NBA PlayOffs 2024- First Round Picks Games 1-4 (April 20-29)

NBA PlayOffs 2024- First Round Picks, Games 1-4 (April 20-29)

It is quite hard to believe that we are already into the NBA PlayOffs with the Finals from last June not feeling nearly as distant in the past as they are.

The Denver Nuggets made their favouritism count as they won it all, but they will try and go again, this time as the Number 2 Seed in the Western Conference.

Instead it may be the Boston Celtics who are going to be the team to beat, even with a potentially awkward First Round Series coming up. That will be determined on Friday evening when the final Play In Tournament games are completed, while there are going to be some new faces in the post-season compared with last season.

Another year of experience may be needed by some, including the top Seed in the Western Conference the Oklahoma City Thunder, while the window is officially closing on other contenders all around.

And of course, it would not feel like much of a post-season if MY New York Knicks were not involved.

A strong end to the season has seen the Knicks rock up with the Number 2 Seed in the Eastern Conference and they will have every chance of producing a strong run if they can overcome a tough First Round opponent. Reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in twenty-five years is still feeling like a long shot, but you just never know what is going to happen in the post-season and any injury issues that may open the door for a first Championship since 1973.

Looking back at last year's PlayOff numbers, the NBA Picks returned a + 10.49 Units return with a 14.98% Yield.

Three of the four Rounds produced a winning return, including the NBA Finals, but it was the First Round when the foundation was laid with a really strong return.

Matching that will not be easy, but it does give us something to aim for.

Much like last season's PlayOffs, I am splitting the First Round, and subsequent Rounds through to the NBA Finals, into Games 1-4 and 5-7 threads just to limit the length of them.

The First Round opening thread will tend to the be the longest with eight Series in play, but these are also most likely to be concluded in four or five games.

A 22-9 record in the First Round of the PlayOffs produced the strong foundation for a successful run in the post-season, but this is not a case of all or nothing over the next couple of weeks. Instead the focus has to be trying to put the winning runs together to ensure a positive return, and not allowing any dips to make us lose focus on the bigger picture.

Four of the First Round Series will be beginning on Saturday and the remaining four on Sunday and the selections from Games 1-4 will be added below.

Good luck and let's hope for some really good Basketball... And a New York Knicks win.

Saturday 20th April

Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers Game 1 Pick: Motivation is going to be incredibly easy to find for the Orlando Magic in this First Round PlayOff Series with suggestions that the Cleveland Cavaliers 'tanked' their final regular season game when hosting the Charlotte Hornets. Resting starters throughout the entirety of the Fourth Quarter as they game got away from the Cavaliers has been the story ahead of their return to the post-season and the suggestion they 'targeted' this First Round Series has to be pinned to the wall of the Orlando locker room.

The Magic have not made the PlayOffs since 2020 so there is a suggestion that it was the right plan from the Cavaliers, but a win would have seen them climb into either the Number 2 or Number 3 Seed and that would mean avoiding a likely Conference Semi Final showdown with the Boston Celtics.

Ultimately the Cavaliers have 'chosen' to face the Orlando Magic against whom they split the four regular season meetings, including both teams winning on the floor of the other once.

Health is a factor and the Cavaliers have been beset by injuries throughout the course of the season so it is key that their main starters are fit and ready to go. The Cavaliers will go as far as the likes of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland will take them, although it certainly feels like there is a ceiling on their ambitions in this post-season.

Pressure will be on them to at least progress further than last year when upset by the New York Knicks in a home First Round Series, but the inexperience of the Orlando Magic is expected to be factor too.

It also should be noted that the Magic have been a lot stronger on their own court than they been on the road and it will be a real challenge for them to head back to Orlando with a split of the first two games in this First Round Series. The edge looks to be with the Cleveland Cavaliers thanks to their impressive Defensive work and the talented players mentioned can get hot Offensively to help guide Cleveland to the victory.

A lot of eyes will on this Series to see if the Cavaliers can make use of the Series they picked and there will be plenty ready to mock them if they do not.

Smaller home favourites have not had a very strong covering record in Game 1 of the NBA PlayOffs First Round Series, but in general the home teams have been piling up the wins outright.

The line is a tough one to read, but the Cleveland Cavaliers might just have enough in the tank to just take advantage of an opponent that has not played enough PlayOff games in recent years to know exactly what to expect. It could free up some of the younger players in the Orlando locker room, but the feeling is that the Cavaliers are healthy at a good time and they can open this Series with an important victory.

Phoenix Suns @ Minnesota Timberwolves Game 1 Pick: This has the makings of a really good First Round Series and the Number 6 Seeded Phoenix Suns will believe they match up really well with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

You cannot blame the Suns in feeling that way having won all three regular season meetings this season to extend their run to five wins in a row over the Timberwolves. Games were not really that competitive either, while Phoenix secured their Number 6 Seed by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in this Arena on the final day of the regular season, which also dropped the Timberwolves into this First Round Series.

Both of these teams will feel they can have a significant impact in the post-season, even being in the same half of the Western Conference bracket as the defending Champions Denver Nuggets who are the Number 2 Seed.

However, it would be foolish for the Suns and the Timberwolves to overlook the team right in front of them and Phoenix have an ambition of returning home next week knowing they have at least taken home court away from Minnesota.

Game 1 might be a really good opportunity for Phoenix to do that with the Timberwolves still likely figuring out how a returning Karl Anthony Towns can impact the team. There is no doubting the talent of KAT, but the Timberwolves had found a rhythm without him and having to reintegrate him may just knock the team a little out of sync.

That is not idea before facing an opponent that has gotten the better of you throughout the regular season and one loaded with the experiences and talent that the Suns clearly have.

Last season it was the Nuggets who ended both the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves PlayOff ambitions, but the Suns have felt close to a breakthrough since reaching the NBA Finals in 2021. The health of the rotation looks good and the window is beginning to close so this feels an important PlayOffs for the Phoenix Suns who can begin with an upset on the road.

