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)

Boxing Picks 2022- Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano II (May 14th)

Things can become a little quiet in Boxing circles in terms of news outside of fight week, but there should be some big announcements in the next few days.

The main one is going to be focusing on Anthony Joshua's rematch with Oleksandr Usyk that is set for July 23rd, although it looks like being another event heading to the oil rich money of the Middle East.

We have all been waiting for some time to hear about the official announcement of the rumoured date, but that looks to be coming and there also is a suggestion that Dereck Chisora has lined up a big fight despite the calls for retirement.

I honestly just hope it is not Deontay Wilder for his sake if nothing else.

Retirements have been high in the news cycle this week with both Kell Brook and Amir Khan calling it a day within forty-eight hours of one another. It is the best path for both who were involved in the grudge fight back in February, especially when there isn't anything left to prove and with young, hungry fighters looking to call them out to pad their own records on their march up the World Rankings.

The two fighters can both be proud of careers that saw them become World Champions, and I do think the links both have made will mean they can enjoy media work in the years ahead.

Another big weekend of Championship Boxing is in front of us, but I don't think any result will be able to match the headlines of last weekend when Canelo Alvarez was beaten for only the second time.

Let's get this out of the way first- the cards were horrible and Dmitry Bivol did well to avoid some of the things I have criticised him for and that would be to coast when feeling he had built a big lead.

For my eyes he was way in front going into the Championship Rounds, but a coasting Bivol would have been robbed of the victory and the feeling remains that you have to win HUGE to earn a narrow nod on the cards against Canelo.

I am not going to downplay the career Canelo has been putting together like some feel they should after the loss, but I do think he has seen that 175 is too high and that may mean going back to 168 where Bivol is happy to accept a rematch or, more likely, complete the trilogy with Gennady Golovkin.

Regardless of the result, Canelo is still the big ticket seller and he can choose his own path going forward, while Dmitry Bivol should be in line for some big fights even if the rematch doesn't materialise. Unifying the Light Heavyweight Division has to be high on the agenda considering we have a part Unification coming up next month and I think both Canelo and Bivol will come out of that May fight with plenty of money to be made.

There are cards galore this week from Europe through to North America and the action starts on Friday.

The main focus has to be the big Undisputed fight coming up at Light Middleweight when Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano meet for a second time and that is a card that also includes future pound for pound star Jaron Ennis.

Rankings will be moved around by the end of the weekend in the Heavyweight Division at World level, while a big British Middleweight Title clash is leading the way on Friday.

My Picks did not have the best weekend- I never really thought Canelo would lose a Decision in Las Vegas and he almost got away with it too.

One out of the four Picks returned a winner, but I am expecting better this weekend.

The vacant British Middleweight Title is on the line as Denzel Bentley tries to regain the strap he dropped to Felix Cash in a Three Round blowout in April 2021.

He has only been out once since then, but will fight for the vacant belt when taking on undefeated Linus Udofia.

The crowd are likely to be behind Londoner Bentley, but the heavy loss to Felix Cash does weigh on the mind. He did return with a big win of his own, but I have to feel that Linus Udofia is going to believe he can hurt his man, especially having stopped the last two opponents he has faced.

You have to accept that Denzel Bentley has been operating in the higher company, but Linus Udofia may be a progressive fighter and that makes this absolutely a 50/50 fight. The fact they have both only been Ten Rounds once each also throws in something to consider with the British Title fought out at Twelve Rounds.

Out of the two, Linus Udofia has at least shown his power carries into the later Rounds with Denzel Bentley only beating one opponent by stoppage after the Fifth Round. Of course you have to consider how dangerous Bentley has been with thirteen of his fifteen wins ending early, but the Felix Cash defeat shows that the Londoner can also be found out in the early part of any fight.

It certainly makes things intriguing- I would say that Denzel Bentley is the one that is likely going to want this to become a tear up from the off, but Linus Udofia has shown a good Boxing ability and may feel he can weather the early storm before putting it on his man. This is a big step up for Udofia, and it really could come down to whether he has the stamina to last in a contest that is scheduled for longer than either fighter has been in before.

I would be surprised if this is not a really fun Title fight and I think it would be a surprise if we see it go the distance.

The feeling is that it may spark pretty quickly, and much is going to depend on the conditioning and whiskers of Linus Udofia who will have to eat some big shots early. If he can handle that, I expect he may begin to use his Boxing skills to break down Denzel Bentley and start to tag him pretty good as we get into the second half of the fight.

