Upton Park provides backdrop for intriguing fight
The long wait is nearly over as David Haye and Dereck Chisora will finally get to fight in the ring at Upton Park this Saturday. It’s the clash that everyone has been talking about ever since the infamous Munich press conference in February that resulted in Chisora losing his boxing licence and plenty of self-respect.
Haye is firm favourite on Sporting Index’s win index market, but the Hayemaker might not have it all his own way. In his last fight Haye was beaten after 12 rounds on a TKO by Wladimar Klitschko and he’s had to go the distance twice in his last four fights. The other 12 round fight was against Nikolay Valuev in Nuremburg.
Dereck Chisora is no stranger to long fights and has proven in the past he can stand up against better fighters. Before the incident in Munich Chisora had fought bravely against the better Klitschko, but eventually lost on a UD. In fact three of Chisora’s previous four fights have gone the distance and that will bring Sporting Index’s fight minutes and total round market s into play on Saturday.
Manny and Marquez to go the distance?
Manny Pacquiao defends his WBO Welterweight title against Juan-Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.
Sporting Index go 25-26 for fight minutes and 8.5-9 for rounds. But what does history tell us?
Pac's last four fights have gone the distance, but only two of Marquez's five fights in the last three years have required the full 12 rounds, one of those being his defeat to Floyd Mayweather.
These fighters have met each other twice previously in 2004 and 2008, but these fights were contested at the lower featherweight and super feather limits. Both fights went the allotted 12 rounds, the Fighting Pride of the Phillipines taking the second bout on a split decision, while the earlier contest was drawn.
That would suggest a buy of both markets, but be aware that in that 2004 fight, Marquez was knocked down three times in the first round. Michael Katsidis put the Mexican down in the third before eventually losing 12 months ago and Mayweather floored Marquez as early as the second round on his way to a points victory in September 2009.
Money Mayweather to go distance with Ortiz?
Money, Pretty Boy, Floyd; call him what you will, Floyd Mayweather Jr has established himself as one of boxing's all-time greats.
His 41-0 (25 KOs) speaks for itself so you can't begrudge him the millions he will earn from his fight with 24-year-old Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, this weekend.
But despite remaining unbeaten has Money been lacking that knockout punch as he nears retirement? Five of his last six fights, all of which have been contested in Vegas, went the full 12 rounds - the 2007 fight against Ricky Hatton, settled in the the 10th, is the exception.
The spreads suggest that this one might also go close to the distance. Sporting Index go 29.5-30.5 for fight minutes and 10-10.5 for total rounds.
Khan cannot take Judah challenge lightly
Amir Khan defends his WBA Super World light welterweight title in Las Vegas in a fight that will likely prove his biggest test to date. Khan last fought in April this year, where the man from Bolton beat Paul McCloskey by a technical decision after 17 minutes and 30 seconds of action.
Across Khan’s past five fights he has been taken the full 12 rounds twice, the last time coming against Marcos Rene Maidana in December 2010. Anyone looking at the total fight minutes market may be interested to learn that Khan’s average fighting time in his last five bouts is 24 minutes. Against Dmitriy Salita back in 2009, Khan destroyed his opponent is just 1 minute and 16 seconds.
Boxing clever
Let’s get ready to rumble! Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye will finally go toe-to-toe on Saturday 2 July in the biggest heavyweight contest since Lennox Lewis defeated Mike Tyson in 2002.
The Ukraine-born Klitschko will enjoy the partisan support of his adopted home town in Hamburg, Germany, and the IBF and WBO champion also benefits from a height and reach advantage over Haye, holder of the WBA belt.
This is the Englishman’s fifth fight since stepping up from the cruiserweight division and, while both men have been accused of defending their titles against weak opponents, there will be no hiding places on fight night.
The more experienced Klitschko heads the betting and he will be the hardest test of Haye’s career. However, he’s not invincible, having lost three times in 58 fights and Haye has experience of handling bigger opponents, notably when taking the WBA crown from Nikolai Valuev, the seven-foot Russian, in 2009.
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