Home teams have won a lot of the Game 1's in recent First Round Series, but they do not always cover and smaller favourites have been most vulnerable. That is the position the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves in and First Round home favourites of just 4 points or fewer are now 27-39-1 against the spread in this Round of the PlayOffs in recent seasons.

Add in the Phoenix win here last Sunday and overall dominance of the regular season series between the teams and the Suns look an underdog that can be backed with the points.

Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks Game 1 Pick: Statements made from a bench player for the Philadelphia 76ers that they wanted to face the New York Knicks in the First Round of the NBA PlayOffs as they are 'easier' than facing the Boston Celtics would make sense to a lot of fans.

However, you do have to question the mindset of players saying things like that out aloud and there is little doubt it will serve as massive motivation as far as the Number 2 Seeds are concerned.

In recent years, those teams coming out of the Play In Tournament games have been able to ride the momentum against rested opponents and upset the odds in Game 1 of the First Round of the NBA PlayOffs. Last season the Lakers and the Miami Heat both won the opening games in the First Round of the PlayOffs having come through the Play In Tournament, but both were the Number 8 Seed and the 76ers have had a couple of days to rest and just ease out of the intensity they would have needed to narrowly knock off the Miami Heat.

Joel Embiid has been back and the 76ers have won nine in a row, but Paul Reed's comments will have resonated in New York.

The Knicks may not be the Boston Celtics, who have dominated the Eastern Conference this season, but they have fought through injury and the team have really picked up their own levels since the All Star Break. Add in the fact that Jalen Brunson has grown into a genuine star and the grit and determination shown by the Knicks, and they will certainly feel they are capable of beating this 76ers team having won three of the four regular season games.

All of those have been played this calendar year and Embiid has featured so there is nothing to intimidate the New York Knicks, although they are in a poor position of being a short priced home favourite, which has not been a good covering spot for teams in recent seasons in the First Round of the PlayOffs.

In saying that, the Knicks have shown little concern at having to face the winner of the first Play In Tournament game, even when it was clear that it was going to be either Philadelphia or Miami. Other games had finished as they entered Double Overtime on the final day of the regular season and the Knicks could have easily dropped that game against the Chicago Bulls to ensure a Series with the Indiana Pacers instead.

However, they do not think they can beat the 76ers and that would mean avoiding the Boston Celtics until the Eastern Conference Finals at the earliest, which could be enough time for things to change dramatically ahead of any potential Series.

Last season the Knicks won four of the five home games played in the post-season and they can open this Series with an important win. Narrow home favourites may not have a very strong covering record in the First Round, but teams are capable of covering and the Knicks can lay down an early marker to the 76ers that they are just as happy at having to face them as Philadelphia are the other way around.

The long winning run will have given Philadelphia confidence and momentum, but the Knicks finished the regular season with six wins in their last seven games and New York can open with an important win to get their post-season underway.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets Game 1 Pick: It was very quickly shut down and then mocked by Head Coach Darvin Ham, but there was genuine talk ahead of the first Play In Tournament game that the Los Angeles Lakers should think about losing. The likes of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, as well as the Head Coach, would not have entertained the idea, but pundits and those watching believed it would be better for the Lakers to try and avoid a First Round Series with the Denver Nuggets.

After making their way through the Play In Tournament and then upsetting the Number 2 Seeded Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves with plenty of momentum to take into the Western Conference Finals. However, they were swept aside by the Denver Nuggets, the eventual NBA Champions, and the Lakers have lost all three regular season games against them this season too.

It makes it eight straight wins for the Denver Nuggets and this is a dominant home team, which will make it very difficult for the Los Angeles Lakers to win this best of seven game Series.

Having Davis and James will be important, but the balance of the Denver roster is going to be tough to shake off and the Lakers will need one of the role players to step up and have a massive Series.

Even if that happens, stopping the Nuggets from doing what they want is going to be very difficult and the expectation is that they will underline their dominance right out of the gate.

Denver have not only won eight in a row against Los Angeles, but they have covered in the last five and remain a team with a dominant home court advantage. They will also note that big home favourites in the First Round of the NBA PlayOffs have had a dominating recent run at the betting window and they will be looking to create that uncertainty in the Lakers by having everyone speaking about how Los Angeles should have aimed to avoid playing the Nuggets in the First Round.

The successes of last season after coming through the Play In Tournament will help the Lakers, who are plenty experienced, but this feels like a Series that will be dictated by the Denver Nuggets and they can begin with a strong win.

MY PICKS: 20/04 Cleveland Cavaliers - 4.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

20/04 Phoenix Suns + 2 Points @ 1.91 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

20/04 New York Knicks - 3 Points @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)

20/04 Denver Nuggets - 7.5 Points @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

First Round Update: 

Boxing Picks 2024- Jordan Gill vs Zelfa Barrett (Saturday 13th April)

While it was not really a quiet month, March was one that began with a big card in Saudi Arabia and ended with a couple of good looking shows over Easter Weekend.

The relatively quiet nature of the cards has continued in early April, but there looks to be a clear shift coming up beginning with Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia next weekend.

After that we head into Canelo Alvarez vs Jaime Munguia

Naoya Inoue vs Luis Nery

Vasyl Lomachenko vs George Kambosos Jr

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk

Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall

Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev

Juan Francisco Estrada vs Bam Rodriguez.

That is some run to take us through to the end of June and there are plenty of other big fights in and around those dates.

Unsurprisingly the two big Saudi Arabian cards in that stretch are expected to be loaded with a solid undercard and this is not even accounting for a big card being put together by Boxxer in London for June 15th with the hope still being that it will be headlined by a much anticipated Anthony Yarde vs Joshua Buatsi Light Heavyweight bout.

All things considered, it is a good time to be a fan of Boxing with some of the big fights we have already seen over the last fifteen months and the kind of schedule coming up. Inactivity is plaguing some of the top names, but the majority are getting out at least twice a year and that has to be considered a positive after fans have missed out on some of the Super-Fights that should have happened much sooner than they did.

In the current climate, it feels like those massive nights will be signed and delivered and it has to be bring excitement.

