Bellew to play it smart
There’s value in a sensible approach
London’s 02 Arena provides the battleground on Saturday evening as warring pair David Haye and Tony Bellew put their reputations on the line, and finally stop the talking and start the punching. It promises to be explosive, and you can bet on the hard-hitting action here at Coral.
The build up to this one has been bad-tempered, to say the least, and there appears to be some genuine needle between the pair. David Haye doesn’t seem to get on well with many in the sport, and his contest with Dereck Chisora threw up its fair share of drama, but that looks to be mere fisticuffs compared to this.
Gone in 60 seconds
Both men have promised, no sworn, to knock the other out, and they looked like they meant it too, this was no playing up to the media. Coral traders aren’t in a rush to come between them either, offering a lightweight 1/6 on this heavyweight bout not going the distance. Few expect to hear the second bell, let alone the last. Therefore, we’re offering a special bet on the fight to be won in the first-minute, with Haye priced at 22/1 and Bellew 125/1. If either man lands with a good shot in the first minute, they have more than enough power to get the other out of there. So, I wouldn’t put anyone off an interest on that.
Hayemaker to land
Local lad David Haye starts as favourite with us for the win, and can be found at 1/6 going into the weekend. It’s difficult to argue against that too, he is a former ruler of the cruiserweight division, and heavyweight champion of the world.
The jolly also has a fantastic record against fellow Brits, and boasts early KO wins over Enzo Maccarinelli, Audley Harrison and Dereck Chisora. He is 36-years-old now though and hasn’t been seen in a fight of any note for a while. You can take the Bermondsey banger at 2/7 to enhance his 87 per cent knockout average, while a points cheer is a chunky 11/2.
Bomber vows to explode
Tony Bellew travels to London as WBC world cruiserweight champion, and is riding high on an eight-fight winning run. That purple patch saw the 6ft 3inch orthodox fighter win and defend his strap, both in convincing fashion. He claimed the vacant title by stopping Ilunga Makabu in three rounds, and did the same to BJ Flores last time out.
Bellew to score a hat-trick of third round KO wins has been marked up at 50/1 by our team. Victory without the need for the scoring judges, regardless of when it happens, doesn’t look very likely, according to the boxing odds, with 13/2 on the underdog to prove true to his word and get Haye out of there.
18 of Bellew’s 28 professional wins have come by KO/TKO results, and few expect this one to go the distance, but if you do fancy the away fighter to hit and move, avoiding Haye’s heavy work and pick up the points, then you can back him on the scorecards at 14/1. He’s 4/1 to get the job done either way.
Back our special bet on a special night
That’s the way I see this one going. All the talk has been about both men, furious at the other, flying out of the traps and going for the KO. If Bellew tries that he will cost himself the fight. He’s the naturally quicker man and I see him moving, slipping, and landing hurtful counters. Coral are offering a special bet worth having – fight to go over 4.5 rounds, either man to be knocked down, and Haye to win at 7/4. That looks perfect to me.
