Boxing Picks 2025- Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach (Saturday 1st March)

The late illness picked up by Daniel Dubois meant an opportunity for replacement Martin Bakole, but it was clear from the off that failing to have any kind of training camp was not going end well for the boogeyman of the Heavyweight Division.

Of course there are benefits of 'saving' the day for Turki Alalshikh and the Saudi authorities who were running the card in Riyadh.

For starters Martin Bakole will have been extremely well paid, but the second part of the deal is also important for a fighter who feels he has been avoided.

With the gratefulness of 'His Excellency' behind him, Martin Bakole is sure to earn some big opportunities to move back into contention in a fast moving Division and he is expected to be back out with a full camp before the midway point of the 2025 season.

Joseph Parker has benefited from the late call and there are still some that believe that his fight with Daniel Dubois should be rearranged for one of the big cards that Riyadh Season are going to be promoting. However, the team behind the British Champion are instead focusing on seeing if they can do a deal with Oleksandr Usyk and that could leave Parker perhaps in line to take on someone like Agit Kabayel, another Heavyweight who had a massive win last weekend.

The card was a very good one, and entertaining for the fans, even if the Boxing Picks have fallen into a solid hole early in the season.

The key word is 'early' and the turnaround could be pretty rapid, although starting to pick a few winners would help.

It has been a disappointing start, but there have been some misfortune with some of the selections and a bit of luck is always needed.

Still, it is not about erasing the number in one fell swoop, but the key is to rebuild slowly and surely, beginning with this weekend when three decent cards have been put together.

Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach

While pretty much every top name in Boxing has made a deal to fight under the Riyadh Season card, including fights in Saudi Arabia, the last outlier is Gervonta Davis who refuses to entertain any outside offers.

The challengers are lining up in and around Gervonta Davis, but the American is firmly in control of his own career and will fight who he chooses.

He is the WBA Lightweight World Champion, and fighters like Shakur Stevenson, Keyshawn Davis, Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney have all called him out, but so far Gervonta Davis has resisted those efforts, even if his win over Ryan Garcia looks much stronger these days.

The criticisms are that Tank Davis not nearly as active as he perhaps should be, and you cannot blame some believing Lamont Roach coming up from Super Featherweight is not the kind of fighter that should be opposing Davis when so many others have stronger reasons to fight him.

Lamont Roach deserves his respect as a full World Champion in his own right, but he has not really been in with many opponents that can stand alongside someone as good as Gervonta Davis.

They know each other having faced off as amateurs, but it is Tank Davis who has really been the impactful fighter as a professional and it is very difficult to find a good reason to back Lamont Roach for any potential upset.

Recent fights featuring Gervonta Davis have tended to finish in the middle Rounds and three of the last four have ended between Round Six and Round Eight. He is a patient fighter, but Tank's power is going to be telling and you have to figure he will be able to move through the gears against a rival that is coming up in weight and who doesn't look to offer to slow the momentum that Gervonta Davis is likely to pick up.

It has been almost six years since Gervonta Davis last won a fight before the Fifth Round and you have to believe Lamont Roach has enough know-how to get through the early stages of this one. However, once Davis warms up, he should just underline why so many see him as the top fighter in this Division and the unbeaten Lightweight Champion can find the punches to end this one in the middle of the contest.

Another solid undercard has been put together and Subriel Matias is looking to take another step towards reclaiming his IBF Light-Welterweight World Title.

He is a powerful puncher and won't have to go looking for Gabriel Valenzuela, which should mean a fun, exciting bout, but one that is unlikely to get very close to the Championship Rounds.

It is scheduled for Twelve Rounds, but Matias can just push his credentials for another shot at the IBF World Title by forcing a mid-fight Stoppage.

The unbeaten run Gary Antuanne Russell had built was ended in a very close loss to Alberto Puello and you have to believe the American is looking to get back to winning ways and earn a rematch with the WBC World Champion.

Both are on this undercard too- Russell should get back to winning ways, even if his inactivity continues to be frustration and he can wear down Jose Valenzuela in what looks a good fight on paper with the WBA World Title on the line.

WBC Light-Welterweight Champion Alberto Puello is facing Sandor Martin, who had not been out in 2024 and the unbeaten Dominican looks an appealing price as the narrow favourite to defend the World Title he won against the aforementioned Russell.

We have seen some tough performances out of Sandor Martin, but Puello may just have the Southpaw know-how to deal with the Spanish lefty in another good fight on this Pay-Per-View card.

There are also a couple of veterans heading out to the ring in Brooklyn- Jarrett Hurd has never really recovered from the upset loss to Julian Williams and his style has meant growing much older in the ring than a 34 year old should have.

However, he can give himself one last attempt at a run by winning his crossroads fight with Johan Gonzalez and Jarrett Hurd can do that inside the scheduled Ten Rounds.

The fighter who sparked Hurd's downfall is also on the card and Julian Williams is being used as a potential step up for Yoenis Tellez who is looking to earn an Interm World Title in the Light-Middleweight Division sooner rather than later.

He has impressed in his young career and it does feel like Tellez can get the better of J-Rock before needing to get into the second half of their contest.