Like many, we do look through some of the rubbish spouted by promoters, but there is no downplaying of the signing of Jaron Ennis who is now under the Matchroom banner.

This is a monster signing- Boots is clearly one of the top fighters in the world and should be taking over the 147 pound Division now that Errol Spence and Terence Crawford have targeted Light Middleweight gold.

However, inactivity has held Jaron Ennis back and he has sued his previous promoter.

Now he is under the Matchroom banner, the expectation is that Ennis will have his career pushed on very quickly- he should be out before the end of July and will be hoping to clear his mandatory before chasing the other Champions as Boots looks to Unify before heading out of the Division.

It is a messy Division with Bud Crawford yet to announce he is dropping the World Titles he collected, and there are two Interim World Champions, while the IBF was officially dropped by Crawford and Ennis was turned into a full World Champion.

First up is expected to be Cody Crowley, even though the Canadian has had a purse bid accepted to take on Souleymane Cissokho in Paris in a final eliminator set by the WBC.

Other promoters will have to be prepared to work with Matchroom if those Unifications happen, but ultimately activity is key for a fighter that has spent too long on the sidelines.

There is little doubt in my mind that Eddie Hearn will see a potential clash between Jaron Ennis and Conor Benn as being one that could really take the former to the forefront of British fans notice too, Of course some of that will come down to Benn earning a right to fight in the United Kingdom again, a case that continues to drag and drag almost two years after his failed drugs test.

Big fights and big moments are coming up, but there are a couple of decent cards taking place in Manchester and Corpus Christi this weekend.

We have headliners who are looking to push onto World level in the months ahead and it is a good appetiser before the main courses begin in New York City.

Two weeks ago the Boxing Picks did not have the most productive win-loss record, but the overall numbers are still very positive and that is what matters most.

Adding to those will be the focus this week and having a strong first half of the 2024 season looks very attainable from here.

Jordan Gill vs Zelfa Barrett

A short notice opportunity was taken by Zelfa Barrett to try and win the then vacant IBF Super Featherweight World Title, but a very positive early start was not sustained and an injury saw the bid come up short.

Two wins have been earned since the defeat to Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, but there is a feeling that Zelfa Barrett is not too long for this Division and will need to move up in weight.

He is headlining Manchester Arena, which brings its own pressures, but Barrett will also know that he will have to make a big decision on where his career is heading if he was to lose.

There has been talk from the Zelfa Barrett camp as well as the Jordan Gill one that the winner should be targeting a World Title if they are able to win, but that may have more to do with Joe Cordina being a World Champion and looking for the big fights going forward. It would be a solid money fight for Cordina rather than a legacy creating one, but that does mean there is more on the line for this headline act than perhaps there should be.

We have yet to really see either produce an effort to believe they should be a World Title contender, although Jordan Gill will dispute that.

He has overcome some personal demons and moved up in weight after a bad loss to Kiko Martinez, and Jordan Gill will feel his win over Michael Conlan in Belfast suggests he is way above European level now.

The other side of the argument is that Conlan is completely shot as a top level fighter and Jordan Gill was in the right place at the right time to take advantage. It is still a very good win, and one that should give him confidence as he goes back into the lion's den on Saturday, but Jordan Gill still has plenty to prove to doubters.

I have to consider myself one of those and it is hard to buy one performance as being indicative that Gill will reach much higher in the Super Featherweight Division than he did at Featherweight.

In saying that, this is not a massively higher level than his previous high and Zelfa Barrett has plenty to prove too.

That performance against Rakhimov is clearly impressive and gives Barrett something to build upon and both are going to be confident fighters.

Ultimately the feeling is that Brown Flash might have a bit more in the tank and he is not likely to be worn down by Jordan Gill as he was by a relentless Rakhimov.

Zelfa Barrett can box well early and show he has the power edge when trading and the feeling is that the home fighter outlasts Gill and finds a second half Stoppage in this crossroads bout.

There is a decent undercard that has been put together for the card in Manchester and fans of Stable (if you haven't seen it, you should) will be rooting for Ellie Scotney to come through and Unify her World Titles.

This is a tough fight coming up for her in her relatively young career, but I will be cheering her on and hoping Shane McGuigan's team continues to grow.

However, any additional selections from this weekend will both come from Corpus Christi where Jared Anderson is the headline act.

He has long been considered the heir to the Heavyweight throne once the like of Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder move into retirement. Those four fighters are expected to have two or three years left at the top at the maximum and Jared Anderson certainly looks capable of filling the void.

At 24 years old Anderson has time on his side, although the focus for his management and promoter is to keep him mentally checked in having had some out of the ring issues recently.

That means pushing ahead into tougher challenges and Big Baby has actually called for a clash with Wilder later this year.

Focus is the key as he prepares to take on Ryad Merhy who has moved into the Heavyweight Division having come up short in his World Title bid at Cruiserweight the first time around, before winning an Interim World Championship that was upgraded.

An upset over Tony Yoka has given Merhy this opportunity, but Jared Anderson is a big Heavyweight and will have a considerable size advantage. He hits very hard, harder than Yoka who looks like a fighter lacking confidence, and not many have been able to stand up to the power Anderson brings to the ring.

Only Charles Martin has been able to get past the Fifth Round against Jared Anderson and he needed to escape a Third Round Knock Down.

Ryad Merhy has shown he can be competitive and has toughness, but this feels like a statement making moment for the next big name American Heavyweight and he may be able to really create some headlines with an early win.

The chief support on the undercard features Efe Ajagba who has bounced back from his loss to Frank Sanchez to win four fights in a row.

An upset win a couple of fights ago has just made Ajagba a player in the Heavyweight Division again after his early momentum was stalled by Sanchez.

It is very likely that a win would see him set up to headline against Jared Anderson, assuming the latter also wins, and Efe Ajagba can produce another big win over Guido Vianello.

The 29 year old Italian has won twelve of thirteen fights and he has ten Knock Outs on the record, but the loss to Jonathan Rice will have felt like a big disappointment. Guido Vianello is taking a considerable step up to face the big hitting Nigerian Heavyweight and Efe Ajagba has found wins in the Fourth Round in each of his last two bouts.