That is where the Udofia late stoppages against Darren Codona and John Harding Jr may give him the belief to push on against the former British Middleweight Champion and it could give him the edge to earn the victory inside the distance.

I expect Linus Udofia to get plenty of supporters in from Luton for this one and it should be a strong atmosphere inside the Indigo part of the O2 Arena.

Fireworks could be from the off, but I think Linus Udofia may be able to edge past the former Champion with a strong second half display to force the end of the contest.

On the undercard, Josh Kelly makes his return after being beaten convincingly by David Avanesyan in February 2021.

He is just 1-1-1 in his last three fights and Kelly has lost the advantage he seemed to have over Conor Benn when both were up and coming prospects. Josh Kelly has to be given credit for going in with Avanesyan, a fighter Conor Benn's promotional team seem reluctant to face, but he is now going up to 154 and is looking to make a statement on his return.

I expect he will be able to do that against Xhuljo Vrenozi who has been stopped three times in his career and all of those inside the first Three Rounds. One of those was a defeat to the aforementioned Linus Udofia in Three Rounds and I expect Josh Kelly to just shake off a bit of ring rust early before getting this done way before halfway.

An undefeated Harlem Eubank is also set for another step up in his career when taking on veteran Sean Dodd.

Masher has been out of the ring for several months now and at 37 years old I am not sure there is a lot left in the tank.

Harlem Eubank may not have the profile of Chris Eubank Jr, but he is backed by his cousin and I do think he is progressing nicely in his career. At 28 years old, you do want to start seeing him step up the level of competition and facing someone like Sean Dodd is a good step, but the feeling is that Eubank will box well early and then start grinding down this opponent late.

Three of the last four wins have come by early route, but Harlem Eubank has needed at least Five Rounds each time and I think he may have to wait a little longer against Sean Dodd. The veteran should be able to negotiate any early troubles, but you do have to wonder how much is left in the tank and I can just see the younger, fresher man to wear him down and secure the shots to end this one late in the second Ten Rounder Harlem Eubank has been scheduled to take on.

Jermell Charlo vs Brian Castano

The Undisputed Light Middleweight Title is going to have a second go at providing a winner as Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano meet ten months after a controversial Draw in Texas.

The main feeling back then was that Brian Castano had done enough to win the fight, but fans of Jermell Charlo will feel their man came back into late and maybe even did enough considering the trouble he had Castano in during the Tenth Round.

Controversy has perhaps been attached to the outcome mainly down to the 117/111 card that was thrown in favouring Charlo- there was no way to really believe a wide outcome for any of the two fighters was deserved- and I think that has contributed to those who feel it was a robbery. In reality there was only a single point between the fighters on the other two cards and this is going to come down to which of the two has been able to learn the most from the first fight and who can make the best adjustments on the night.

Jermell Charlo has shown that ability in rematches before and I do think he will be hugely encouraged by how much he was hurting Brian Castano once he got into the rhythm of the opponent. I expect similar from Castano in this one with his come forward, pressure style looking to give Charlo plenty to think about.

I do think he will have success with that approach, but a part of that will be Jermell Charlo just warming to the task early as he tends to do.

However, the difference this time will be that Jermell Charlo should be a little more prepared for the style and I think he will begin to get to Brian Castano much earlier than he did when they met last July. And Charlo proved he had the power to really cause Castano plenty of problems, much as he did to Tony Harrison when they met in their rematch.

The feeling is that this will be competitive and fun, but I think the superior hitting power of Jermell Charlo will be telling much earlier than it was when they first fought. And knowing Rounds could be close, I think Charlo will be a little more focused on finding the finish when he does have Brian Castano in trouble.

A stoppage could be coming and I think Jermell Charlo won't allow Brian Castano to escape the kind of trouble he faced in the Tenth Round last time. I expect he may be hurting the Argentinian a bit earlier than he did the first time around and so I do think Charlo will have the time to find the finish that eluded him in July to become the Undisputed Champion in the Division.

The chief support on the night comes from Jaron Ennis and there is no doubt that this is a fighter who will be headlining big events of his own in the years ahead.

A loaded 147 Division holds no fears for Boots and there have been very few that look like they will be able to handle Jaron Ennis when he is signed off on a World Title bout. That may be a few months away with Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr likely to face each other for the Undisputed mantle, but Ennis is positioning himself perfectly.

