SHOW ME THE MONEY 2- Our betting column
By Vincent DunneÂ
The thing about boxing betting is you’ll win some and lose some, and we were within one round of making dosh the last time but our fella got sparked in the last round! It’s lucky then that this weekend sees 3 bets I’ve been waiting for come together!
Sky Sports have a double bill from Manchester and Germany. First up it’s the rematch between champion Darleys Perez and Anthony “Million Dolla” Crolla. Of all the British boxers the one you would have torn your hair out over if had you backed him recently is Crolla. He is unbeaten in his last 8 bouts but amazingly has drawn 3 of them! On deeper inspection though one was for an accidental head clash and I think he won the other two. In his last bout with Perez he looked to have outworked and outsmarted him and was a shock when the judges gave it as a draw as one judge had given it to Crolla by 5 rounds. I fully expect Crolla to win a decisive decision with superior footwork and hand speed.
Next onto another Brit who blew my cash with a draw – Martin Murray has come away empty handed the 3 times he has fought for the world title but that doesn’t reveal the whole story. He looked to be unlucky to draw with Strum in Germany and was absolutely robbed blind against Sergio Martinez (at least Dick Turpin wore a mask). As for his fight with Gennady Golovkin – if GGG was fighting a bear I’d back him to win by KO in 6 so going 11 rounds was a great job. Arthur Abraham has been a great champion and is going into his 5th defence but the once fearless KO king has been ripe for the picking for a while now. Murray is too hungry, too fresh and even though he’s coming up in weight he’ll be bigger than Abraham. It has to be a concern that the fight is in Germany, where knocking out your man will get you a draw, but Murray will have learned from the heist in Argentina. Look for Murray to win 9 rounds to 3 and get the judges nod by a round!
Next we head across the Pond to Vegas for Cotto versus Alvarez. I have been fan of Cotto since I first saw him fight in 2003. It broke my heart when he suffered his first loss and I went totally bananas when it turned out that Margarito had dipped the old handies into plaster first! He then performed well in defeat against Pacman and Money Mayweather. What turned me off him was his last few fights at middleweight when he made his opponent agree to a catchweight and drain then even though the limit is much higher and the fact he’s run away from GGG like I do from housework has sealed it. Daniel Geale looked as though he would blow away in the wind after dieting down and never stood a chance. Even though he’s done his sneaky catchweight fiasco, Canelo Alvarez can easily make the weight. He’s going to look at least two weight classes bigger than Cotto. Canelo will look to target the body and break down the older man with educated pressure and I think he’ll take him out in the latter rounds.
Virtual Pot €245
Martin Murray and Anthony Crolla double €45 to bring in €150
Let me put into context how much I like this bet: I think you should dig up your communion money, bring your gold teeth to Cash for Gold, rob Granny’s rocking chair to pawn, sell your neighbours fridge, refuse to let the Aldi cashier round up your change, accept the email from the man who says you’re the only person who can claim a fortune from a dead namesake on Facebook, bring your vodka bottle of change to the bank…you get the picture!
Canelo Alvarez to win by TKO / KO 3/1   €15 to bring in €60
If you’re staying up to watch the Cotto fight you could do worse than throw a very small bet on Lee Haskins who I think might pull off a huge upset at big odds on the undercard.
Lee Haskins 5/1     €10 to bring in €60
VIRTUAL POT NOW €175
P.S. I’m giving amounts based on a virtual pot of €300 so please bet sensibly and adjust your amounts accordingly and don’t be stealing Granny’s chair, this is for fun only! If you’re only doing one bet do a straight accumulator on the two boys with Canelo to win normally at odds of 7/2.
