Anthony Joshua is ESPN2 News #3 ranked hardest puncher pound-4-pound and is a 22 to 1 Betting Favorite over Dominic Breazeale
2012 Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua will make the first defense of his I.B.F. title Saturday night when he faces American contender Dominic Breazeale from the O2 Arena in London. Anthony Joshua vs Dominic Breazeale Odds have Joshua as a 22 to 1 betting favorite with 60% of boxing predictions on Breazeale at 19 to 2. Joshua, 16-0, 16 KO’s, is viewed as the heavyweight of the future and easily dispatched of Charles Martin to win the title just 2 1/2 months ago. Breazeale, 17-0, 15 KO’s, is a top-20 contender that came off the deck to beat fringe contender Amir Mansour in his last bout 5 months ago. Can the heavy underdog from California nicknamed “Trouble” Breazeale upset the champion from the U.K.? Our Fight Picks experts broke down this I.B.F. title fight airing on Showtime at 5:35 PM ET.
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Anthony Joshua – Boxer: Hulking presence with 243 Lbs. of cabled muscle atop a 6’6″ frame. Big-time power in both barrels but the straight right hand is the hammer. Talented offensive fighter with quick hands and sound fundamental technique. Well conditioned athlete with good overall stamina. Decent counterpuncher with fast reflexes and sharp timing. Tough competitor with focus, grit and determination. Solid chin and steely frame make him difficult to hurt. Blocks and parries well defensively but doesn’t bend at the waist much and stands too upright. Tends to paw and feint jab (83″ reach) rather than use it as a dominant weapon. Like most young fighters of his era, Joshua, 26, has limited in-fighting and bodypunching skills. Somewhat plodding and slow-footed. Sterling 41-3 amateur record attached to a gold medal but has logged only 34 pro rounds and was badly hurt by undefeated prospect Dillian Whyte. Anthony Joshua vs Dominic Breazeale Odds have Breazeale as a +950 underdog ($100 Bet pays out $1050) at BOVADA.LV
Dominic Breazeale – Boxer: Wide framed 6’7″ 255 Lb. former football player is a slab of mass. The 30-year old is no body beautiful but knows how to punch and has some sting in his straight right. A rare big man that can fight inside or outside with equal effectiveness. Deceptively quick handed and knows how to put punches together. Tenacious and aggressive banger that works the body well for a modern era fighter. Former college quarterback is smart and poised with the ability to think on his toes. Throws with good punch volume and trains hard in the gym. Has an airplane sized wingspan (82″ reach) but like Joshua he tends to paw with the jab and throw infrequently. Good defense but has a squared up stance that limits his ability to fight “long”. Appears to be durable but was badly hurt by heavy handed brawler Amir Mansour. Has a tendency to load up punches and fire at the wrong distance. Has been very carefully matched by Al Haymon and his true level of class is a mystery. Anthony Joshua vs Dominic Breazeale Odds have Joshua as a -2250 favorite ($2250 Bet Pays out $2350) at BOVADA.LV
ESPN2 News Bottom Line: This should be an ugly firefight between a pair of raw heavyweight bombers. We expect the huge underdog Breazeale to win some rounds against the gold medalist. Joshua has faced and beaten the slightly better competition but Breazeale is a “live” underdog at +950. Laying -2250 moneyline on Joshua to win is rich considering his limited resume. The short 3.5 round Over/Under is worth betting the Over at +225. Both king sized heavyweights will have mutual respect for each other in the early frames which translates into time burned off the clock. Both men have big power but both have displayed resilience, heart and fundamental defense. Risk 3 Units that the fight goes past the 1:30 mark of the 4th round. Joshua’s better athleticism and right hand blasts should to be the difference in the fight. Most prognosticators are forecasting an early KO but we expect Joshua to grind Breazeale down for a late stoppage.
ESPN2 News Boxing Predictions: Anthony Joshua KO9
Complete Joshua vs Breazeale Fight Odds at BOVADA.LV
Joshua by KO: -2000
Joshua by decision: +800
Breazeale by KO: +1200
Breazeale by decision: +3000
Draw: +2800
ESPN2 News Fight Picks
Joshua/Breazeale
Height/Reach: 9/10
Strength/Size: 10/9
Power: 9/7.5
Hand Speed/Accuracy: 8/6
Stamina: 7/7
Defense: 7/5
Chin/Resiliency: 7/7
Agility: 6/6
Jab: 8/6
Bodypunching/In-Fight: 6/6
Boxing Ability: 8/6
Intelligence: Joshua +1
Confidence/Focus/Will To Win: Joshua +3
Cuts/Injury/Age/Inactivity: Joshua +1
Judges Scoring: Joshua +3
Trainer: –
ESPN2 News Boxing Odds: Joshua -1600
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