Boxing Picks 2017- Anthony Joshua vs Carlos Takam (October 27-28)

The next Anthony Joshua event is ready to go, but I have to say that the overall feeling about the fight card this weekend is underwhelming when you think where we were in April at Wembley Stadium.

I understand AJ is a huge star for Eddie Hearn and Sky Sports, but they can't be really be suggesting this should be a PPV fight. Unfortunately Joshua has transcended the sport and that means I would be surprised to ever see him on a non-PPV event again, although the undercard looks pretty terrible too.

It is not all the fault of Hearn or Sky simply because of the injuries that have affected the card, but this is a PPV that is priced at double that of Gennady Golovkin vs Canelo and I am not sure there is much value for money on the one being shown on Saturday.

I will still watch it, but I won't be paying myself. Instead I will go out to a bar, have a few beers and watch the two fights of real interest for me which both come from the Heavyweight Division.

On Friday we also have the final Quarter Final in the World Boxing Super Series although it is perhaps one of the weakest of the Quarter Finals in what has been a real revelation of a tournament so far. This will set up the final of the four Semi Final fights to come in January and February 2018 and will be an interesting night in Germany.

Juergen Braehmer vs Rob Brant

Both the Super Middleweight and the Cruiserweight World Boxing Super Series have been such a success already that there are plans for other weights to follow suit at the end of next year. Some top boxers have already expressed an interest to being involved next time around and so all credit has to be given to the organisers for putting together a tournament that looks like it will succeed where the Super Six World Boxing Classic did not.

In saying all that, this might not have been the best of the Quarter Finals.

Out of the Super Middleweight tournament, the other Quarter Finals had boxers involved that are considered amongst the favourites to win this tournament, but this one doesn't seem to have the same appeal.

Juergen Braehmer is coming down from the Light-Heavyweight level and was last season calling it a day against Nathan Cleverly over a year ago. There are questions as to how much he has left in the tank and whether this is just a last chance saloon fight for the veteran German.

On the other hand Rob Brandt is an unbeaten American prospect who is coming up in weight from Middleweight to take part in the tournament. This is clearly the biggest test in his career having won his previous twenty-two fights and I am really not convinced the winner is going to have enough to beat Callum Smith in the Semi Final.

Brandt may have a little more room for improvement than Braehmer at this stage of their careers though and I do think the American can step up and make a statement in this Quarter Final. It can be hard to really believe in a prospect, but I am not sure Braehmer has much left having been out of the ring for twelve months.

Perhaps he shows off his veteran experience early in the fight, but I expect Brandt to take control of the fight in the latter stages. I think he may have enough to force the stoppage against an opponent who may struggle to keep the energy going at this weight and I will back the American to see either the corner or the referee end this contest in the second half of the fight.

Robert Helenius vs Dillian Whyte

I think a lot of credit has to be given to the promoters that Dillian Whyte is positioned where he is in the Heavyweight ranks and I don't mean in the official World Rankings but by the casual fan.

Some people genuinely think Whyte is ready for the World level, but I can't say I agree with them just yet.

He went life and death with Dereck Chisora who has been shown to be a step below the World level and I honestly think the push for Whyte to face Deontay Wilder is being fuelled by Eddie Hearn. I think Hearn would expect Wilder to win that fight and thus set up a mammoth fight with Anthony Joshua for all the marbles at some point in 2018, but Whyte himself really believes he belongs.

He is rough and ready and will be an awkward fight at times for anyone, although I do think it will be an upset if he picks up one of the main Heavyweight titles. Perhaps Whyte would be better suited to chase Joseph Parker and try and bring a World title to the table in a unification with Joshua rather than searching for the fight with Wilder.

In saying that, I do think Whyte beats Robert Helenius in this one on Saturday. Remember Chisora lost a controversial one to Helenius a few years ago and the Finn has not really improved much from that point and also seen his undefeated record taken away. Back then many thought Chisora had done enough to win the fight, and this time Helenius won't be getting home judging to bail him out.

Helenius was stopped in his loss and Whyte is expected to put him down for the count in this one. That is the most likely outcome of this one as I am not sure Helenius has much left in the tank, although I am also not convinced Whyte is blessed with the power to beat someone without wearing them down first.

Maybe that is the way he takes down Helenius in this one, but I think the bigger man can try and keep Whyte at length with his jab. The rough house tactics of Whyte may impress the judges more than Chisora did in his own loss to Helenius, and I think there may be something in taking Whyte to win this one on a Decision.

