Essuman vs Kongo Prediction, Fight Preview, Live Stream, Odds and Picks
Four Regional Belts on the Line
The Best of the British
British welterweights Ekow Essuman and Chris Kongo battle for four regional belts on Saturday, including the IBF European welterweight title.
Boxing odds have Essuman as the slight -120 favorite to remain unbeaten, but there is plenty of respect for -110 chance Kongo.
Let’s check the latest Boxing news, stats, and Boxing lines for Essuman vs Kongo. We’ve plenty of Boxing picks for you to consider.
Essuman Keeps Winning
Fighters with an unbeaten record always attract interest with the sportsbook and that’s the case with Essuman.
He is 18-0, but he has only seven wins by knockout, so he’s lacking a bit of power and that’s worrying against Kongo.
His best fight came against Samuel Antwi last year when winning via unanimous decision. It was a three-star fight in Manchester, and although it was a close decision on the scorecards, it was a career-building performance.
Essuman will need to handle the pressure of being the favorite with boxing betting markets, but he looks to have a good head on his shoulders.
He wants to fight Conor Benn for the titles, which is a lofty ambition.
“I don’t want to give too much away in terms of my game plan, but it won’t reach the final bell and I am coming for those belts,” Essuman said. “Winning the British title would only serve to open more doors for me and I’d love to be able to keep it outright.”
We expect Essuman’s odds to drift on fight night. He is the lower-ranked fighter and it could show when the late money comes in.
Kongo on Comeback Trail
Kongo faced a tough battle against Michael McKinson in 2021 and, although losing in a very tight decision, it hasn’t derailed his career.
He bounced back with consecutive wins, including a gutsy victory over Sebastian Formella in June. He was too classy for his opponent, setting him up for a big fight against Essuman.
We expected Kongo to be much shorter than -110, so the slight underdog is a value bet. He is the third-ranked British fighter in this division and that ranks higher than Essuman, and rightfully so.
Kongo looked great when knocking out Luther Clay in 2020 for the WBO Global Welterweight title, which he would lose to McKinson. However, having that experience can’t be overlooked.
“This is a learning curve, I’m going to get better from this,” Kongo said. “To be honest, I think I started too fast and then thought ‘hold on, I need to slow down.’ At the end of the day I got the win so I’m happy.
“Whoever wants it I’m here, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and keep moving forward. This is Chris Kongo’s time.”
Essuman vs Kongo Head-to-Head
This will be the first meeting between Essuman and Kongo.
Essuman vs Kongo Fight Information
- Fight: Ekow Essuman (18-0) vs Chris Kongo (14-1)
- Location: Manchester Arena, Lancashire, UK
- Day/Time: Saturday, Jan 21, 5:00 p.m. ET
- Essuman vs Kongo Live Stream: Box Live
Essuman vs Kongo Betting Lines
Essuman vs Kongo Picks & Prediction
We can’t turn down the -110 odds for Kongo. He’s the better fighter and he has more experience in high-level fights.
Bettors get nice odds with the sportsbook and we expect money to come for Kongo throughout the week, so lock him in.
Kongo is listed at -110 in our Vegas boxing lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Kongo, you have a chance to win $91. Essuman is -120, offering a chance to win $83 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Kongo a 52.38% chance to win, with Essuman at 54.55%.
