Josh Warrington’s defeat against Mauricio Lara shocked the boxing world last weekend, with Lara upsetting the odds in what was expected to be a straightforward win for the Leeds fighter.
This Saturday, Josh Kelly’s clash against David Avanesyan is being touted as a close contest and that is reflected in the prices, with Kelly the slight favourite at 2/3, with Avanesyan 11/10 to win.
The pair were scheduled to meet in December 2018. Various complications have seen three attempts to stage the fight fail, but Kelly and Avanesyan are finally set to get it on for the EBU welterweight title.
Avanesyan has three defeats on his card, but one of those was against Egidijus Kavaliauskas, who has found only Terrance Crawford too good in his career, and another came against two-weight world champion Lamont Peterson.
Impressive Avanesyan Form
The Russian has been stopped just once in 30 professional contests, has recorded three knockout wins in his last three fights and is an extremely tough operator.
Avanesyan’s pair of victories against the highly-rated former European champ Kerman Lajarraga in 2019 read well and even more so when you consider both of those fights took place in Lajarraga’s native Spain.
We know what level the Russian is operating at, but the question that punters have to ponder is how good is Kelly.
‘Pretty Boy’ was an excellent amaetur fighter and competed at the 2016 Olympic Games. The Sunderland slickster made an impressive start in the professional ranks, albeit against limited opposition, but his tepid draw against Ray Robinson in 2019 raises some doubts.
Kelly can Edge it
However, Kelly remains a young fighter with bags of potential and the Sunderland man has the excellent Adam Booth in his corner.
There’s no doubt that this has the makings of a close contest, but perhaps not as tight as the prices suggest and Kelly should have the skills, movement and speed to defeat the determined Avanesyan.
Broner Back after Two-Year Absence
The controversial Adrien Broner returns to the ring after a two-year hiatus to take on Jovanie Santiago.
Broner, who is 1/9 to win, has vowed to change his ways as he bids to get back to the heights that saw him crowned a four-weight world champion and he should have few problems this weekend.
‘The Problem’ was last seen in a ring when comprehensively outpointed by Manny Pacquiao in 2019 and things haven’t gone smoothly for American since.
Santiago brings an unbeaten 15-fight record to the ring, with 14 wins and a single draw, but they have been low-key affairs.
The Puerto Rican, who is the underdog at 19/4, has never boxed outside of his home country, bar a couple of fights in the Dominican Republic, and it’s unlikely that the 31-year-old will be anywhere near the required level.
If Broner is sharp, he should get the job done quickly and a victory for the 31-year-old inside the first three rounds appeals at 13/2.
*All odds correct at time of writing