Building momentum towards a potential fight with Jared Anderson will be the focus for Efe Ajagba and he can force another first half Stoppage against an opponent that should not be hard to find in the ring.

MY PICKS: Zelfa Barrett to Win Between 7-12 @ 4.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Jared Anderson to Win Between 1-5 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Efe Ajagba to Win Between 1-5 @ 3.50 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Boxing 2024: 16-23, + 12.92 Units (56 Units Staked, + 23.07% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2024- Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke (Sunday 31st March)

There have been some criticisms of Boxxer both from journalists for some of the people they are associating with and from fans about some of the decisions taken for the boxers in their stable, but they have made a smart decision to get this card over the line.

Having it taking place on Easter Sunday and right after two big Premier League games is ideal.

The fact it is available to subscribers without the need to buy a Pay-Per-View event looks to be a solid addition to the weekend sporting action and the card is topped by a very good looking Heavyweight bout.

We do have a pretty good American card taking place in the early hours of Sunday morning for those of us tuning in this side of the pond, and you can read my thoughts about that card here.

Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke

This is a fight that could have taken place twelve months ago, but a decision made by Boxxer to withdraw Frazer Clarke from an ordered purse bid left their fighter 'distraught' and open to ridicule.

All of that will be forgotten if he can get the better of Fabio Wardley when they do meet in London on Easter Sunday and it is perhaps a surprise that the white collar boxer is a considerable favourite to beat an amateur who took part in the Olympics.

Some of that is down to the fact that Frazer Clarke has not really impressed in the professional ranks, while Fabio Wardley has stepped up every time he has been asked to.

However, Clarke will feel that the additional time he has prepared will at least give him a bit more confidence when taking on a heavy handed opponent. He will need to find a level of form that we have not seen from the former amateur standout, but Frazer Clarke is clearly going to be someone who will believe he can 'out-box' Fabio Wardley.

Ultimately this is Heavyweight professional boxing and it is very hard to avoid a fight at times and Frazer Clarke is going to have to weather a storm from Fabio Wardley. The defending British Heavyweight Champion is going to be entering the ring with a confidence that will be hard to shake and he has shown a decent set of whiskers in the professional ranks, while also carrying his power even as he has stepped up his level of competition.

Fabio Wardley has also shown he can keep a decent pace going in fights and he warms up into contests and the feeling is that he will be able to do the same here.

David Adeleye lasted into the Seventh Round, but he was out of that contest at least one Round earlier as Fabio Wardley ended one rivalry. It is very likely he can end this one in the middle Rounds too and the unbeaten 29 year old can push onto the edge of world level after this one.

The undercard looks pretty decent in London on Easter Sunday and there are a couple of selections to add to the Boxing Picks for the evening.

First up is the return of Alen Babic and he looks a very big price to win his fight with Drago Steve Robinson in the second half of the contest.

After being blown away in a Round in his last bout, Babic may just need a bit of time to get into the groove against a solid Heavyweight.

Steve Robinson has definitely slowed down in bouts and 'The Savage' may just throw enough shots to get him out of there in the latter Rounds as the bigger man stops moving.

There is a lot of hype around Viddal Riley but this is a significant test for him against Mikael Lawal and it really does feel the latter is being underrated.

The same may be said about Chris Kongo in his rivalry clash with Florian Marku and both underdogs could come away with the upset.

MY PICKS: Fabio Wardley to Win Between 5-8 @ 4.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Alen Babic to Win Between 6-10 @ 7.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Mikael Lawal to Win @ 4.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Chris Kongo to Win @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Boxing Picks 2024- Tim Tszyu vs Sebastian Fundora (Saturday 31st March)

There have been some solid fight nights over the last couple of weeks, but those have been exciting for fans rather than having angles to approach from the Boxing Picks perspective.

Seeing William Zepeda and Dalton Smith continue progressing is exciting and there should be some big fights ahead for both of those in the months and years ahead.

Both will certainly be chasing the biggest names in and around their Divisions in their next bouts and there are some good options around, even if Dalton Smith surprisingly continues to call out Adam Azim. That feels like a fight that will be in a much better position to be made in twelve to eighteen months time with Smith beating a former World Title challenger and who absolutely should be thinking about a crack at a World Title next time out.

In that time Adam Azim should be able to continue his own development and potentially earn a World Title of his own, which would make a potential domestic Unification a major money fight.

The last Boxing Picks came from Saudi Arabian card 'Knockout Chaos' and it was a huge night for Anthony Joshua and Boxing in general.

The former World Champion did exactly what people felt Tyson Fury should have done against Francis Ngannou and Joshua is now in line to face the winner of the Fury-Usyk fight in May.

That is the next big fight night in the Middle East, but will followed by a massive June 1st card headlined by Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

On the undercard is the five vs five Queensberry vs Matchroom rivalry night and it is a winner on that night that could be the next opponent for Anthony Joshua. While we have not had official confirmation, Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois looks set to be for a potentially vacant IBF World Title and the winner would be expected to defend against Joshua, while Fury and Oleksandr Usyk perhaps head into a rematch.

The officials in Saudi Arabia have spoken about wanting to host a big fight night in London at Wembley Stadium before Riyadh Season and that being headlined by Joshua vs Hrgovic/Dubois sounds like something that could be in play. It would also be another five vs five card led by the rival promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn and that would be a major night for British fans who have been frustrated that their biggest names have not been fighting on these shores.

Queensberry and Matchroom have still had, and have, some big nights in the United Kingdom, but Boxxer may feel they are picking up any perceived slack from the top promotional companies.

Hopefully by next week we will have news about the long talked about fight between Light Heavyweights Anthony Yarde and Joshua Buatsi, while they are going to have Chris Billam Smith vs Richard Riakporhe for a World Title in the summer. Some still hope those two major fights could be placed on the same card, which would be immense, and Boxxer have a solid looking card coming up on Sunday.

Picks from that one will be on another thread, but the focus on this one is on the first PBC card to be broadcasted in their new deal with Amazon Prime.

