FOLLOWING a trifecta of weekends consisting of UK shows so far in March, attention now shifts away from Old Blighty, with cards in Australia and Las Vegas taking centre stage. Ahead of Saturday’s action, Boxing News picked out what we believe to be the best bets across the two shows.
Boxing News Bet Boost with bet365:
This weeks boost is a knockout treble for Khataev, Kambosos and Fundora each to win by KO, TKO, or DQ boosted from 1.95/1 to 3.49/1
Imam Khataev vs. Durval Elias Palacio – Khataev by KO, TKO or DQ – 2/7 (bet365)
Whilst Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol have proven themselves as the two stand-out light-heavyweights of this generation, a new crop of 175-lb fighters is beginning to emerge as their potential successors, and Imam Khataev, 9-0 (9 KOs), is right amongst those possible threats.
Khataev captured the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the 2023 Tashkent World Championships as an amateur. He has continued that success as a professional, halting all nine of his opponents to date, notably stopping former European champion and fringe world level operator, Ricards Bolotniks, last year.
Now 30 years old, Khataev is expected to be moved quickly over the next 18 months in the hopes of sweeping up a potentially vacant world title or shot at Bivol. He should prove far too much for Argentina’s Durval Elias Palacio, 14-3 (11 KOs), who was stopped by countryman Braian Suarez in his lone defeat inside of the distance to date.
George Kambosos vs. Jake Wyllie – Kambosos by KO, TKO or DQ – 1/2 (bet365)
George Kambosos, 21-3 (10 KOs), last scored a knockout win in 2019, but in the time that has followed, he has become a unified lightweight world champion and fought only amongst the elite in the 135lb division. However, while moving up in weight, Saturday sees Kambosos drop down significantly in levels as he faces Australian super-lightweight champion Jake Wyllie, 16-1 (15 KOs), following Daud Yordan’s late withdrawal.
Simply put, the difference between the peak world level and the Australian domestic scene is such that it should provide Kambosos with the perfect opportunity to end his run of six outings without a knockout win as he returns to Sydney intending to kickstart a title charge in his new weight-class.
Sebastian Fundora vs. Chordale Booker – Fundora by KO, TKO or DQ – 8/15 (bet365)
An unconventional champion, Sebastian Fundora, 21-1-1 (13 KOs), has sat patiently awaiting a showdown with Errol Spence Jr. during the 12 months following his surprise world title win. The Spence fight never came to fruition.
Here, Fundora ends that spell of inactivity with an attempted first defence of the WBC and WBO super-welterweight marbles as he gears up to take on Chordale Booker, 23-1 (11 KOs), in the main event of the Las Vegas bill.
Although his win over Tim Tszyu was considered a major upset, Fundora has also banked wins over the likes of Erickson Lubin and Carlos Ocampo in recent years. Sebastian has proven that he and his skills, as well as his insane 6’5” stature, are a threat to any campaigner in the 154lb division.
Meanwhile, Booker has established himself as a solid domestic fighter across the pond, claiming the WBC USA super-welterweight crown two fights back. Yet, the blemish on his career is significant, as he was stopped in the opening round of his clash with Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams in 2022.
With huge fights on the horizon for Fundora, we don’t believe that Booker is the man to intervene and that the Connecticut-based southpaw will not last the distance due to Booker’s significant jump up in opposition.
At bet365, you can get the knockout treble for Khataev, Kambosos and Fundora each to win by KO, TKO, or DQ boosted from 1.95/1 to 3.49/1 with our Boxing News Bet Boost, which can be added to your bet slip here.
