Charles Jay
BetUS Boxing Betting Odds
WBC-WBO Jr. Welterweight title (12 Rounds)
April 4 -- Montreal
TIMOTHY BRADLEY -170
KENDALL HOLT +140
Over 11.5 Rounds -120
Under 11.5 Rounds -110
For betting purposes, let's take a look at the contestants:
BRADLEY (23-0, 11 KO's), the -170 favorite in the BetUS boxing betting odds, fights out of Palm Springs, CA and has the nickname "Desert Storm" as a result. He turned pro rather unceremoniously, with a second-round TKO over Francisco Martinez in August of 2004. Bradley has fought in Southern California almost exclusively throughout the formative stages of his career, and never even went ten rounds until four fights ago, when he scored a decision over Donald Camarena. A couple of fights before that, he won a decision over Manuel Garbica to win the WBC Youth title at 140 pounds. Bradley was scheduled to take a big leap in terms of quality of opponent last March when a fight with Jose Luis Castillo was arranged, but that fight fell out and then Bradley got lucky with an opportunity to fight Junior Witter for the WBC title at 140.
He had to go to England to do it, and was not given a chance by many to come out of Witter's homeland with a win, but that is exactly what he did, scoring a split decision to bring the title to the U.S.A. Bradley has made just one defense of his crown, an impressive decision last September over Edner Cherry. His last four fights have gone the distance, but he has some pop, registering knockdowns over both Witter and Cherry. In terms of style, some have made comparisons between him and Shane Mosley.
KENDALL HOLT (25-2, 13 KO's), the +140 underdog at BetUS, won his first 15 bouts as a pro, and that included a first-round knockout of Gilberto Reyes in Miami. He was then shocked with a big right hand by Thomas Davis, leading to a first-round TKO loss in June of 2004. Holt came back with two six-round fights, then had a "crossroads" fight of sorts with undefeated David Diaz in February of '05. He knocked Diaz down in the first round, then sustained a knockdown himself in the seventh, but finally stopped Diaz in eight. He was very impressive in taking the measure of Mike Arnaoutis, winning a lopsided 12-round decision in April 2007 in what was a WBO title eliminator. Holt's first title shot was nothing if not eventful. In facing Ricardo Torres in Barranquilla, Colombia, he scored a sixth-round knockdown and was hit with loaded beer cans. In the eleventh, as he was ahead on the scorecards, he was nailed and floored with a big left hook, then the fans started throwing more beer cans and other debris into the ring. Trying to shake off the cobwebs, Holt was not throwing back, and the fight was stopped (some say way too early) by the referee, who did not halt the action to clear out the ring. Numerous protests were filed, and last July Holt got his rematch, this time getting up from two knockdowns in the first 30 seconds to knock out Torres with a left hook after just a minute. A rubber match was supposed to have taken place, but Torres had to pull out, and Holt instead defended with a win over Demetrius Hopkins.
What is undeniable here is that Holt is the fighter with more experience. When you look at it, Bradley's only two fights against very competitive opponents were his last two, against Witter and Cherry. Yet here is the thing - he has looked very good in those fights, and considering the fact that he has not been through a lot yet, I would look upon him as a fighter with a big upside. He is also enough of an unknown commodity that Holt does not have a full library of film to really study him. I will say this - off what I have seen, and I have been a matchmaker in the pro ranks, Bradley has a chance to be an excellent fighter, if not a great fighter. I'm not sure I can say the same thing about Holt.
When he puts it all together, you can see the arsenal Bradley has at his disposal. He can hurt when he hits, as evidenced by him flooring Witter and Cherry, but you can't consider him a knockout puncher right now because he hasn't really finished people. I think he has the ability to stop Holt, who has questions about his chin, but whether he will or not will be another question. Holt will have about a three-inch height advantage, but when you use the term "advantage" in boxing, that kind of thing is relative. Angelo Dundee famously said, "When you're tall, fight taller, When you're short, fight shorter." Bradley could turn this to his own advantage by getting under Holt's jab.
Holt may be the more "proven: fighter right now, and as an underdog that's something you often look for, but he's also "proven" to be vulnerable to left hooks. I could see this fight going the distance (-12 at BetUS) because neither guy has a really outstanding knockout record, but I also prefer Bradley, the -170 favorite in the BetUS boxing betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: BRADLEY TO WIN (-170) ***
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
