Billam-Smith vs Chamberlain: Weekend Betting Corner
IBHOF Boxing Gambler and Recipient Graham Houston weight tonight’s eagerly awaited cruiser clash between Bournemouth favorite Chris Billam-Smith and London man Isaac Chamberlain., as well as Josh Kelly’s encounter with Lucas Bastida and Danny’s debut Garcia at 154 lbs ahead of Jose Benavidez Jr.
We had an excellent world cruiser belt fight between Jai Opetaia and Mairis Briedis before that.May and tonight it’s the £200’s turn to enter center court, with world-ranked Chris Billam-Smith defending the European and Commonwealth title against Isaac Chamberlain.
Billam-Smith is boxing in his hometown of Bournemouth and he clear favorite (2/5 or -250 at Betfred) after his big KO win over Tommy McCarthy. He’s a stronger, heavier boxer, and he’s more experienced than Chamberlain when it comes to the 12-round title. The furthest Chamberlain was 10 rounds. While Chamberlain has quick hands and looks good when he puts the pictures together, Billam-Smith is more consistent andhave a higher working speed.
As always, the question is whether the underdog can rise to the occasion at night. If you like Chamberlain’s chance, Betfred gives him 8/15 (+187). Certainly, Chamberlain is a difference, many improvementsfighter plane from the guy who lost to Lawrence Okolie in a terrible incident about four and a half years ago. He’s on a five-match winning streak and he talks about a great fight. But Billam-Smith is a different proposition than the boxers Chamberlain has beaten.
However, while Billam-Smith It seems like the winner on paper, there’s reason to hope for Chamberlain’s supporters. Billam-Smith had a close contest with Tommy McCarthy in the two’s first fight and Chamberlaintalent level comparable to McCarthy. Chamberlain has the skills to land punches on Billam-Smith, who can look a bit stiff and cyborg when he’s fighting his opponents. The question is whether Chamberlain can hurt Billam-Smith enough to gain a foothold in the fight.
As a straight choice, I would go with Billam-Smith, who is the more proven of the two warriors. But I’m reluctant to bid. We really don’t know what Chamberlain can produce as the chips drop in his biggest match since losing to Okolie. He showed up fighting through a dislocated shoulder to defeat Wadi Camacho, so we know he can’t be missed. And, at the age of 28, this is the opportunity Chamberlain has been waiting for years. I made him the underdog, and I hope he does well, but I’m not sure he has what it takes to upset the odds.
So we turned to the suggested market to find a bet we liked. This looks like a long and drawn-out war but the price for “Gap – Yes” is unattractive at 25/47 (-188). Can this be finished within the scheduled 12? There’s definitely a chance that it could. Billam-Smith may have been able to take Chamberlain down with pressure and overpower him late in the game, and indeed he assured Sky Sports at Friday’s matchday that his pressure was “non-stop” will finish the job before the final bell rings.However, Billam-Smith was shaken by Richard Riakporhe (who of course can actually smash) and it looks like Tommy McCarthy injured him with an overhand attack right in the opening round of the fight. their first. It was unbelievable that Chamberlain was also able to capture and hurt the champion.
A play on fighting no distance at 27/10 (+135) might be worth it. Billam-Smith’s march forward could force Chamberlain to stand and fight, if only to keep the champion from stepping over him. There will likely be some heated exchanges. I wouldn’t be shocked if this match ends before the final bell rings.
Also in the UK tonight, Josh Kelly canned on home territory in Newcastle and faced an interesting test against Lucas Bastida of Argentina in a 10-round match for the WBO International 154lbs title. Bastida is a tall boxer, a bit sluggish but seems very confident. Big things were expected from GB Olympian Kelly when he turned pro but I think it’s fair to say he hasn’t lived up to expectations. However, Kelly can still beat Bastida – a little more variety, superior hand speed. Kelly follows the decision at a reasonable 5/7 (-140) could be the way to go. The lower card is available for watch live on Boxing Social’s YouTube channel from 7pm GMT.
Across the pond in Brooklyn, New York, former 140th and 147lbs champion Danny Garcia made his 154th debut against Jose Benavidez Jr. in a 12-round match. Garcia is the right favorite. Bet on him for 1/8 (-800). That’s not the price I want to pay. What about clauses?
In theory, this looks like a long fight, as shown by the odds of 2/5 (-250) for the contest to go away.
Benavidez stretched to the 12th round against Terence Crawford in his only loss, which was in a heavyweight title fight. However, that was almost four years ago. And in his only game since, Benavidez rushed into a draw against Argentine Francisco Torres, who then lost to fast-rising Hamzah Sheeraz by five rounds.
Garcia looks solid and well conditioned just under 153lbs on Friday and I believe he is simply a better boxer than Benavidez. I believe there’s a chance Garcia can knock Benavidez out to equalize at some point in the later rounds. A play on Garcia won by 8/5 (+160) Not the worst idea in the world.
Heavyweights Adam Kownacki and Ali Eren Demirezen clashed in what should have been an exciting 10th round on the Brooklyn show. These are boxers who use a similar method, which is to move forward, put pressure on their opponent and keep the punches constant.
Kownacki will never be a figure person but he looked relatively neat on the scale at Friday’s weigh-in, weighing just under 252lbs, his lightest weight in five years. So we know he’s working out in the gym.
Demirezen, meanwhile, weighs just under 262lbs, about the same as he weighed in the last five bouts. Nor is he Mr. Universe in the physique department, but he’s strong, and he’s got a great engine (rather showing off his ample bust).
The Brooklyn site benefits Kownacki. He is in his hometown and receives enthusiastic support from Polish fighting fans in the area. But we have to wonder if Kownacki is a boxer in decline after consecutive defeats in the distance to Robert Helenius. In the first match, Kownacki was captured and injured as he appeared to be on his way to victory. This can happen in heavyweight boxing. But in the rematch, Kownacki was destroyed and slams around, and he seems to intentionally foul, getting a DQ’d for a series of Andrew Golota-style lows.
And so on for tonight’s fight. This is it for Kownacki. He is 33 years old. If he lost to Demirezen, it would all be over. And what is Demirezen? Based in Germany, he scored an impressive victory in the US when he knocked out Gerald Washington in eight rounds last January. He’s a year younger than Kownacki, he’s gone all 10 rounds with heavyweight Efe Ajagba in a single loss, and he’s a top-level amateur boxer for his native Turkey in the Olympics. festival. However, Demirezen played unimpressively, winning a decisive victory over veteran janitor Kevin Johnson in the final skirmish.
This was not an impossible task for Kownacki. After all, he met a much taller opponent – and a very tough hitter – when he faced Helenius. But Demirezen was roughly the size of Kownacki. And I don’t consider Demirezen to be a big puncher, more of a hack-and-slash type.
So, who is the winner? I think Kownacki vs Demirezen would be like two slow locomotives meeting on a track. Something will have to give. Will Kownacki, with the crowd behind him, be able to dig deep and work with Demirezen? I want to say yes to that, but my fear is the brave Polish boxer may be damaged goods after Helenius defeated. I quite like the idea of the fight going through 6.5 rounds with an even amount, but it is suggested that the total number of rounds has been increased to 7.5, which is not as appealing.
Due to doubts about how much money Kownacki has left, I figured I’d just stand on the sidelines and enjoy the action in this installment.
Main image: Billam-Smith (left) and Chamberlain meet on the south coast of England this evening. Photo: Lawrence Lustig / BOXXER.