Boxing Preview: September Major Fight Betting Predictions
Boxing fans are in for a treat during September, with the upcoming schedule packed with a host of top-class fights in England and the United States.
The clash between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr at Manchester Arena kicks off what promises to be a stellar month of pugilistic action.
Read on as we look at the major fights taking place next month, starting with a look at the rematch between the aforementioned British boxers.
Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr – Manchester, England – September 2
Eubank Jr was the bookmakers’ favourite to win the first fight against Smith, but the Liverpudlian upset the odds courtesy of a controversial fourth-round stoppage.
The top online betting sites are tipping Smith to emerge victorious in the rematch and he has been extremely bullish about his chances during the build-up.
However, Smith was pretty fortunate to get away with hitting Eubank Jr with his elbow on his way to winning the contest.
Eubank Jr will be eager to exact his revenge and looks a good bet at odds of 7/5 to see off Smith’s challenge on this occasion.
Luis Alberto Lopez vs Joet Gonzalez – Corpus Christi, Texas – September 15
Lopez heads into his IBF featherweight title bout against Gonzalez in mid-September on the back of an impressive 11-fight winning streak.
The 29-year-old won the title with a majority-decision victory over Josh Warrington in December and retained the belt with a dominant fifth-round win over Michael Conlan in May.
Lopez is strongly fancied to defeat Gonzalez, although he may need to rely on the judges’ scorecards to get the job done.
Two of Gonzalez’s three career defeats came via decision in title challenges and he has the ability to make life difficult for the reigning champion.
William Zepeda vs Mercito Gesta – Los Angeles, California – September 16
Zepeda will put his unbeaten record on the line against Gesta in a fight he will hope is the final step toward a world title challenge.
The unbeaten lightweight is the WBA’s number-one contender, while he is also ranked in the top then with the WBC (#4), WBO (#6), and IBF (#7).
Undisputed Devin Haney is yet to decide whether he will step up to the junior welterweight division, which has stalled Zepeda’s march to the top.
The Mexican has recorded 24 knockouts in 28 victories in the professional ranks and looks a good bet to win inside the distance again.
Zhilei Zhang vs Joe Joyce 2 – London, England – September 23
Joyce will have a point to prove when he faces Zhang at Wembley Arena having suffered a devastating defeat in their first meeting in April.
Zhang’s power and size proved too much for Joyce last time around and it will be intriguing to see how the British boxer adapts in the rematch.
He took plenty of punishment in their first encounter, with the big southpaw pummelling him into submission inside six rounds.
There is little to choose between the pair in the betting, but we have a sneaky suspicion that Joyce will claim the victory on this occasion.
Richardson Hitchins vs Jose Zepeda – Orlando, Florida – September 23
Hitchins will bid to maintain his unbeaten record against Zepeda and hopefully secure a shot at the super flyweight world title in his next outing.
The Brooklyn boxer took his professional record to 16-0 with a unanimous decision victory over John Bauza on his most recent outing.
He is ranked #6 with the WBO and #7 with the IBF in the 140lb rankings and a victory here should be enough to move him into the title mix.
Zepeda will be no pushover having lost just three of his 39 career contests, but Hitchins’ looks a good bet to keep his personal bandwagon rolling.
Saul Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo – Las Vegas, Nevada – September 30
September’s boxing schedule ends with a bang on the final day of the month as Alvarez defends his super-middleweight world titles against Charlo.
Alvarez defeated John Ryder by unanimous decision to retain his titles in May – the 59th victory of his hugely impressive career.
Charlo is currently the undisputed super-welterweight champion and is jumping up two weight divisions to take on Alvarez.
That weight differential will likely be too much to overcome and Alvarez is strongly fancied to take his career record to 60-2-2.