Even when he has stepped up he has been dominating opponents and I think Jaron Ennis has far too much for Custio Clayton.

The Canadian is unbeaten, but his last fight was against an opponent with a losing record and the sole blotch on his record is the draw with Sergey Lipinets- the same fighter that was beaten up and stopped in Six Rounds by Jaron Ennis.

Of course the triangle theory does not work very well in Boxing with styles making fights, but Jaron Ennis hits hard and I am not sure Custio Clayton is prepared for what he is going to be facing.

I expect another relatively early night for what looks to be the future King of the 147 Division before Jaron Ennis likely moves up the weights.

As I have mentioned before in this post, there are so many cards on the same night and some of the other selections are from the various events being held.

Gilberto Ramirez is operating up at Light Heavyweight these days and he has been calling out the Champions in the Division- Dmitry Bivol's win last week has only upped the feeling Ramirez has to fight for a World Title and become a two weight Champion.

He should be too good for Dominic Boesel, but Gilberto Ramirez is looking for style points and I think he will become the third fighter to stop the German. Backing the former 168 World Champion to get the job in the middle of the fight looks the call with half of his four fights at Light Heavyweight being won in the Fourth Round.

On the same card William Zepeda is building his reputation in each fight and he should have too much for Rene Alvarado who came up short in trying to win a World Title in recent bouts with Roger Gutierrez at 130. Now he has to come up a weight to fight someone with considerable power and I think the Mexican southpaw will impress with another relatively early night in the office.

Rene Alvarado has shown toughness, but keeping William Zepeda completely at bay may be too much with the extra power at this weight helping break down the veteran. Everyone associated with William Zepeda wants to see him given some Rounds and I think Alvarado will last longer than most before succumbing.

Sergey Kovalev is back this weekend for the first time since his crushing loss to Canelo Alvarez, but he is now operating at Cruiserweight and takes on Tervel Pulev.

The latter hasn't been much more active, but he is the naturally bigger man and I am not sure Sergey Kovalev has much left in the tank. Backing Kubrat's brother to find the big shots to end this one inside the distance looks overpriced considering I don't think Kovalev has a lot left these days and I think that can be backed.

However, I am not convinced it will be a perfect night for the Pulev brothers and I think Jerry Forrest might upset Kubrat Pulev on the cards. The latter has not really looked like his heart is fully invested in trying to return to the top of the Heavyweight Division and he is back for the first time since losing to Anthony Joshua, one bareknuckle fight with Frank Mir aside, while Jerry Forrest has been working hard.

The American has been hard done by on the cards in a number of recent bouts with the feeling he did enough to beat Zhilei Zhang and Michael Hunter, but settling for Draws both times. Jerry Forrest also lost a very close one to unbeaten Jermaine Franklin and to Carlos Takam and he might be more ready to dig that much deeper than Kubrat Pulev to sneak this one on the cards.

There is Heavyweight action in the United States, but one in France looks like it could set up the next big challenger to those holding the World Titles.

Tony Yoka and Martin Bakole have been waiting for some time to meet one another and will feel they are clearing some hurdles by winning this fight and really putting their names amongst the best of the rest in the Division.

The Frenchman is the favourite and Tony Yoka is a solid Boxer who should be looking to move his career along. He is unbeaten, although this is a step up from previous opponents.

Martin Bakole has bounced back from his sole loss, but there are still going to be questions about his condition and whether he can keep Tony Yoka at bay.

I am not sure and I think Yoka has shown a strong style which breaks down opponents and his power has been maintained through bouts with three stoppages after the Sixth Round. He may have enough to tire out Martin Bakole with his skills and then land significant shots late in the contest to secure a tenth stoppage on his record.

MY PICKS: Linus Udofia to Win Between 7-12 @ 6.50 Bet365 (2 Units)

Josh Kelly to Win Between 3-4 @ 3.30 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Harlem Eubank to Win Between 6-10 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Jermell Charlo to Win Between 7-12 @ 6.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Jaron Ennis to Win Between 1-6 @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Gilberto Ramirez to Win Between 4-6 @ 2.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)

William Zepeda to Win Between 6-10 @ 2.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Tervel Pulev to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 3.25 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Jerry Forrest to Win by Decision @ 6.00 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Tony Yoka to Win Between 6-10 @ 3.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Boxing 2022: 11-16, + 11.84 Units (50 Units Staked, + 23.68% Yield)