British Boxing fans have perhaps been a little frustrated that so many of the top names have headed over to Saudi Arabia, but the promoters have made it clear that they want to put on decent cards in the United Kingdom.

The atmosphere that is likely going to be generated in Belfast may not be matched anywhere and especially when the main event gets underway.

Before that, Tommy McCarthy is hoping to have one more big run towards European honours and potentially having a crack at the World Title in the Cruiserweight Division.

He gave Chris Billam-Smith all he could handle when first facing him in 2021, but that has sparked a run of form where McCarthy has won three fights and lost four.

It all adds up to a crossroads fight with Steven Ward, someone who is very familiar to McCarthy, and both are willing to put friendship to one side in order to give their respective career a late shot in the arm.

Familiarity should mean Steven Ward has a decent game plan for this bout, but his professional career has been stop-start and Tommy McCarthy can use his experience to wear down his man.

In another Ten Rounder, Padraig McCrory is fighting in front of his own fans in a new Division against experienced Craig Richards.

The fans will push McCrory forward, but he was Stopped by Edgar Berlanga a little over twelve months ago and he is facing an opponent who hits pretty hard.

Craig Richards has little room for error if he is going to give himself one more chance at trying to become a World Champion in a tough Division, but he has shown he is close to World level. His last three wins have been in Stoppages and he may just force Padraig McCrory out of this one inside the distance.

Those are a couple of decent fights for the Belfast fans to enjoy, but everyone will be anticipating the main event when Lewis Crocker takes on Paddy Donovan and both have unbeaten records to protect.

It is the right fight at the right time for two fighters who believe they are destined for big things and both teams are incredibly confident.

Both are Ranked highly in the Welterweight Division and so the winner could be in line for an eliminator later in the year so there is plenty on the line.

The reality is that there is very little to choose between the main event fighters and this is one where you want to sit back, savour the atmosphere and enjoy what should be a top main event in Belfast.

Over in Bournemouth, Ryan Garner is headlining an event and there is so much on the line for the unbeaten British fighter.

Reports suggest he will be given a chance to headline a big event at St Mary's Stadium this summer if he can pick up the vacant European Super Featherweight Title and he will certainly improve his World Ranking with a victory over Salvador Jimenez.

The Spaniard is unbeaten with his only blemish being a Draw when Salvador Jimenez fought for the European Title before.

His experience of going Twelve Rounds will help, but Ryan Garner has shown enough to believe he can edge the visiting fighter on the cards.

MY PICKS: Gervonta Davis to Win Between 5-8 @ 2.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Subriel Matias to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.25 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Gary Antuanne Russell to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.75 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

Alberto Puello to Win by Decision @ 2.62 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Jarrett Hurd to Win by KO/TKO @ 3.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Tommy McCarthy to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.37 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

Craig Richards to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.87 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Ryan Garner to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 4.00 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Boxing 2025: 5-25, - 23.35 Units (38 Units Staked, - 61.45% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2024- Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin (Saturday 15th June)

Two weeks ago Saudi Arabia hosted another big night of Boxing and there have long been a feeling that they will want to grab a firmer control of the sport.

Since that evening, reports have now come out that the Saudi Arabian authorities will be looking to make a big bid to bring the various promoters under the same banner and create a 'League' which is rumoured to be similar to the UFC model.

It will be interesting to see how the various organisations take to the suggestion/idea and that is because each Division would now likely have a single Champion with the top contenders fighting one another to be in line to knock off the king, very much like what we see in the UFC. It would mean fighters are matched up in very competitive outings, although I do wonder how the development of young, up and coming Boxers would be handled.

Perhaps those developments continue in the manner they have been for years and once a fighter hits a certain level, they are then invited into the Saudi League where they can look to be come the Champion within their Division. This is something that may be more explained when the actual model and format comes out, which could be as soon as the end of the month when a card at Wembley is expected to be announced with a full press conference too.

After a relatively quiet weekend, we have a couple of big shows in the United States that follow a decent Saturday night card put together by Boxxer on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.

It is a shame that the rumoured Anthony Yarde vs Joshua Buatsi headliner could not be signed off, but there are some big names out on Saturday and fighters who will likely be targeted for solid fights under the Saudi banner in the weeks and months ahead.

Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin

It has been fourteen months since Gervonta Davis finished Ryan Garcia and there is little doubt that Tank is one of the top American Boxing names out there. He is very much at the forefront of the mind of many Boxing fans and the only real criticism you could have of Davis is that he is not a bit more active.

Gervonta Davis has won a World Title in the Light Welterweight Division, but he has mainly been spending his time in the Lightweight Division in recent times.

While a match up with Devin Haney has yet to materialise, and may not be on the radar after his controversial defeat to Ryan Garcia, there are names like Shakur Stevenson and Vasyl Lomachenko holding World Titles in the Division and the hope is that Davis will look to chase those bouts if he can get through this one.

This weekend Gervonta Davis is facing unbeaten Frank Martin who only fought once in 2023 and who needed a Twelfth Round Knock Down to secure a narrow win on the cards. Frank Martin himself has admitted he was not at his best against Artem Harutyunyan last July and he believes that performance has provided this opportunity, while the American has taken unbeaten records away from his last two opponents.

