.Odds taken 10/15/19. Beterbiev beat Gvozdyk a decade ago, and the second-round stoppage loss seems to still bother Gvozdyk. There’s a redemptive element in this title unification bid. But I don’t think Gvozdyk will get that redemption Friday night. Beterbiev Goes 2-0 Over Gvozdyk.

On Saturday, May 4th, Top Rank Boxing presents a night of pugilistic excitement with a boxing card that features two world title fights and a hometown prospect. The event will take place at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, CA, and it will be live on ESPN with an undercard that begins at 6:30 PM ET.

1. Beterbiev vs Johnson: Callum Johnson ready to bring IBF light-heavyweight title home. Days after gym-mate Callum Smith upset the odds to beat George Groves, the 33-year-old is confident he can.
2. Fight odds: Artur Beterbiev -105 Oleksandr Gvozdyk -125. Fanduel Boxing Pick Artur Beterbiev vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Artur Beterbiev will face Oleksandr Gvozdyk in Philadelphia for the WBC and IBF Light Heavyweight Titles at 175 lbs. It is a unification bout as Beterbiev holds the IBF Title and Gvozdyk holds the WBC Title.

The main event of the night is a light heavyweight title fight as Artur Beterbiev (13-0, 13 KOs) puts his IBF belt on the line against Radivoje Kalajdzic (24-1, 17 KOs). The co-main event features a second world title bout as Jerwin Ancajas (30-1-2, 20 KOs) defends his IBF junior bantamweight belt against top contender Ryuichi Funai.

Johnson produced a stunning response in the second as he floored Beterbiev with a looping left hand of his own, although he was unable to find another telling blow before the end of the round. Beterbiev has a perfect knockout rate as all 14 of his professional fights have ended with him stopping his opponents. In May, he KO’d Kalajdzic in the 5 th round. A year ago, in his first title defense, he stopped Callum Johnson in the 4 th round. Johnson is ranked in the Top 15 with the IBF, WBC, and WBA.

Also on the card is a local prospect Gabriel Flores Jr. who returns to his hometown in a lightweight fight that’s scheduled for six rounds. Although there are roughly 10 fights scheduled for this event, boxing betting sites only have a few listed with odds. Let’s examine these matchups and odds further to identify potential betting value and to KO our picks.

Ryuichi Funai (31-7, 22 KOs) vs Jerwin Ancajas (30-1-2, 20 KOs)

• Ryuichi Funai (+525)
• Jerwin Ancajas (-860)

Ancajas comes in as the champ and is the clear favorite over his opponent. I’m surprised that these odds aren’t greater in favor of Jerwin Ancajas. With that said, the champ doesn’t offer much value and neither does his opponent on the night. Additionally, Funai isn’t worthy of a flyer.

Funai vs Ancajas Preview

Boxer	Ryuichi Funai	Jerwin Ancajas
Age	33	27
Height	5’7”	5’6”
Reach	—	66.5”
Total Fights	38	33
Record	31-7	30-1-2
Knockouts	22	20

Funai comes into this contest having won seven straight fights and has an impressive 58% KO rate. The 33-year-old fighter has been a professional since 2005 and is considered the #1 challenger to the IBF title that Ancajas holds. However, this will be the first time that Funai has ever challenged for a world title. He has challenged for regional titles before and has won some, but this is a big step up in competition for Ryuichi.

Furthermore, Funai has never fought in the USA before. All of his fights have been in Japan. He will be making his American debut on Saturday in California, and it’s going to be the toughest challenge of his career. Boxing Scene reports that Funai is excited for this title shot and the chance to fight in front of the American fans:

“I am excited for this opportunity to challenge for a world title and to make my professional debut in America. I know I have the experience and the skills to become the new IBF champion of the world. Jerwin and I respect one another, but this is boxing, and I am going to fight my heart out.”

Jerwin is on an 18-fight win streak and has successfully defended his IBF super flyweight belt on six occasions. He defended the belt three times in 2017 and three times in 2018, which has endeared him to fans and pundits as being one of the sport’s most active champions. Jerwin is making his 2019 debut this weekend. He hasn’t fought since last September when he defeated Barrios via split decision. Saturday’s contest will be the 4th straight time that Ancajas has fought in the United States and he’s looking forward to putting on a show.

Ancajas and his team believe that Funai will be very aggressive and attack right away. They feel that he’s a tough challenge and that this will be a tough fight. Jerwin implemented a different approach to training for this fight. He changed training camp locations, had a new diet and training regimen with the hopes of improving from their last contest. Team Ancajas wasn’t happy with the performance against Barrios. Anacajas and his trainer believe they can get a stoppage in this matchup, which hasn’t happened in three fights.