Whyte has stopped three of his last five opponents as he rebuilds after the loss to Joshua, but he needed 10 Rounds against Ian Lewison, and also went 10 with David Allen as well as 12 against Chisora. Maybe he gets Helenius out there late, but I will look for Whyte to record a Decision win here.

Anthony Joshua vs Carlos Takam

You can't blame the PPV company in promoting Carlos Takam as a real threat to Anthony Joshua, but I can't see him upsetting the big favourite coming as a replacement.

I fancied Anthony Joshua would have been too much for Kubrat Pulev, but neither fight was going to get the blood pumping as the April win over Wladimir Klitschko did. That's no concern for Joshua who continues to be the golden child of British Boxing who will know some big fights are coming in 2018 as long as he keeps the focus.

This should be a fight in which he keeps things rolling regardless of what he is saying outwardly.

AJ has been speaking about the toughness of Takam and how this could take getting into the Championship Rounds before he can take out his opponent. Takam is tough, but I won't read much about him going the distance against Joseph Parker as he was stopped by Alexander Povetkin.

Takam has some solid wins behind him, but I am not sure how much he could have prepared for this one regardless of what Eddie Hearn mentioned about having him getting ready in case Pulev pulled out. I do think Takam will show heart but most will be wondering how long he can last in this one.

That is what I am considering as I do think Joshua will find a way to get this stopped.

I will credit Takam for likely giving this his best shot considering he is unlikely to ever have such an opportunity again. I do think Takam can make things awkward, but Joshua hits very, very hard.

Whyte and Dominic Breazeale both lasted into the 7th Round against Joshua and I can imagine the latter not looking to rush this one. Both Whyte and Breazeale were ended in the 7th Round... Takam may get to around the same mark and having a small interest in this one finishing anywhere between 7-9 looks to be worth backing.

MY PICKS: Rob Brant Win Between 7-12 @ 4.50 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Dillian Whyte by Decision/Technical Decision @ 4.00 Betfair Sportsbook (1 Unit)
Anthony Joshua Win Between 7-9 @ 6.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Midweek Football Picks 2015 (October 27-28)

The Capital One Cup takes centre stage this week as we have reached the Fourth Round of the competition and the Quarter Final draw will be made at the end of the Wednesday night games.

It has been a strange competition in that it feels like the top teams don't take it that seriously, yet the likes of Birmingham City and Swansea City winning the League Cup have been rare underdogs having success over the last decade.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United have won the League Cup three times each in that time, while Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester City have also taken home the first piece of domestic silverware in the last eleven years.

You can see many of the top teams are still involved in the League Cup this season too and it looks like a competition that will produce a very strong end with potential top class Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and then a Final.

Of course the big question is what kind of teams managers will put out this week as there will be rotation amongst the Premier League and European commitments, so it is always wise to perhaps keep an eye out on the team news that is released ahead of these games.


I have wrote a few thoughts from the Premier League this past weekend which includes Tim Sherwood's firing, Chelsea's continuing problems, Arsenal's title challenge, North East troubles and the questions surrounding Wayne Rooney. That can be read here.


I'd always recommend keeping stakes to a minimum when it comes to the League Cup at this stage with managers still likely to make plenty of changes to keep their players fresh. Once we reach the Quarter Final it is a different story as those games are played in December once the European commitments are completed although still two weeks before the hectic schedule over Christmas and the New Year.


Everton v Norwich City Pick: The Capital One Cup can be a difficult competition to get a read on because of the lack of team news ahead of these ties. The fact is that managers will make changes to their first teams, but some may many more than others, and so it can be difficult to make predictions prior to that team news being released.

I do think Roberto Martinez has less of a reason to make changes than Alex Neil as Everton will see the Capital One Cup as a genuine trophy they can win. On the other hand Norwich City won't be overly concerned about any deep Cup runs this season with the Premier League being the priority.

Previous Rounds have shown Everton make fewer changes than Norwich City and home advantage may be key as the latter have lost 5 of their last 8 away ties in the League Cup. It might be close, but Everton should have enough to come through.


Liverpool v Bournemouth Pick: There might be a lack of confidence in both dressing rooms at the moment and that makes for a fascinating League Cup tie on Wednesday in front of the television cameras.

Jurgen Klopp has urged his team to relax as much as possible to ensure results come their way, but Liverpool have had a knack of conceding and they are simply not scoring enough to overcome that. Players are also returning from injury which is producing some inconsistent performances, but I do think they have the more recognisable starting eleven in this fixture.

