The rematch between WBA (Super), WBO, IBO, The Ring and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – not related to Nick – and challenger Wladimir Klitschko is, give or take a few hours, only a month away from this writing, on July 9th.
The boxing betting odds are as follows:
Tyson Fury EV
W Klitschko -120
This is a clash of styles – not to be confused with a Styles Clash – if fans who bet on boxing ever saw one. And they did ever see it on November 28th, 2015 at Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany when Fury beat Klitschko for the aforementioned laundry list of titles. The dissimilitude between these two is not limited to the ring – where the Ukrainian is considered one of the hardest punching knockout artistes in the history of the heavyweight division,with a strong jab, straight right hand, and left hook. This stands in stark contrast with Fury’s gypsy, bare knuckle brawler, Brad Pitt-in-Snatch background.
However, the real reason boxing betting fans want to see this bout is because of his buildup – which is worthy of a pro wrestling feud. Those in the know would compare it to the Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart-Shawn Michaels rivalry of the early to mid 90s. On the one hand, we have the older, wiser, subdued, man-of-a-few-words, technician with an Olympic background who lets his actions in the ring do the talking – laced with a bit of the 80’s Cold War, Ivan Drago soviet athlete icy demeanor. On the other hand, we have the younger, brash, over the top, shoot-first-ask-questions-later, obnoxious, loud-mouthed, foul-mouthed, rule-breaking, politically-incorrect braggadocio with a devil-may-care attitude.
More than a clash of boxing styles is a clash between two distinct, opposing ways of life. But fans who bet on boxing should not let themselves be swayed by their personal opinion of either fighter, so let’s get back to the boxing stats. Fury has called Klitschko out on being too old – and indeed there is 13 year gap between the two. There is something to be said for experience, though. For example, Klitschko has knocked out twice as many guys as Fury has ever beaten. Moreover, Dr. Steelhammer is not undefeated – having lost 4 fights in his pro career – but he has defeated the most undefeated boxers, which Fury is.
When they first met inside the squared circle, Klitschko was the clear cut boxing betting favorite. It was a very defensive affair with few punches thrown or landed. It looked like a very close contest, but the unanimous decision (115-112, 115-112, 116-111) was given to Fury, who proceeded to celebrate by singing I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing to his wife – which made about as much sense in that context as it did in Armageddon. Will Fury retain his titles, or will Klitschko win the return match? Tune in next month to find out.