Can Ancajas Retain His Title?

Funai earned the right to be called the #1 challenger for the IBF title, but he’s not in the same league as Ancajas. Jerwin has been on a tear over the last seven years having won 18 straight. He’s extremely active and has flashed brilliance in the ring. He also has a 61% KO rate, which shows that he packs power in his punches.

Funai hasn’t lost in three years and hasn’t been stopped in seven years. With that said, this fight will most likely end up going the distance. I see Ancajas successfully defending his title again and winning via UD. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a TKO since Funai is stepping up a level in competition.

Radivoje Kalajdzic (24-1, 17 KOs) vs Artur Beterbiev (13-0, 13 KOs)

• Radivoje Kalajdzic (+900)
• Artur Beterbiev (-1600)

The IBF champ Beterbiev comes in as a sizeable favorite which isn’t a surprise. However, I would’ve thought that Artur would have larger odds considering his resume compared to his opponent’s resume. With that said, Kalajdzic could be worth a risky flyer for the extreme betting daredevils out there. He does have the height and reach advantage. He’s also seven years younger.

Kalajdzic vs Beterbiev Preview

Boxer	Radivoje Kalajdzic	Artur Beterbiev
Age	27	34
Height	6’2”	5’11.5”
Reach	76”	73”
Total Fights	25	13
Record	24-1	13-0
Knockouts	17	13

Radivoje Kalajdzic just recently moved up into the top 14 ranked fighters for the IBF and became eligible for a world title shot. He was fortunate that Top Rank agreed to this fight. Radivoje is also ranked 14th in the WBA as well.

Radivoje Kalajdzic has won three straight fights since losing to Marcus Browne three years ago. That was the first and only loss of his career. And, it was highly controversial. In fact, Radivoje Kalajdzic has been lobbying for another fight against Browne:

“I slipped in the first round and he hit me when I was down, and the referee ruled it a knockdown. From then on, I won the second, fourth, the sixth where I legitimately dropped him, and the last two rounds. So even counting my knockdown in the first, I still should have won the fight as the one judge correctly scored it for me. I’ve wanted the rematch for three years. I’m sure Browne would be happy fighting some run-of-the-mill, faded contender and avoid me, but it’s time to do it again. Anytime, anywhere, I’ll fight him in his backyard. He can’t beat me. He didn’t the first time and he won’t on the second try.”

If Radivoje was undefeated, he would be ranked higher in the standings for both IBF and WBA. This fight would also be hyped up more considering it would be two undefeated boxers fighting for a world title. Unfortunately, Browne has avoided the rematch. With that said, Kalajdzic is lucky to get this title shot and he will have to work hard to pull off the upset.

For Beterbiev, he last fought in October and beat Callum Johnson in a solid matchup of two undefeated fighters. This will be his second title defense. According to The Ring, Artur is out to prove that he’s the best in this division and that starts with a win on Saturday night:

“I am very excited to defend my IBF light heavyweight title on May against a high-quality opponent like Radivoje Kalajdzic. This will be a great fight, and I can’t wait to get in the ring and show once again why I am the best 175-pound boxer in the world.”

Beterbiev has stopped all 13 of his opponents via KO/TKO and looks to continue that streak this weekend. Many fans and pundits consider Beterbiev a “monster” inside the ring.

Will Beterbiev Win via KO/TKO?

I don’t think it’s a question as to whether or not Beterbiev retains the title. The question is in regards to whether or not Artur can stop Kalajdzic or not. I would like to give Kalajdzic a shot at pushing this fight the distance, but Beterbiev is a beast and the odds have to favor a KO/TKO win.

I’m taking the champ to retain his belt via TKO in the latter rounds.

Future Plans for Beterbiev

After this fight, Artur wants to take on other champs in his division. Up first could be Sergey Kovalev. The current WBO light heavyweight champ has publicly stated his intentions to fight Beterbiev:

“Artur Beterbiev is part of my priorities – because we have, let’s say, a history from the amateurs where he crossed my path. But I am very grateful to God [that I lost those fights], that this is exactly what happened – because if I had won any prizes in the amateur world championships or the European championships or in the Olympic Games, I would have considered this to be my maximum achievement. And since I did not achieve my ambitions in amateurs, I stepped into professional boxing.”

Kovalev would have to fight his mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde first, but if he wins then a fight between the two Russian champs could be set up for later this year.