Over the next couple of months heading into the Euro 2024 we have some major Boxing nights and this will really put a strong first six months on the board for the fans of the sport.

With the money being invested by Saudi Arabia, many more major nights are expected over the second half of the year too and that can only be good news for the fans. The best part is that some major Unifications are going to be signed off too and this is only positive for the sport, which has perhaps handcuffed itself far too often in recent years.

Now if the governing bodies can take the World Titles from those holding them hostage, it should give the next generation of stars a real opportunity to push through.

This is certainly the case this weekend when Tim Tszyu and Sebastian Fundora fight for two of the four belts in the Light Middleweight Division after Jermell Charlo's remaining World Titles were taken from him.

We need this and the winner is expected to face Terence Crawford next so there is another potential monster fight coming up in the summer.

Again, this can only be good news for the sport and the fans and the only hope is that PBC can bring a bit more activity to the fighters they have under their stable.

This opening card in association with Amazon Prime looks a decent one, although it is a shame that none of the main broadcasters signed it up in the United Kingdom and fans here will have to go through a Pay-Per-View channel rather than having it attached to any subscription.

It is hard to imagine too many buying the card on Easter Weekend with the main event taking place in the early hours of the morning in the UK, and that is the real shame.

At least these fights are being made and on Easter Sunday we do have a non PPV card taking place in London that looks pretty good too.

Tim Tszyu vs Sebastian Fundora

Twelve months ago this might have been a much more intriguing fight than many believe it is now, although personally it is not an opinion that I share.

Tim Tszyu has really shown his character in continuing to take on the challengers he has, even after Jermell Charlo strung him along and eventually pulled out of defending his Light Middleweight World Titles against the Australian. Some may have waited, but Tszyu continued to develop and Charlo has shown little appetite for taking on a fighter that may have progressed beyond him now.

It is still a potential Super-Fight, even after Charlo was well beaten by Canelo Alvarez in a surprise bid to win the Super Middleweight World Titles, but Tim Tszyu is not thinking about that and instead focusing on his own career.

Over the last twelve months, Tim Tszyu has beaten Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo and Brian Mendoza and he has picked up the WBO World Title, albeit not exactly in the manner he would have hoped. Now he has an opportunity to add the WBC World Title to his collection and with the carrot at the end of the stick being a potential defence against Terence Crawford next, which is potentially a tougher fight than facing Jermell Charlo even if Bud is coming up in weight.

The win over Brian Mendoza last time out stands out as it might have been Sebastian Fundora in the opposite corner if things had been different.

The Towering Inferno won the interim WBC World Title when beating Erickson Lubin in a really good fight and he then defended it against the aforementioned Carlos Ocampo. However, Sebastian Fundora's unbeaten run and interim World Title were ripped away from him by Brian Mendoza in a brutal Seventh Round Knock Out.

Eleven months have passed since Sebastian Fundora's defeat, but he has been given this opportunity after Keith Thurman was forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight with Tim Tszyu. He had been preparing for a fight on the undercard so there won't be many excuses for Sebastian Fundora to not be in shape, and it does feel the much bigger adjustments have to be made by Tszyu on relatively short notice.

Straight out of the gate is the huge size disadvantage with Sebastian Fundora having dimensions that you would expect from a big Light Heavyweight. It is still quite remarkable that he is making 154 pounds at almost 6'6 in height, although the criticism has long been that Fundora does not make use of his length as he should.

That will help Tim Tszyu who has shown his strength in close quarters and there have definitely been some vulnerabilities about Sebastian Fundora that the Australian can exploit.

The manner of the Knock Out defeat eleven months ago is hard to ignore- you do have to wonder what that has taken from Sebastian Fundora and the inactivity since is not ideal when facing someone like Tim Tszyu.

My expectation is that this is going to be a rough, stand in the trenches kind of fight, but the Knock Out loss suffered by Sebastian Fundora may have snapped some of the aura around him. Erickson Lubin had him seriously hurt and there is little doubt that Tim Tszyu has harder punches than both Lubin and Brian Mendoza and he has shown enough resiliency to whatever has come back his way.

Sebastian Fundora may have his moments, but Tim Tszyu looks to be improving all of the time and he is expected to break through the taller man with some big shots both to the head and body.

Unless something drastically has changed, Sebastian Fundora is likely going to stand right in front of Tim Tszyu and that is likely to be a poor game plan against a fighter that will be looking to make a statement to Jermell Charlo, Terence Crawford or whoever may be next on his hit list.

Both Lubin and Mendoza put Sebastian Fundora down in the Seventh Round, the latter for good, and Tim Tszyu may be able to do so in and around the same kind of time. He did have to break down Tony Harrison late on and got to Carlos Ocampo very early, but this time there is some feeling of this developing into a fight in a phone booth type of contest and the Australian can come out on top in the mid-Rounds.

A solid undercard has been put together and fighters looking to get into the World Title mix in the Light Middleweight Division will face off when Brian Mendoza returns to face Serhii Bohachuk, who was Fundora's original opponent on the card.

The odds favour Bohachuk, but this should be a decent scrap to watch and Brian Mendoza has had a taste of fighting for World Titles and will want to come again.

You have to believe Serhii Bohachuk will come out on top, but the big test for him is whether he can keep up his run of twenty-three wins and twenty-three Stoppages. The Ukrainian was upset by Brandon Adams so this is a fight Mendoza will feel he can win and one to enjoy.

Erislandy Lara should have too much for Michael Zerafa in a Middleweight bout for the WBA World Title held by the former. However, inactivity from both veterans is hardly ideal preparation, and that should mean Lara is able to defend his World Title on the cards.

Julio Cesar Martinez has not really kicked on his career as would have once been hoped and he has not really looked the same fighter since losing handily to Chocolatito in March 2022.

This is his third fight since then and he is facing an unbeaten opponent in Angelino Cordova, which is a potential banana skin for the Champion. He should still win, and it may just be worth a small interest on the Champion getting this one finished in the Championship Rounds.

