On Saturday, January 18, challengers Eleider “Storm” Alvarez and Michael Seals go against each other for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Light Heavyweight title on ESPN. Alvarez is 24-1 in his career with 12 knockouts, while Seals is 24-2 with 18 knockouts. The fight between Alvarez and Seals will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York and will be featured as part of the main card on ESPN with a start time of 10 p.m. Eastern. Let’s look at the bout and boxing picks.
Boxing Odds at Bookmaker.eu
Eleider “Storm” Alvarez: Check Back Later
Michael Seals: Check Back Later
Over/Under Rounds: Check Back Later
Eleider “Storm” Alvarez (24-1, 12 knockouts)
In his last five fights, Alvarez has four wins and one loss. He defeated Norbert Dabrowski by unanimous decision, Lucian Bute by TKO in the fifth round, Jean Pascal by majority decision, and Sergey Kovalev by TKO in the seventh round; while losing to Sergey Kovalev by unanimous decision. Alvarez gets a knockout win 48% of time.
Alvarez said this to boxingscene.com about his upcoming bout against Seals, “I'm going to have to be alert. [Seals is] a real hitter. I'm going to have to be very active and I should be able to keep him at bay with my jab. Basically, to use the style that has always given me success.”
Alvarez said this to nyfights.com, “I am very happy to get back in the ring after this long layoff. I am looking at Jan. 18 to reboot my career against a strong puncher, Michael Seals, and begin my campaign to once again be on top of the boxing world. I have a lot of respect for my opponent, but in 2020, nothing will stop me from becoming a world champion again.”
Michael Seals (24-2, 18 knockouts)
In his last five fights, Seals has four wins and one loss. He defeated Carlos Rafael Cruz by unanimous decision, Andy Perez by TKO in the first round, Christopher Brooker by TKO in the second round, and Elio Heraldo Trosch by TKO in the first round; while losing to Michael Gbenga by disqualification in the second round. Seals gets a knockout win 69.23% of the time.
Seals said this to nyfights.com about his upcoming bout against Alvarez, “Everyone knows that going the distance is against my religion. I’m going to bring the heat, and that’s no secret. Alvarez made a huge mistake in accepting me for his ‘comeback fight.’ When you sign a contract with me, I’m trying to force-feed you some ZzzQuil. This is a tune-up for him but everything for me. I’m not an opponent for the top fighters. I am a top fighter. I want a world title shot, and I won’t let this guy get in the way. He had his time. It’s my time.”
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said this to nyfights.com, “This is a fantastic fight, a true 50-50 matchup featuring two of the division’s best punchers. The light heavyweight division is on fire right now, and the winner will be in a tremendous position.”
Boxing Picks
Alvarez and Seals are experienced boxers and there is no question that Alvarez will be favored, but it is hard to get excited about laying big money on a fighter coming off a long layoff. I think the safer option is to simply play this fight to go under the rounds total, as Alvarez won’t be in prime shape and Seals doesn’t want to go the distance.
Boxing Pick: Alvarez by knockout and the rounds to go under the total.
With the boxing odds at BookMaker Sportsbook, you can bet on boxing all year, from smaller cards to pay-per-view events. Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook. Alvarez and Seals will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on Saturday, January 18 and will be featured on ESPN.
