WBC/WBO champion Fernando Montiel will walk into the ring against Nonito Donaire in Las Vegas on Saturday night as the top dog in the Bantamweight division, but oddsmakers at Sportsbook have the champ as a +175 underdog to retain his belts.
Montiel will look to beat the odds against former Super Flyweight champion Donaire, who will come into the fight as a -210 favorite at Sportsbook. Donaire’s only professional loss came 10 years ago, and he’s completely dominated at the Super Flyweight division since that time. This will be his second fight since stepping up to Bantamweight and most experts expect him to continue that dominance against Montiel.
A better choice to get paid off on this fight might be the prop action at Sportsbook. If you think that the fight will end before 7.5 rounds it will pay an under price of +130, while an over bet beyond 7.5 rounds will pay -170.
The other high-profile fight on the same card in Vegas pits undefeated Mike Jones in a rematch against Jesus Soto Karass. Jones came out on top of a disputable decision when the two first met back in November, and now the cheapest price on Jones for the rematch comes from oddsmakers at Sportsbook at -460. Some books have Jones as expensive as -750.
As big as the +450 underdog odds are at Sportsbook, a bet on Soto Karass is ill-advised. Jones may have gassed a bit in their first fight, but he is far more talented and will be out to prove that the doubt surrounding their first bout should not have happened. Jones will likely win a unanimous decision on his way to a title shot sometime in the near future.
The other big bout on Saturday night comes from Germany and will be for the WBA Middleweight title. Felix Sturm will once again defend his belt against an opponent that shouldn’t even have a title shot. Somehow Sturm’s handlers have managed to get him another weak opponent in Ronald Hearns, and oddsmakers at Sportsbook have reflected the hand-picked mismatch by making Sturm a -1000 favorite to defend his title once again.
As tasty as the Sportsbook +650 underdog line on Hearns may be, we don’t suggest that you take the risk on this one. Until Sturm fights a legitimate contender he will continue to be high-priced safe money. If you have the bankroll, a bet on Sturm is the only way to go in a fight that should never have been sanctioned.