The Premier League is the priority for Bournemouth and I think they will decide to play a few more fringe players. That will give Liverpool the edge, but the nerves in the home team might make this a tighter game than expected when the team news is perhaps released.

Any kind of win will do for Liverpool at the moment and I think they do finally get back to winning ways by the narrowest of margins this week.


Manchester City v Crystal Palace Pick: Manchester City are pretty big favourites to win this Fourth Round Capital One Cup tie, but I really don't know whether they should be favoured to win the game as easily as the layers expect.

There is plenty of quality in the Manchester City squad even without David Silva and Sergio Aguero, but they are off a very tough Manchester derby and have had one less day than Crystal Palace to prepare for this one. Manuel Pellegrini has played a strong team in the League Cup through his time as manager, but he might not risk some of his players that had to battle on Sunday and that gives Crystal Palace a chance.

In his time with Newcastle United, Alan Pardew did give the League Cup his attention and the Premier League form means Crystal Palace can do that this season. Don't forget it was Pardew's Newcastle United that won at The Etihad Stadium last season in this Round of the League Cup and I think Crystal Palace will cause problems in this Fourth Round tie.

Backing the away team to keep this competitive by backing them with the Asian Handicap start looks like it will give us a run this week and I think Crystal Palace may even spring a big surprise.


Southampton v Aston Villa Pick: The League Cup isn't always seen as a positive for some managers, but Ronald Koeman was playing a strong team in the competition last season and has clearly got a real belief that Southampton can go far in it this time around.

They should be too strong for an Aston Villa team that is lacking direction and with a group of players whose confidence has been pummelled in each passing week. The uncertainty of who is going to take over and the pressure of the Premier League results are all going to play a part and I think it would take something special for Aston Villa to get a result here.

Saido Mane is out for Southampton, but they still have plenty of attacking threats and The Saints have been scoring plenty of goals which is going to be tough for Aston Villa to match.

To be fair to Aston Villa they have been competitive in away games and only once been beaten by more than a single goal margin in recent weeks. That includes blowing a 0-2 lead at Leicester City in a 3-2 defeat and I don't want to underestimate their chances of producing a performance to give Southampton some problems.

However, the sacking of Tim Sherwood has to play a part even if the manager was shifting the blame of recent results on his players rather than himself. Maybe that frees up the players, but I am not convinced and I expect the better team playing at home to win this by a couple of goals.


Manchester United v Middlesbrough Pick: Louis Van Gaal played a strong Manchester United team in the Capital One Cup Third Round just days after a Sunday Premier League game so there is the potential he does that again this week. It was a tough Manchester derby that was played on Sunday, but the Dutch manager looks keen to right the wrongs of a poor League Cup defeat at the MK Dons last season.

He will make some changes as the likes of Daley Blind, Michael Carrick and Memphis Depay come in with the Premier League game at Crystal Palace in mind, but I do think a strong Manchester United eleven will take the field.

I do think Aitor Karanka will play a strong Middlesbrough team too as he looks to give his players a chance to impress against one of the biggest names in world football. However, the Championship is his priority and Middlesbrough may go the same way as Ipswich Town in this Fourth Round tie.

Manchester United have won 1 of their last 4 games in all competitions and I think Louis Van Gaal will want to get back to winning ways here. Some players will be rested in anticipation of big games coming up, but I think Manchester United will be too strong on the evening and are able to win this by a couple of goals.

Defensively they have remained sound and Middlesbrough have been struggling for goals of late. I'd keep an eye on team news in case there are vast changes made by the home team, but I think Manchester United will cover the Asian Handicap.

MY PICKS: Everton @ 1.70 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Liverpool to Win by One Goal @ 4.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Crystal Palace + 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Southampton - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Manchester United - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)

October Update: 15-21, - 8.31 Units (65.50 Units Staked, - 12.69% Yield)
September Final: 29-30-3, + 4.18 Units (117.5 Units Staked, + 3.58% Yield)
August Final: 16-31-1, - 24.34 Units (94 Units Staked, - 25.89% Yield)

Season 2015/16: 16-31-1, - 24.34 Units (94 Units Staked, - 25.89% Yield)
Season 2014/15: 159-208-5, - 20.22 Units (647 Units Staked, - 3.13% Yield)
Season 2013/14: 164-185-3, + 15.84 Units (577 Units Staked, + 2.75% Yield)

Season 2012/13: + 4.42 Units (415 Units Staked, + 1.07% Yield)