The month of January will feature numerous world title boxing matches for boxing betting fans to wager on. This coming weekend will feature an all-Canadian matchup for the WBO Diamond Light Heavyweight title between former WBC and Ring Light Heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (28-2-1) and former IBF Super Middleweight champion Lucian Bute (31-1).
This fight is a long-awaited and closely handicapped matchup that currently has Pascal as the slim Sportsbook -150 favorite. That looks like a good price on Pascal when one considers that Bute hasn’t really looked that good since his wins in 2011. We would prefer that the Bute upset option at +140 be worth a little more against an aggressive grinder like Pascal.
On January 25 an all-German rematch will feature Marco Huck (36-2-1) in defense of his WBO Cruiserweight title for the twelfth time and the second time against journeyman Firat Arstan (33-6-2). Boxing odds in this fight at Sportsbook opened with Huck as a heavy -475 favorite, but we have since seen them rise to a price of -625. Upset action on the aging Arstan will pay +400, but it’s not recommended here.
Also on January 25, Mikey Garcia (33-0) will be defending his new WBO Super Featherweight title for the first time against Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-2). The undefeated champ is a huge boxing odds -1250 favorite at Sportsbook, but this one should be worth the risk for the low percentage take. Burgos has a longshot puncher’s chance to pay out on the +600 underdog option, but it’s not a bet that one would want to load up on.
On the same night two undefeated Heavyweight prospects will clash when Bryant Jennings (17-0) steps into the ring against Artur Szpilka (16-0). Both have high KO percentages but it’s Jennings who gets the nod as the -227 favorite. That number has dropped from the initial -333 Sportsbook. It may be worth it to place a bit of action on the +175 upset option on Szpilka considering neither fighter has faced top-notch competition thus far in their boxing careers.