The ‘Bronze Bomber’ Deontay Wilder is the boxing betting favorite to retain the WBC heavyweight championship versus ‘The Nightmare’ Chris Arreola on Jul 16th, 2016 at the Legacy Arena, in Birmingham, Alabama. Below are the odds for fans who bet on boxing:
Chris Arreola +1800
Deontay Wilder -3600
There is very good reason that the odds favor the champion Wilder. He is undefeated in 36 professional fights, 35 of which he has won via knockout (the one non-KO win was a unanimous decision versus Canadian Bermane Stiverne on January 17th, 2015 that earned him the WBC heavyweight title). That perfect record includes three successful championship defenses in a row, most recently against Polish Artur Szpilka on January 16th, 2016. Wilder has also held the WBC Continental Americas heavyweight champion. Boxing betting fans know that Wilder knows that he does not get paid by the hour. As a matter of fact, 18 of his 35 Kos have come in the first round.
As all self-respecting underdogs do, Arreola has the proverbial chip on his shoulder. The Los Angeles native has already come up short in two WBC heavyweight title shots – one against Vitali Klitschko (Wladimir’s older brother) and the other versus the aforementioned Stiverne – which constitute 50% of his four professional career losses. In addition to that, Arreola’s most recent fight was changed from a split decision – which would have been his 37th victory – to a No Contest after Arreola tested positive for marijuana – admittedly a rather asinine call because, since when has weed been a performance-enhancing drug? And the one prior to that was a draw with Cameroonian Fred Kassi. His last legitimate win was a unanimous decision over Curtis Harper on March 13th, 2015 which might have boxing betting fans wondering how exactly Arreola earned a third WBC heavyweight championship match.
And the answer to that question is that the mandatory challenger, former WBA champion Alexander Povetkin tested positive for meldonium – substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency on January 1st, 2016. Quite a few people who bet on boxing thought the Russian would have been Wilder’s toughest opponent, something that the Alabaman is in dire need of. As Rick Folstad writes in boxing website The Sweet Science, “heavyweights are remembered for who they knocked out, not how many,” and Wilder’s list of Kos is a who’s who of ‘who’s he?’
And it’s not just because Wilder knocked them into oblivion. The Bronze Bomber has only gone 12 full rounds once, so the question is whether Arreola will be able to endure long enough to throw some haymakers of his own – he has won 31 fights by knockout. This should pretty much be Arreola’s last chance to get his career back on track. After winning 27 straight bouts, his record has been as erratic as Wilder’s fighting style. Chances are, though, that Wilder’s powerful right hand will knock Arreola into a third, and maybe definitive, hiatus from the sport of boxing.