The last month of the 2020 boxing calendar was insane. We saw almost all the big names in boxing enter the ring, highlighted by Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, Errol Spence, and Anthony Joshua. In all, there were 10 title fights in December alone, but we have barely seen any boxing since the calendar flipped over to 2021 because of the holidays. That has left boxing fans anxious for the sport to come back and created additional fanfare for Patrick Cora and Hurshidbek Normatov’s fight on Wednesday.
Cora (10-0 with seven knockouts) and Normatov (10-0 with three knockouts) are both seen as two of the best prospects at junior middleweight. They will be headlining Wednesday’s card on Showtime. This will be the first fight on Showtime for 2021, and there are sure to be extra fireworks as the network enters its 20th year broadcasting boxing. We will see four fights in total, and every fighter is considered a top prospect.
When: Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Where: Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut
Why: Junior middleweight contenders bout
Patrick Cora vs Hurshidbek Normatov Betting Odds
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There have yet to be any boxing betting odds released for this bout. It’s tough to be extremely confident in the odds for either fighter given their youth and inexperience, but Cora is likely to be the favorite. For those that don’t bet on boxing regularly, if Cora was -300, you would need to wager $300 on him to win $100 at that price. That would likely make Normatov +250, and a $100 bet on Normatov would lead to a $250 profit if he were to emerge victorious.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Patrick Cora vs Hurshidbek Normatov Preview
Cora has not been in the ring since December 2019. He was unable to box during the height of the pandemic, as Cora was in his native Puerto Rico and the sports scene on the island was pretty much shut down. His corner is hoping the time off won’t lead to any rust for the former amateur champion.
It’s been three years since Cora turned pro. The Puerto Rican fighter decided to take off his amateur status shortly before he turned 19, and he cruised in his first four fights. An experienced Segudo Herrera fought him to a decision in Colombia two years ago, but he knocked out six of his other first seven opponents.
In October 2019, Cora faced his toughest test yet in unbeaten Luis Midyael Sanchez. He secured a unanimous decision in that bout and then followed that up with a knockout of unbeaten Geronimo Nahuel Sacco.
As for Normatov, he began his pro career at the age of 24 after a successful amateur career in Uzbekistan. He doesn’t have the same power as Cora though, leading to more fights going the distance. Normatov began his career in Miami before moving to the northeast in the last quarter of 2016.
His first big win came as a unanimous decision over unbeaten Nicklaus Flaz. He rode that into a successful stop of Ronald Montes five months later, opening more doors for Normatov. A knockout of unbeaten Alexis Gaytan led to a little more buzz before a win over Calvin Metcalf. Normatov claimed the interim NABA-USA super welterweight title over Walter Wright in August 2019 and faced Uriel Hernandez before the pandemic stopped boxing.
This fight is scheduled to be for ten rounds. There will be over/under betting in this fight, so keep in mind this main event will go for ten rounds instead of twelve rounds.
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