The chief supporting bout on this card is between Rolly Romero and Isaac Cruz, two fighters who have suffered recent losses to Gervonta Davis and who have been chasing that rematch with Tank since.

Both fighters are perhaps living off their performances against Tank Davis- Isaac Cruz was the more impressive of the two, but that is perhaps the reason he is such a strong favourite in this one.

He did not look at his best in a Split Decision win last time out and Isaac Cruz is moving up in weight to take on the WBA Light-Welterweight Champion, while he has been relatively inactive.

However, his last fight did take place since we last saw Rolly Romero in the ring in his controversial win over veteran Ismael Barroso.

Injuries have forced Romero to spend some time out of the ring and the winner of this one is expected to take on Barroso, who has won the interim title in Romero's extended absence.

The feeling has long been that Rolly Romero may be one of the weakest World Champions there has been for some time and it is hard to imagine him keeping Isaac Cruz from building up some steam.

Barring a massive improvement from the performance against Ismael Barroso, this does feel like decent match making from Isaac Cruz and his team. Moving up in weight means dealing with heavier hands than he is used to, but Cruz should be able to land plenty of his own against an opponent who is not nearly as good as he thinks he is.

Ismael Barroso ran out of steam and this allowed Tony Weeks to make his bogus call to stop the fight, even when the veteran was not hurt. It is incredibly unlikely that Isaac Cruz is going to slip away in this one and he may just find the big shots after the halfway mark that may end up seeing him become a new World Champion without the need to hear the scorecards.

The PBC card is the big one on the night, but we do have another World Title being contested in California when Gilberto Ramirez faces Arsen Goulamirian for the WBA Cruiserweight World Title.

The Mexican bounced back from a comfortable defeat to Dmitry Bivol at Light Heavyweight to beat Joe Smith Jr at Cruiserweight. However, this is the first genuine Cruiserweight Gilberto Ramirez will have faced and a Champion that is unbeaten.

In saying that, Arsen Goulamirian has been inactive through injury and delayed fights and you can understand why Ramirez has been set as the favourite. The money has been coming in on the Champion though and it may be a fight where the winner ends up Unifying against the upcoming Chris Billam-Smith vs Richard Riakporhe II bout in the United Kingdom.

A more active Goulamirian would likely have too much for Gilberto Ramirez, but he still looks a considerable price for the 'upset' even as the away fighter.

On Friday evening there is another Top Rank card taking place and headlined by Oscar Valdez who returns after losing by a comfortable margin against Emanuel Navarrete last August.

That is the second loss in three fights, albeit against Navarrete and Shakur Stevenson, but Oscar Valdez has the chance to pick up an interim World Title in the Super Featherweight Division.

He faces Liam Wilson, who impressed in a losing effort against the aforementioned Navarrete in February 2023 when trying to win the full World Title in this Division. The winner of this one is likely going to be upgraded to full World Champion once it becomes clear what Emanuel Navarrete wants to do going forward, and Wilson has been active enough to win two fights in a row since losing to the Mexican.

You would have to give the edge to Valdez, although this is a fighter who has not looked the same since popping in a failed drugs test.

The power has not been the same, but Wilson's two defeats have both been inside the distance and Oscar Valdez may just be able to wear him down in what could be a really good main event.

There are some decent looking fights on the undercard, but a future headliner is the one looking to get that much closer to a World Title fight.

Raymond Muratalla wants to get to that level as soon as possible in the tough Lightweight Division and there are some potentially big names lined up to fight him.

He has to keep things ticking along and Muratalla can break down and Stop Xolisani Ndongeni.

Arnold Barboza Jr Stopped the South African in January in the Eighth Round, but that was also up at Light-Welterweight.

You do have to wonder if getting down to the 135 pound limit for the first time since 2019 is going to have taken something from the tank, but Raymond Muratalla is much more patient in his work and won't rush anything.

If it comes he will go through the gears, but Raymond Muratalla may have to wait until just after halfway for his shots to really make a telling contribution and he can avoid having to hear the scorecards for just the fourth time in his professional career.

MY PICKS: Tim Tszyu to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Erislandy Lara to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.25 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Julio Cesar Martinez to Win Between 7-12 @ 4.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Isaac Cruz to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.20 Coral (1 Unit)

Arsen Goulamirian to Win @ 2.75 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Raymond Muratalla to Win Between 6-10 @ 2.87 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Boxing 2024: 13-16, + 11.52 Units (45 Units Staked, + 25.60% Yield)

Indian Wells Masters Tennis Picks 2024 (Wednesday 13th March)

One more game from Jasmine Paolini and it would been another positive day at Indian Wells, but instead it is a day when the swing has been the other way.

At least Caroline Wozniacki avoided the collapse in the first set that might have swung the match entirely in the other direction as she allowed a 5-1 lead disappear and headed for a medical timeout.

Fortunately she rallied and it was Angelique Kerber who was struggling by the end of the match after her strongest week back on the Tour.

We head towards the business end of the tournament and this looks to be the last really busy day at Indian Wells.

There are some very good looking matches heading out to the court and the Tennis Picks from the day can be read below.

Tommy Paul - 4.5 games v Luca Nardi: Not every Lucky Loser will be able to make the kind of impact Luca Nardi has had at the Indian Wells Masters and his upset against Novak Djokovic means the Italian will crack the top 100 of the World Rankings for the first time.

He was a huge underdog in that Third Round match, which is no surprise, and there has been very little evidence from the hard court tennis played that Luca Nardi was going to be capable of competing with Novak Djokovic, never mind actually beating him.

Before the main draw in Indian Wells, the highest Ranked players Luca Nardi had faced this year was World Number 112 David Goffin and World Number 121 Sumit Nagal and the Italian managed to win just one set across those two matches.

Now he has beaten Novak Djokovic and Zhizhen Zhang, both in three sets, and Luca Nardi will be hoping to avoid an 'after the Lord Mayor's show' type of performance in the Fourth Round.

He is not helped by the fact he is facing Tommy Paul who has been enjoying a very strong 2024 season.