However, those have not been against someone with the power and quality of Gervonta Davis and the feeling is that Frank Martin does not hit with enough force to deter Tank from walking him down.

Early on the feeling is that Martin can use his skills to give Gervonta Davis something to think about, but we have seen Tank make the in-fight adjustments and that has seen him find a way to break down opponents.

With the power in the punches, Gervonta Davis is dangerous throughout this fight, but he did need to get into the second half of the bout to earn his last two wins. Rolly Romero lasted until the Sixth Round before Davis was able to find the punch to finish that contest, and it is going to be tough for The Ghost to steer clear of the Champion's shots as the bout moves into the Championship Rounds.

Gervonta Davis did put Ryan Garcia down in the Second Round and it feels like Frank Martin could be deterred pretty early and slowly broken down. Much will depend on the kind of punishment that Martin could be willing to take, but the expectation is that Tank will finish this before the judges are needed.

A really good looking Light Heavyweight fight takes place on the undercard when Mexican Monster David Benavidez takes on former World Champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

Before Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko became World Champions and pound for pound entrants, Gvozdyk beat Adonis Stevenson to become the WBC Champion in the Division. Eventually he ran into the buzzsaw called Artur Beterbiev and the Ukrainian was broken down and beaten in the Tenth Round before heading into retirement.

Four years passed and Oleksandr Gvozdyk returned in 2023 to win three fights in a row, albeit at a lower level than facing someone like David Benavidez, even if the latter is moving up in weight.

David Benavidez has been trying to tempt Canelo Alvarez into an Undisputed Fight in the Super Middleweight Division, and produced some big wins in order to do that, but Canelo seemingly has little interest in the bout. Even the hope that the Saudi Arabians will put in the money to bring that event together is looking weak with the ideas put forward by Turki Alalshikh for the two fighters involving different names.

Instead of sitting and waiting for an opportunity, David Benavidez has chosen to step up in weight and a win over the former World Champion might see him in line to face the winner of the upcoming Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol Undisputed Fight.

This is far from an easy fight, but the feeling is that Benavidez can come through some tough moments and just have too much youth for The Nail at 37 years old.

Both hit very hard and it could be a really good fight for the fans, while the toughness of both cannot be underestimated.

Eventually I can see a situation where David Benavidez has more in the gas tank and begins to tee off on Oleksandr Gvozdyk and that may force the referee or the corner to step in and protect the former Champion. The Nail does hit hard, but Benavidez may end up forcing the Stoppage in the second half of this very good chief support.

There is some excitement in the Light Welterweight Division with some solid fights to be made, but the focus for Subriel Matias is to retain his IBF World Title before targeting some of the other Champions.

Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney and Isaac Cruz are the other Champions within the Division, but Matias has to focus on the Challenger in front of him and avoid any slips.

He will be backed by the home Puerto Rico support when taking on Liam Paro, an unbeaten Australian fighter who upset Montana Love in December.

Boxers representing Australia have shown plenty of toughness and grit, but this is a huge test for Liam Paro to stand up to the power that has been displayed by Subriel Matias.

The Champion avenged his sole loss with a Stoppage and Subriel Matias has shown his dominance by forcing Retirements from his last two opponents after Five and Six Rounds respectively.

Liam Paro has shown enough to believe he can at least pose some threat, but keeping Subriel Matias off him will be tough and the feeling is that the Champion can give the home fans plenty to smile about with another mid-fight ending.

Over in the United Kingdom, Chris Billam-Smith and Richard Riakporhe meet in a rematch, but this time with a World Title on the line rather than both being up and coming prospects.

The layers are favouring a repeat with the Challenger becoming the new World Champion, and that does feel like the right fighter to back.

Chris Billam-Smith has plenty of wear and tear on him and that is perhaps going to be a factor in this one, although he is gritty and determined and that has to be respected.

We have seen the power that Richard Riakporhe carries, while the win on the cards over Billam-Smith will still give him confidence if this fight reaches the Championship Rounds.

It is a tough one to call with any certainty and the prices for a Riakporhe win in any fashion looks short enough to be left alone.

Isaac Chamberlain is going in with Jack Massey on the undercard after his original opponent withdrew, but this looks a tough test for him.

And we also have a surprising rivalry bout when Ben Whittaker returns- his opponent gatecrashed a presser earlier in the year to force his way into the picture.

We really don't know much about Eworitse Ezra Arenyeka.

He is unbeaten, but he has fought in multiple different countries and this is only his second fight in the UK, despite being a resident here.

There is clearly some irritation from Ben Whittaker that someone has been able to sign a fight with him without really 'deserving' it, and the feeling is that a spiteful performance could be produced by a boxer who will also looking to create a show for the fans.

MY PICKS: Gervonta Davis to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.62 William Hill (1 Unit)

David Benavidez to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.80 William Hill (1 Unit)
Subriel Matias to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Ben Whittaker to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.10 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Boxing 2024: 23-38, + 13.42 Units (84 Units Staked, + 15.98% Yield)