Wilder vs Breazeale Odds Review

Showtime Boxing delivers WBC world heavyweight title action this Saturday night live from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as champion Deontay Wilder (40-0-1) defends his belt against mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale (20-1). The fight is the first of a series of heavyweight bouts coming in the next six to eight weeks and if you look at Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury’s upcoming bouts for comparison, the Wilder-Breazeale match-up is the most competitive at the books as of right now.

Not that it is a competitive line, as Wilder is currently a 10/1 (minus-1000) favorite with Breazeale returning +650. If Wilder loses this fight he will likely see big money paydays against Joshua and Fury go by the wayside. Breazeale may be able to insert himself at the top with the two Brits with a win, but more likely for Breazeale would be a rematch with Wilder. Joshua, Fury and the sport of boxing at large will leave a lot on the table with a Wilder loss.

Wilder’s profile has been elevated after his controversial draw against Tyson Fury and, as a mandatory WBC opponent, Breazeale doesn’t have anywhere near the “Q Score” of Fury. This doesn’t mean he can’t present Wilder with a few wrinkles.

Wilder is six-foot-seven inches tall and he has not had a lot of opponents look him in the eye other than Fury. Breazeale is the same height and though the “Bronze Bomber” is a former Olympic bronze medalist, Breazeale had a somewhat longer amateur career as a foundation. He will weigh in at around 250 pounds, so he will have roughly 30 pounds on Wilder. If he can manage to avoid Wilder’s Sunday punch he has a chance to steal rounds by being busier, as Wilder doesn’t throw a lot of punches.

The lone loss of Breazeale’s pro career came in a failed world title bid against Anthony Joshua where he was stopped in the seventh round. Wilder will feel pressure to improve on Joshua’s performance against the common opponent. Breazeale and Joshua met in June of 2016 and the odds during fight week looked like a crush match:

Heavyweight 12 rounds –

Dominic Breazeale +2000 over 3½ +310

Anthony Joshua  -4000 under 3½ -400

As you can see, Breazeale paid off if you chose the “over”. Expect a motivated Breazeale this Saturday. We will see if that is enough against Wilder who is on the verge of the paydays he has always dreamed about.

WBC world featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr (29-1) faces Spain’s Kiko Martinez (39-8-2) in the event’s co-feature. Martinez has held a world title at super bantamweight and his resume includes fights against Leo Santa Cruz, Carl Frampton, Scott Quigg and Josh Warrington, so he is certainly battle-tested. At 33 years old and fighting up a weight class from his prime years, Martinez will present the same gritty style he has always employed. That may not be a great idea against the hyper-technical Russell Jr, whose lone loss is via majority decision to Vasyl Lomachenko.

This is clearly a showcase fight for Russell Jr. He and his team believe he is ready to be recognized at the top of the pound for pound lists and certainly bigger fights await. Though talented, Russell Jr has maddeningly fallen into a pattern where he has fought just once a year since 2016. More activity would help Russell Jr’s chances of becoming a star, as the talent seems to be there.

Check your local listings for the start times on Showtime. Nine fights in all make up the Barclays Center card, with Gary Russell Jr’s brothers Antuanne and Antonio both scheduled for eight round bouts. At last look, these are the prevailing odds:

Barclays Center – Brooklyn, New York – Showtime – Saturday, May 18, 2019

Featherweight 12 rounds –

Kiko Martinez +1800 Over 9½ +165

Gary Russell Jr -4000 Under 9½ -205

Heavyweight 12 rounds –

Dominic Breazeale +650 Over 9½ +235

Deontay Wilder -1000  Under 9½ -275

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel

To comment on this story in The Fight Forum CLICK HERE