Boxing betting online: Former light heavyweight champion Beibut Shumenov (15-2, 10 KOs) will look to repeat his success in a new division when he meets B.J. Flores (31-1-1, 20 KOs) in Las Vegas.
A 2004 Olympian for Kazakhstan, Shumenov carries high expectations into the ring as a possible title challenger to WBA cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev. Flores currently ranks No. 7 in the WBA rankings, but is more known for his work as a boxing analyst for NBC.
CURRENT ODDS
Our Shumenov-Flores odds should have Shumenov as the favorite going into the bout as he’s looked good in his new weight class so far. The over/under is typically listed a few days before fight night, and given the relative lack of power between both men I’d expect it to be set at 11.5 rounds.
A SIGNATURE WIN AT STAKE
Although Flores is a two-time amateur U.S. National champion, the 36-year old has failed to recapture the same glory as a pro. However, he comes into the bout on a seven-fight win streak and could very well earn a title shot with an upset of Shumenov. Most recently, Flores scored a third-round TKO over Kevin Engel in October 2014.
While Shumenov quickly rose to the top of the light heavyweight division, he’s been criticized for taking an easy path to the title, selecting opponents that clearly weren’t on his level. That all changed when the Las Vegas resident elected to face Bernard Hopkins in 2014. While he lost the belt by decision to Hopkins, Shumenov bounced back with a fifth-round knockout over Bobby Thomas Jr. this past December.
It’s always to see if a sports analyst can take their own advice in the ring. Flores is a good commentator with great insight in front of the camera, but he’s fighting a superior fighter in Shumenov. While he doesn’t quite possess killer KO power, Shumenov is a heavy hitter that can seriously hurt his opponents.
FIGHT PICKER
Simply put, Flores needs to put together the fight of his life if he wants to beat Shumenov. That’s probably not gonna happen. If you look at Flores’ record, he really doesn’t have a signature win in more than 30 fights, and it’s evidence that he’s not quite worthy of the elite tier, which is filled with guys like Marco Huck, Denis Lebedev and Beibut Shumenov. The pick here is Shumenov to win by decision.
HOW TO BET
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