Boxing expert Chris Oliver has been in red-hot form of late, and returns with three bets for a mouthwatering night of boxing action across three different continents on Saturday.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday May 2
3pts David Benavidez to win by unanimous decision at 6/5 (Ladbrokes)
2pts Naoya Inoue to win by decision at 15/8 (SpreadEx, Sporting Index, Quinn Bet)
1pt Conah Walker to win by decision at 6/4 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power)
It’s Super Saturday for boxing fans with three great headline fights on shows across three different continents, all live on DAZN.
We’ll start in Japan where the biggest fight in the country’s history between two brilliant unbeaten rivals is expected to start around 1pm UK time.
Four-weight world champion Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs) defends his undisputed super bantamweight titles against Junto Nakatani, a three-weight world champion who also boasts a perfect 32-fight record (24 KOs).
Between them they are 37-0 in world title fights, and 55,000 fans will be packed into the Tokyo Dome for this historic event.
Inoue is widely considered to be number one or two in the pound-for-pound list and his destructive journey through the lower weights has been a joy to watch.
Decision time for top-class Inoue
He is a 2/7 favourite after easily outpointing David Picasso with a polished display in late December, and Nakatani would have been shorter than 7/2 if he hadn’t struggled as much on that same card.
While he ultimately won a unanimous decision, Nakatani was made to work very hard by Sebastian Hernandez in what was a fight of the year contender and that was the winner’s first outing since stepping up to 122lbs.
He just couldn’t keep the rugged and game Mexican off in the second half of the fight, and the theory that it may be a weight too far for him has led to his price being as big as it is.
However, Nakatani remains a top-class operator who is three inches taller than his opponent here at 5’8” and also boasts a longer reach.
The 28-year-old southpaw is long and rangy, and he can have plenty of success here if he can keep the fight at distance. He has an excellent jab and can fire in hard left hands from the outside which are capable of more than getting the respect of Inoue.
That latter should have no problem with the left-handed stance of his opponent, though, having beaten top-class southpaws such as Luis Nery (TKO6), TJ Doheny (TKO7) and Murodjon Akhmadaliev (UD) in the last couple of years.
With every shot in the book at his disposal, the favourite rattles off great combinations and, as his record suggests, he carries serious power. Along with his extremely fast feet, that varied arsenal is probably his best asset and he can attack from all sorts of angles.
He has become more defensively responsible and less gung-ho since being dropped in recent years by Nery and Ramon Cardenas, which could mean this is more of a technical boxing match than the all-out war their knockout records would suggest.
For that reason, I prefer the 15/8 available for Inoue to land a decision, rather than the 6/5 on offer about him winning by stoppage.
Nakatani has the style and physical attributes to make this tricky for Inoue, but I expect the latter’s speed, excellent ring IQ and superior experience at the very top level to prevail.
Inoue can close the distance with his superb footwork and force his opponent into retreat once he feels his power.
Walker set for Wolverhampton homecoming
Then it is on to Wolverhampton in the evening as Conah Walker makes his homecoming in a local derby against Sam Eggington.
Walker (17-3-1, 8 KOs) has been on a real roll since losing a humdinger to subsequent world champion Lewis Crocker in June 2024, and he arrives here on the back of four good wins.
Lewis Ritson was outpointed before Walker came from behind to stop Harry Scarff in the 11th round; he then battered Liam Taylor (TKO7) and recorded a big upset victory over Pat McCormack in December.
An Olympic silver medallist, McCormack was a heavy favourite to maintain his unbeaten record but struggled with the relentless pressure of Walker before being stopped in the final round of their heated battle.
Given his recent form, it’s no surprise to see Walker installed as the 3/10 favourite, but Eggington, a 16/5 chance, shouldn’t be ruled out.
To say the West Midlands veteran has been around the block a bit would be an understatement, but he still has plenty of enthusiasm for the game and recorded a good win over the well-regarded Lee Cutler (15-1 at the time) when last seen just over a year ago.
Eggington may have been beaten nine times in 45 outings, but he has only been stopped twice and is never in a bad fight.
He’s still only 32 and is durable, but Walker’s recent form earns him the nod, and he is fancied to be too fresh for the underdog.
Walker constantly walks forward looking to land heavy shots and is very good up close. He can outwork his man and be a little bit too sharp for Eggington, but can he get another stoppage at 6/4? I’m not so sure.
Walker isn’t the biggest puncher, it’s more his aggression and volume that has an effect, but Eggington has seen all that before and, perhaps crucially, this is being fought at just inside the light middleweight limit. Walker is stepping up from welterweight, where he isn’t the biggest for the weight anyway, and Eggington is much more natural at this 153lbs catchweight.
Therefore, in what should be an all-action affair, Walker may struggle to get rid of Eggington and the favourite can claim a decision victory at 6/4.
Benavidez the best bet on Super Saturday
Last of all, it is over to Las Vegas for the traditional Mexican contest on Cinco de Mayo weekend and it is a cracker between David Benavidez and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
A champion at super middleweight and light heavyweight already, Benavidez now steps up to cruiserweight to challenge for Zurdo’s WBO and WBA titles.
Since suffering his sole defeat to the brilliant Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight, the latter has looked great in four outings at cruiserweight and will be well known to fans on these shores for his unanimous decision victory over Britain’s Chris Billam-Smith in November 2024.
He backed that up with another impressive points success over Yuniel Dorticos last time and he has the experience at 200lbs here, so it may be a surprise to some to see him a top price of 4/1 (generally around 3/1).
However, he is a former champion at super middleweight himself and has also risen through the weights, while the huge frame of Benavidez suggests he could be even better in this division.
That is a frightening prospect as he has looked brilliant in three outings at light heavyweight, winning wide decisions against top-class foes in Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell, before hammering Anthony Yarde into a seventh-round defeat last time out.
Named the ‘Mexican Monster’ for good reason, if Benavidez brings his relentless work rate and lightning-quick hands up to cruiserweight, then he is going to be very hard to beat here.
Zurdo moves well for a big man and has used his footwork, along with his volume punching and combinations, to outbox his opponents at this weight.
However, that may not work against someone with the hand speed and engine of Benavidez, who cuts off the ring very well and should be able to deal with the movement of his opponent.
Moreover, the favourite isn’t expected to struggle with the southpaw style of Zurdo, as he switches stances himself and looked great in beating another ‘leftie’ in Morrell two fights back.
Benavidez has looked less powerful at 175lbs and may not carry as much pop on his shots now stepping up in weight again, so I don’t see him stopping Zurdo and that theory is backed up by a best price of 4/5 about the former winning a decision.
However, I expect him to outwork and outbox Zurdo, and I am very keen on the 6/5 with Ladbrokes about Benavidez winning unanimous decision.
These are good times to be a boxing fan, and this weekend tells you exactly why that is the case.
Posted at 12:15 BST on 01/05/25
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