Golovkin Favored Against Alvarez In Middleweight Unification Title Fight

OddsSharkSep 13, 2017, 9:33 AM EDT

Gennady (GGG) Golovkin might have looked mortal his last time in the ring four months ago, but respect for the undefeated middleweight champion dictates that he is a betting favorite against Saul (Canelo) Alvarez for their championship fight on Saturday.

Golovkin is listed as the -155 betting favorite to win with Alvarez coming back at +125 for their bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Golovkin was listed at -350 when books first began giving odds on spec two years ago and was at -165 when both sides agreed to the fight this spring.

There is the theory that Golden Boy Promotions would not have put the fight together if they didn’t think that Alvarez was capable of beating Golovkin, who had his first-ever 12-round fight in May when he took the unanimous decision against Daniel Jacobs.

Alvarez, a 27-year-old Mexican who excels at defusing attacks and counter-punching, is 49-1-1 with 34 knockouts. His only career defeat, against Floyd Mayweather in September 2013, was also the last time he was an underdog.

If Alvarez is to win, it would be on the strength of using his quick hands to throw combinations and out-point Golovkin, who may have to meet a higher bar to satisfy observers. In method-of-victory prop betting, Alvarez is offering +215 for a win by decision.

Backers of Golovkin, who has offered value above -1000 in four of his last 17 fights, can fall back on the 35-year-old Kazakh’s total package of power, precision and dainty footwork, which has enabled him to go 37-0 with 33 knockouts. He’s also never been knocked down as a pro or amateur.

If the high-for-him price on Golovkin still isn’t sweet enough, he is paying +165 for a win through knockout, technical knockout or disqualification. The Jacobs fight did show Golovkin – who could have been holding back – could handle 12 full rounds. Golovkin pays +280 for a win by decision.

The big payoff for boxing bettors is calling the winner and round. It likely will take a good handful of rounds for Golovkin to wear down Alvarez’s defences. The prices on him in Round 1 through 4 are teasingly high, but remain at +2500 in Round 7, +2200 in Round 8 and +2000 in Round 9

That will be right around the time it becomes apparent whether the bulk Alvarez has added for the fight has affected his stamina.

After fighting for Ukraine, Lomachenko fights again in ring

Associated PressOct 28, 2022, 10:06 AM EDT

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NEW YORK – When Ukraine was invaded, the only fight Vasiliy Lomachenko would consider was the one for his home.

Boxing plans were put on hold, even though they appeared set to include a title match. Lomachenko calls being undisputed champion his dream, but his country’s war with Russia is real life.

“I couldn’t understand anything about what’s happening militarily,” Lomachenko said through an interpreter, “but inside you, you have a feeling of what you need to do.”

Now he’s resuming his career, starting Saturday night in the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden against unbeaten Jamaine Ortiz in a bout that will stream on ESPN+.

Win, and Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) could move on to another chance to fight for the lightweight titles he once owned. But either way, first he’s headed back to Ukraine, which he believes is secure enough now to allow his family to return home this week after staying with him in California while he trained.

Nobody was sure that would be the case when Russia launched the invasion in February. Lomachenko was in Greece at the time, with an expected fight against then-lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. being planned for later in the year.

He went back to Ukraine and joined a territorial defense battalion, telling his advisers he would be unavailable to take that fight.

“When this was happening, when this started, nobody really knew anything about anything,” Lomachenko said. “And when you really have no understanding about what’s going on, every normal person, every normal citizen would go and defend his country and that’s what the majority of men do in our country.”

For Lomachenko, that meant being part of a team that enforced a 10 p.m. curfew, patrolling the streets to make sure there were no cars in sight. After about a month of that, he was trained to take part in several other duties.

“No military operations, but certain tasks,” Lomachenko said. “For example, a suburban area in the outskirts of the city that we needed to go out and do some reconnaissance, make sure that no alien people, no one unknown is basically located in that area.”

Lomachenko is one of Ukraine’s greatest athletes, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who compiled a 396-1 record as an amateur. After turning pro, he won a title in his third fight and was a champion in three weight classes after his 12th.

He eventually owned three lightweight belts before losing them to Teofimo Lopez in October 2020. Two straight wins following shoulder surgery had him on the path back toward a title shot before the war.

Lomachenko was given breaks during his service to train, so he doesn’t believe his time away will affect the rhythm and footwork that are among boxing’s best. Ortiz (16-0-1, 8 KOs) doesn’t expect to see slippage from the fighter the Worcester, Massachusetts product has sparred against.

“I think the opponent in front of you brings out the type of fighter you are,” Ortiz said, “and I think Lomachenko is going to bring out the best Jamaine Ortiz, the fighter that everybody around me in the gym and in New England and where I come from knows.”

Lomachenko likely would have been favored to beat Kambosos, who had won the titles from Lopez. With Lomachenko unavailable, the Australian instead fought Devin Haney and dropped them in a lopsided decision, then lost the rematch two weeks ago by another wide margin.

Lomachenko doesn’t fret about the opportunity that was lost, just as he doesn’t wonder what if about the fight with Lopez. That was originally expected to take place in the spring of 2020, perhaps in what would have been a packed Madison Square Garden, where Lomachenko is 5-0. Instead, it was pushed back months because of the coronavirus and held in a mostly empty setting in Las Vegas after a nearly 14-month layoff for Lomachenko. Maybe things would have been different without the pandemic.

“I don’t have any regrets at all,” he said. “Everything happens the way they’re supposed to happen.”

Nor does he worry that the likelihood of regaining the belts will be tougher now that Haney has them. Lomachenko is small for the 135-pound weight class and would have to beat a skilled, naturally bigger man, similar to Lopez.

“The sweeter the victory shall be,” said Lomachenko, with a smile.

Tyson, 54, to return for exhibition match against Jones Jr.

Associated PressJul 23, 2020, 5:21 PM EDT

AP Photo

CARSON, Calif. — Mike Tyson is coming back to boxing at age 54.

The former heavyweight champion will meet four-division champion Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition match on Sept. 12 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history when he won the title in 1986 at age 20 and for a time was the most feared fighter in boxing. But his career became littered with distractions and he hasn’t boxed since 2005 after losing his second straight fight.

He has occasionally teased a return with workout videos and it’s finally scheduled to happen.

Jones, 51, won titles in the middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight before moving up to win the heavyweight title in 2003, becoming the first former middleweight champion to do so in 106 years.

The event will air on pay-per-view and the social media music platform Triller. Further matches on the card and musical entertainment will be announced in the coming weeks.