Akhmadaliev Heavily Favored
Murodjon Akhmadaliev will put his WBA (Super) and IBF super-bantamweight belts on the line against resurgent veteran Ronny Rios. The boxing odds favor the champion, “MJ,” as he is unbeaten and has turned back the likes of Ryosuke Iwasa and Daniel Roman. But like many bouts on Saturday, this one could be closer than the online sportsbook suggests.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and Boxing odds for Akhmadaliev vs Rios. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Is Akhmadaliev Slowing?
At one point, Akhmadaliev was touted as one of the future stars of boxing. He was on a tear and won six of his first seven bouts by knockout. He then edged Roman to win the super-bantamweight titles and has not been the same since. Or so it seems.
Akhmadaliev finished Iwasa but he did not look all that great heading to what many think was a premature stoppage. Then against Jose Velasquez, a journeyman at best, he did not dominate as folks betting online thought he would. Nonetheless, he remains unbeaten.
The Uzbek’s keys to victory remain his fast hand speed and footwork. Even if he’s not throwing a lot, Akhmadaliev is always a step or punch ahead of his opponent. He’s been dominant since the amateur level and even now as a “bored” champion, he’s still cruising. But he can ill-afford to overlook Rios.
Rios Goes for Glory
Rios knows a thing or two about being a hot prospect who amounts to nothing special in the pros. As a highly decorated amateur, Rios was supposed to be the next big thing. Then he ran into some tough opponents and kept losing. Rey Vargas outclassed him. Azat Hovhannisyan knocked him out.
But the 32-year-old has seemingly caught a second wind and is trending. Rios switched trainers and appears to be in much better shape. He took out fellow contender Oscar Negrete and prior to that, knocked out Diego De La Hoya.
Rios already has the tools to be a world champion. Now, armed with a newfound dedication to the sport, he is looking like his best and that could be bad news for Akhmadaliev if he isn’t.
Akhmadaliev vs Rios Head-to-Head
Akhmadaliev is a bit shorter than Rios here but he has an inch in reach over him. Rios has a lot more professional experience than Akhmadaliev as this is his 37th pro fight versus Akhmadaliev’s 11th. Both have not been too active lately with just four combined fights since 2019.
Akhmadaliev vs Rios Fight Information
- Records: Akhmadaliev (10-0-0, 7 KOs) vs Rios (33-3-0, 16 KOs)
- Location: Tech Port Arena
- Day/Time: Saturday, June 25th, 8 p.m. ET
- Akhmadaliev vs Rios Live Stream: MLB.tv
Akhmadaliev vs Rios Betting Lines
Akhmadaliev vs Rios Prediction
We’re picking Akhmadaliev to edge Rios here but we are putting our money on the American to be a real-life “Rocky” and get the upset.
Akhmadaliev still has the speed advantage so he should be able to pick apart Rios. But the challenger will be up on Akhmadaliev’s face throughout the fight. He will be the one pushing the pace and could also be the more active boxer. At these odds, the value is on Rios.
“The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.”
