Boxing betting tips: Josh Buatsi v Ricards Bolotniks plus live DAZN undercard

Boxing betting tips: Saturday August 14

2pts Joshua Buatsi to win in rounds 7-12 at 2/1 (Sky Bet)

1pt double Farooq and Cordina to win by decision at 9/4 (Paddy Power, Betfair)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Joshua Buatsi v Ricards Bolotniks

When: Saturday August 14, approx. 2200 BST

Where: Matchroom Fight Camp

Watch: DAZN

The third and final instalment of this year's Fight Camp provides JOSHUA BUATSI with a chance to make some headlines as he takes on Ricards Bolotniks, live on DAZN.

Buatsi starts as a very warm 1/10 favourite but he will be looking for more than just a win, as his career is in need of some momentum and a big performance here could be the springboard required.

Hopes were very high for the Ghanaian-born Londoner after claiming a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics and, after turning over the following year, his performances in the first couple of years as a professional marked him out as arguably Britain's brightest prospect. However, he has boxed only twice (for a total of 11 rounds) in the last two years and after 14 wins (12 early), the fans are becoming impatient and want to see Buatsi stepped up in class sooner rather than later.

Those who are craving bigger-named opponent for the Rio Olympian won't have been happy when Bolotniks, with his record of 18-5-1, was announced as next in line, but those bare figures are deceiving and the Latvian comes into this in fine form. It's been three years since the latest of his defeats and seven wins have followed, with his excellent run really starting when he outpointed Sergei Ekimov, who was 18-0 at the time, in October 2019. That earned him a place in the MTK Golden Contract tournament, in which he blitzed the previously unbeaten Steven Ward inside a round, then dominated another Brit over 10 rounds in Hosea Burton, before stopping Serge Michel in the last round of the decider last December.

However long this lasts, Buatsi will certainly know he has been in a scrap as Bolotniks is big for the weight and always comes to fight. The powerful visitor ploughs forward and has the fitness to maintain the high work-rate for long periods, while he hits harder than his record of eight stoppages from 18 would suggest. He has become used to upsetting the odds and being installed as a 7/1 underdog won't bother him in the slightest, nor will being the away fighter as he's done a lot of winning on the road.

Bolotniks will have gained plenty of confidence from Buatsi's penultimate fight with Marko Calic, who found his opponent's chin with great frequency and seriously rocked the Croydon native in the third session. Buatsi eventually stepped it up a gear in the middle rounds and stopped the man from Croatia in the seventh, but the doubters were out in force after that and it sparked a change in trainers to the US-based Virgil Hunter, the man famous for guiding Andre Ward though his brilliant career.

The pair got their new working relationship off to a winning start as Buatsi stopped Daniel Dos Santos inside four rounds in May, but the Frenchman offered little resistance that night and this is their first real test together.

The one thing that outing did remind us of is that Buatsi carries serious power, as he knocked the visitor out cold with a right hand, and he won't have to go looking for Bolotniks. Should the favourite choose to meet the Latvian head-on then we could be in for fireworks in the early rounds, which bring bets such as Buatsi inside four (3/1) and in six (13/8) seriously into play. However, getting into a gun fight with his aggressive opponent would level the playing field considerably and the more-skilled Buatsi would be wiser in using his boxing skills early on, something that is more likely given Hunter's reputation as a defensively-minded coach.

Buatsi boasts a tremendous jab when he chooses to use it and looking to keep his stocky opponent on the end of that lead left hand would be the safer option in the first third of this 12-rounder. Once the sting has been taken out of Bolotniks' attacks a little and he's been broken down with the stiff jab of Buatsi, the latter can then look to let his right hand go with more regularity and do some damage.

While the favourite is likely to be made to work very hard from the get-go in order to keep the underdog off, it must be noted that three of Bolotniks' losses came by stoppage and that is why it is just 4/11 for that number to become four this weekend. Sky Bet are a standout 2/1 for the Brit to halt his man in the SECOND HALF OF THE FIGHT and that looks the most attractive proposition to me.

As competitive and game as I expect Bolotniks to be, Buatsi should be able to weather any early storms and make his class tell as the fight goes on. Once Buatsi begins to find a home for his right hand, the writing could be on the wall for another inside-the-distance win.

• CLICK HERE to back Buatsi in rounds 7-12 with Sky Bet

Best bets for the undercard

There is no getting away from the fact this show lacks the quality of the previous two shows in Eddie Hearn's back garden this summer, and finding a punting angle in is not easy.

Michael McKinson earned a deal with Matchroom when graduating from small-hall events with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over the well-regarded Chris Kongo in Gibraltar earlier in the year and put his unbeaten record on the line against Przemyslaw Runowski.

The Portsmouth native got off to a flyer that night, putting Kongo down in the first and getting enough rounds in the bank to edge a cagey affair on the cards. He is nicknamed 'The Problem' for a reason, with his unorthodox southpaw style hard to work out, and his tendency to box predominantly on the back foot explains him gaining only two stoppages from a perfect 20-fight record.

Runowski's sole loss in 19 came on these shores when outpointed by Josh Kelly and a similar fate may await the Pole on his return to Britain. However, this most likely outcome hasn't gone under the radar, with McKinson by decision a best price of 2/7, so it may pay to look elsewhere for some value.

It has been 20 months since UKASHIR FAROOQ (15-1) lost a razor-thin decision to fellow Scot Lee McGregor, but that form has subsequently worked out well and he remains a smart prospect. The Pakistan-born bantamweight has recorded two points wins since and the 8/11 about him to repeat the dose against Luis Gerardo Castillo looks fair, as the Mexican is expected to be durable enough.

It could pay to double that up with another decision victory (10/11) for JOE CORDINA, the talented Welshman whose stoppages have dried up since stepping up in class. The unbeaten lightweight was made to work hard for a majority decision win over Faroukh Kourbanov in March, his fourth distance fight from his last five, and it could be a similar story against Joshuah Hernandez, who went the distance with unbeaten prospects Chris Colbert and Giovanni Mioletti in 2019.

Posted at 1050 BST on 13/08/21

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