The American has won a title in Dallas and reached the Final in Delray Beach and Tommy Paul has looked very good in winning his opening two matches at Indian Wells. Those victories have been against players significantly Ranked higher than the one he will be facing in the Fourth Round and Tommy Paul has been serving and returning effectively in this tournament.

Tommy Paul's hard court numbers in 2024 have been very impressive and it will be tough for Luca Nardi to match the efforts of beating Novak Djokovic.

Serving well will help, but Paul is likely going to keep the Lucky Loser under pressure and that can give the World Number 17 an opportunity to wear him down.

Taylor Fritz - 2.5 games v Holger Rune: A bye and a walkover helped Holger Rune through to the Third Round where he was a solid winner over Lorenzo Musetti.

The World Number 7 will be well aware that the challenge increases greatly in this Fourth Round against Taylor Fritz, the 2022 Indian Wells Masters Champion and a player looking to close back in on a place in the top ten of the World Rankings.

He won the title in Delray Beach and reached the Australian Open Quarter Final, but there has long been a feeling that Taylor Fritz should be destined for even more. The serve continues to be a huge weapon for the top American and this season Fritz has been backing that up with stronger returning.

The two wins in Indian Wells had to be expected and, much like Holger Rune, this is a considerable step upwards in terms of level of opponent.

Holger Rune may not look like a player with a huge serve, but he is very good at protecting this shot and is a better server than some may think. The problem this season has been the lack of consistent production when it comes to the return of serve and tha may end up being the difference between the two players on the day.

Last year Taylor Fritz was able to get the better of the returning numbers when beating Holger Rune in Miami and the conditions here may just suit the Fritz game a little more than in Florida.

Their meeting in Miami was closer than the final score may indicate, but Taylor Fritz can frank that twelve months later and he can get the better of the return in moving into another Indian Wells Quarter Final.

Casper Ruud - 3.5 games v Gael Monfils: All credit has to be given to the veteran Gael Monfils who continues to flash some of his very best tennis.

His win over Cameron Norrie has to be respected, but the Frenchman was out on the court for over three hours and this is another step upwards.

Casper Ruud is hard to trust to cover this kind of spread against a top player- he is a quality player, but the return game can be a little inconsistent on the hard courts and that will be an issue if Gael Monfils is really serving as well as he can.

However, you have to figure some fatigue is going to be at play and Casper Ruud can keep the pressure on with his own serve working effectively in the conditions. He should have an opportunity to hit through Monfils, as athletic and mobile as the latter is, and that should give Casper Ruud the advantage as he moves into another Quarter Final.

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 games v Emma Navarro: We have yet to see Aryna Sabalenka produce her consistent best throughout one match, but the Australian Open Champion continues to plunder her way through the Indian Wells draw.

She will be tested by an ever improving Emma Navarro, although the concern for the American is that she has fallen away in some matches when things have turned against her.

Emma Navarro has a decent serve and she has solid groundstrokes, but the question is how she will deal with the obvious power edge coming from the other side of the court. Frustrating Aryna Sabalenka by hitting her marks on the serve will be key for Navarro, but you have to give the World Number 2 an edge when she is able to get into rallies on the return.

Aryna Sabalenka will attack the Navarro second serve, while her own serve is one that can offer up a lot of short balls.

As long as Sabalenka keeps the error count down, she should be able to keep some sustained pressure on Emma Navarro and that can see her wear down the home player.

Coco Gauff - 4.5 games v Elise Mertens: Heading into the Australian Open Semi Final, Coco Gauff was motoring at a very, very high level.

However, the defeat to Aryna Sabalenka has sparked a relative downturn in level and over the last month it has been much harder work for the US Open Champion.

She has found a way to win matches, but Gauff has not been able to cover some very big spreads and that makes it a little more difficult to trust her at this mark.

In saying that, Coco Gauff has found a way to put the pressure on the Elise Mertens serve and she has won all three previous matches against this opponent. The last two wins would have seen her cover this mark, even though the win at the US Open was earned in three sets, and the American can get the better of this opponent again.

Elise Mertens will be playing with confidence after beating Naomi Osaka, but that was a match that could have easily got away from her at 5-4, 30/30 in the first set. Losing that would have made it a very long road back and Coco Gauff is playing at a superior level to the returning Osaka.

Serving well will be key and there are likely to be a few breaks of serve, but Coco Gauff has managed six breaks in her last two matches against Elise Mertens. Hitting that mark again should give Gauff an opportunity to have one of her less stressful wins since the Australian Open.

MY PICKS: Tommy Paul - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Taylor Fritz - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Casper Ruud - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Coco Gauff - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Coral (2 Units)

Indian Wells Update: 20-18, - 0.92 Units (76 Units Staked, - 1.21% Yield)

Indian Wells Masters Tennis Picks 2024 (Tuesday 12th March)

There was a lot of tennis to get through on Monday as the Third Round was completed at Indian Wells, but there has not been a bigger upset than Novak Djokovic being dumped out by a Lucky Loser.

While admitting his opponent did play well, Novak Djokovic was plenty critical about his own level of performance and this is something he will want to address in Miami and when the clay court season gets underway in April.

Something similar came out of his camp after the crushing loss to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open and there is little doubt that the rest of the field are getting closer to the World Number 1.

Novak Djokovic will go into the next three Grand Slams as the favourite, but the feeling is that the days of the Serb being an odds on favourite or a very short favourite to win Slams looks to be over.

He can make a mockery of that prediction by dominating the clay court season ahead of the French Open, while Novak Djokovic is still amongst the top two players in the world on a grass court, but it is only good news for Men's Tennis that players are not heading onto the court already defeated.

There looks to be positive news on the Rafael Nadal front with reports suggesting the issue picked up at Indian Wells is not one that should prevent him from lining up in the Monte Carlo draw.

You just hope Nadal can get through the tough clay court season and be well prepared, but most importantly healhty, when the French Open comes around as it seemingly looks more and more likely that this could be the final season he plays on the Tour.

Things can change if Rafael Nadal has a really strong nine months, but the body is not on the same page as the heart and mind and I can only hope he gets to go out on his own terms.