KKalajdzic vs Beterbiev Undercard Fights

The following undercard fights don’t have betting odds, but still feature notable boxers:

Gabriel Flores Jr. (12-0, 5 KOs) vs Eduardo Pereira

This fight is all about Flores returning home to Stockton, CA, to fight in front of his hometown fans. In fact, it’s hard to even talk about his opponent when all of the media has hyped up his return and his rise up through the lightweight division. Flores spoke about his return home for this fight:

“I was born and raised in Stockton, and it is the city I still call home. To get the opportunity to fight at the big arena in front of my friends, family, and biggest fans is a dream come true. This is only the beginning of my journey. One day, I will fill up that arena as a world champion. I am excited to use my platform to show kids that bullying is unacceptable and that we must treat everyone with dignity and respect.”

Flores is hoping to raise awareness for bullying with his current fight against Pereira. Gabriel fought six times in 2018 and has already fought once in 2019. He defeated Rynn via UD in February. Flores has won five straight fights via UD and only has five KOs in 12 victories.

Beterbiev Johnson Odds Nfl

I expect Flores to shine in his return home. I don’t see a KO happening this weekend, but I do see Flores winning via UD as he cruises to a clean sweep of the rounds.

Final Thoughts on Top Rank’s ESPN Boxing Event

It’s a shame that these fights are on the same night as the big boxing event featuring Canelo Alvarez taking on Daniel Jacobs. The Alvarez fight will get all of the attention this weekend even if it’s on DAZN. Additionally, there are more exciting fights on that event’s undercard than this ESPN card.

I’m intrigued to see if Beterbiev can win via KO again. It would also be nice to see Flores win in front of his hometown fans. Anjacas is a champ that I respect due to his willingness to always fight and defend his title. Other than those three men, this ESPN card doesn’t offer much entertainment value or any betting value. With Bellator and UFC hosting events this weekend, I would put this boxing card further down the list of fight sports events to watch this weekend.

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Callum Johnson vs. Artur Beterbiev

Boxing: Saturday October 6, 2018

Beterbiev Johnson Odds College Football

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Artur Beterbiev and Callum Johnson fight Saturday for the IBF light-heavyweight title.

Artur Beterbiev enters this fight with a 12-0 record that includes 12 knockouts. This will be Beterbiev’s second fight since 2017, and he’s coming off a November win over Enrico Koelling. Beterbiev will defend his belt for the first time after he abused Koelling, who refused to let his hands go. Beterbiev landed over 300 punches and produced two knockdowns before a 12th round knockout, while his opponent landed less than 70 punches. Beterbiev is 33 years old, stands at 5’11” with a 73 inch reach and has an orthodox stance. Beterbiev has produced knockouts in all 12 of his fights and has made it out of the fourth round just twice. Conditioning was an issue for Beterbiev in the past, but he likely answered some of those questions with his most recent bout. Beterbiev usually walks down his opponent and is always the aggressor, as he threw over 1,000 punches in his last fight. Beterbiev has an effective jab and a vicious right hand that can drop most fighters in this division when landed cleanly. This is a nice fight for the Russian to give him increased exposure considering he’s been rather inactive compared to other fighters in this division.

Callum Johnson enters this fight with a 17-0 record that includes 12 knockouts. This will be Johnson’s second fight this year, and he’s coming off a March win over Frank Buglioni. This will be Johnson’s second time fighting in over two years, and he’s coming off a bout in which he just won the British light heavyweight title. This will be easily the biggest fight of Johnson’s career and a chance to really put himself in the conversation as one of the best within this division. Johnson is 33 years old and has an orthodox stance. Johnson is an old school brawler who likes to box on the inside and throws a ton of clean hooks and puts combinations together nicely. When landed, Johnson is one of the more fun boxers within this division to watch due to his work rate and ability to counter. Win, lose or draw, Johnson is going to get his money’s worth and throw a large number of shots. Of course, this fight will tell us a lot more about Johnson due to his resume featuring many questionable names. Let’s see how he does against one of the big boys within this division.

If you’re a fan of heavyweight boxing and still waiting for the Anthony Joshua - Deontay Wilder bout to take place, this could hold you over for a bit. Both fighters stay busy, have great knockout power and aren’t going to be afraid to let their hands go. Power punch after power punch. The problem is Johnson has spent his whole career standing in the middle of the ring and trading punches. That works against no names, it’s not going to work against Beterbiev, who is in the class of powerful Russians who beats dudes to the ground when allowed to fight his style. Johnson is going to need movement, patience and rely more on counters to win this fight. Thinking you can trade blow for blow with a guy as polished as Beterbiev is a mistake.

Beterbiev Johnson Odds Nba

Great fight and there will be impressive shots, but Beterbiev wins.

Beterbiev Johnson Odds Ufc