A positive run on Monday has turned this tournament back around for the Tennis Picks, but it still feels like a vulnerable position as we move into the Fourth Round at Indian Wells.

Tuesday does look a much tougher day to make predictions with some very good looking matches heading to the courts, but there are some selections made, which can be read below.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 games v Jiri Lehecka: The improvements being made by Jiri Lehecka means he has to be massively respected ahead of this Fourth Round match at Indian Wells.

He has won a title on the hard courts and played well in big events in Dubai and now at Indian Wells and there is a feeling that his own belief is growing against some of the elite players on the Tour.

Beating Andrey Rublev will have Lehecka moving into this Fourth Round clash with a lot more confidence and his serving threat has to be respected.

However, he is facing an opponent in Stefanos Tsitsipas who looks to have bounced back from whatever has been ailing him.

That is reflected by his fall out of the top ten in the World Rankings, but Tsitsipas will force his way back into those positions if he can keep things rolling in Indian Wells. He has looked very good through the first two wins and Tsitsipas will have the slight mental edge over this opponent having beaten Jiri Lehecka in both previous matches on the Tour.

Both players have been solid servers in those matches, but Stefanos Tsitsipas has gotten a little more out of his return game.

The last of those matches was at the Australian Open in 2023 and there is little doubt that Jiri Lehecka has grown as a player since that match. The return against top 20 Ranked opponents have still not been quite up to top level, but Jiri Lehecka has won three of his five matches against those opponents on the hard courts this year, including beating Karen Khachanov in Dubai and Rublev in the Third Round here.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has a perfect 10-0 record when facing opponents outside of the top 20 in the Rankings and Jiri Lehecka is still trying to crack that mark in his career. This should be close and competitive, but the feeling is that the Greek player will have more of the Break Point opportunities and that can see him progress into the Quarter Final and cover this mark set.

Jasmine Paolini - 1.5 games v Anastasia Potapova: Confidence can be a funny thing in a sport like tennis and it can make all of the difference for a player.

Jasmine Paolini is playing with real confidence and it has seemingly come out of the blue.

Not many would have predicted that the Italian player would love opening matches in Linz and Doha and then win seven matches in a row to take home the biggest title of her career in Dubai and then progress into the Fourth Round at Indian Wells.

The numbers suggest it is not a sustainable run, but Jasmine Paolini will only worry about what she can produce on the courts as she prepares to face Anastasia Potapova for the first time.

The World Number 33 has been a comfortable winner in her opening two matches at Indian Wells and Anastasia Potapova has won nine of the fourteen matches played in 2024 on the hard courts. However, the challenge has been to beat a player Ranked higher than her and not those she is expected to beat and Potapova has won just one of four matches against those above her in the World Rankings.

Her serve has been ok in those matches, but Potapova has been struggling on the return.

However, she should have a bit more joy against this Jasmine Paolini serve, although the latter is likely to put Potapova under pressure with her own return.

The layers are not great believers in Paolini right now, despite her moving into a career high World Ranking mark. As stated, it looks like she is performing and producing results at an unsustainable level, but Jasmine Paolini does have enough quality in her return of serve to win this Fourth Round match.

Caroline Wozniacki v Angelique Kerber: The last time these two veterans met on the Tour was back in June 2018 when Caroline Wozniacki came from a set down to beat Angelique Kerber in the Semi Final at Eastbourne.

Both players are former Grand Slam Champions and both were amongst the elite on the Tour, but Wozniacki and Kerber have spent considerable time away in recent years as they have both become mothers.

Caroline Wozniacki retired and only returned at the back end of last year, while Angelique Kerber made it clear she would return to the Tour having spent the entirety of 2023 enjoying her life.

There have been similarities in the return to the Tour with both Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber struggling to find their best form on a consistent basis.

It has been different in Indian Wells and both players will be keen to progress to the Quarter Final and pick up some massive Ranking points at the same time.

The German leads the head to head 8-7, but it is Wozniacki who has a 6-5 lead in their hard court matches.

None of that really matters here, but it does mean there will be little to surprise the other in this big match.

In their limited time spent on court prior to Indian Wells, Caroline Wozniacki had perhaps shown a bit more competitiveness than Angelique Kerber. The former had at least pushed opponents and perhaps been a little unfortunate to lose matches, while Kerber had not really found anything near her best tennis when losing six of her first seven matches in 2024.

The two have performed well at this tournament, but the slight edge has to be with Caroline Wozniacki who is perhaps setting up a few cheaper points thanks to the first serve.

It cannot be ignored that Angelique Kerber has the more impressive wins having seen off two top 20 Ranked opponents and only having dropped a single set in those two wins. The return has been really effective from Kerber and made up for the lack of consistency on the serve and this feels like a match that will have a lot of breaks of serve throughout.

However, the slight edge is with Caroline Wozniacki on form at this tournament and in 2024 in general and she can get the better of her long-term rival in a big Fourth Round match.

MY PICKS: Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Jasmine Paolini - 1.5 Games @ 1.75 Coral (2 Units)

Caroline Wozniacki @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Indian Wells Update: 19-16, + 1.26 Units (70 Units Staked, + 1.80% Yield)

Indian Wells Masters Tennis Picks 2024 (Monday 11th March)

There are a lot of moving parts on the week and that has restricted my time in getting this post out.

With the time change in the United States, we are now seven hours ahead of the tournament in Indian Wells so prepare for an earlier start for those this side of the pond and for another busy day with the Third Round being completed.

The last two days have produced a really disappointing return with those fine margins turning on the selections, but there is still time to get this tournament turned back around.

MY PICKS: Holger Rune - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Tommy Paul @ 1.95 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Taylor Fritz - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Grigor Dimitrov - 4.5 Games @ 1.85 Coral (2 Units)

Aryna Sabalenka - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Naomi Osaka - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 Coral (2 Units)

Maria Sakkari - 2.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Elina Svitolina - 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Indian Wells Update: 14-13, - 1.12 Units (54 Units Staked, - 2.07% Yield)