BOXING analyst Nick Munday (@NM_Sport) shares his betting thoughts on Saturday night's big bout as Terence Crawford and Kell Brook go toe-to-toe.
Terence Crawford vs Kell Brook | Sunday 15th November 2020, 04:00 |Premier Sports
Former world champion Kell Brook travels to Las Vegas to challenge pound-for-pound sensation Terence Crawford in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Crawford (38-0, 27 KOs) is a three-weight king having held world titles at lightweight and super-lightweight. In 2017 he unified all four major 140lb belts to become undisputed, before moving up to welterweight and continuing his dominance.
This is a huge task for the Brit (39-2, 27 KOs), with odds of 9/1 available for the upset. While Brook's career may have fizzled out in recent years after successive stoppages against Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence, he should be commended for facing someone who many other welterweights choose to avoid.
However, he hasn’t been trained by long-term coach Dominic Ingle for Saturday's bout, and has also cut ties with promoter Eddie Hearn. He's also boiling himself down to 147lbs after boxing up at super-welterweight since the Spence loss, with three unimpressive wins against limited opposition.
This feels like last chance saloon for the 34-year-old, coming up against one of the most talented fighters around who boasts an impressive 14 victories in world title fights.
‘Bud' to bide his time before stoppage
Crawford patiently works out his opponents in the first few rounds before starting to cause damage. The American is in the form of his life, stopping seven of his last eight victims before the final bell. Another early night is expected at odds of 4/9.
Brook may be the naturally bigger man in the ring, but Crawford's combinations, hand speed and accuracy should prove to be the difference as the fight goes on. Taking a closer look at Crawford's sublime stoppage streak, five of his last seven knockouts have come after round seven.
Egidijus Kavaliauskas (TKO 9), Jose Benavidez Jr (TKO 12), Jeff Horn (TKO 9), Felix Diaz (RTD 10) and John Molina Jr (TKO 8) were all despatched between round 7-12. That stat would be six in seven were it not for the bizarre ending to the Amir Khan fight in April 2019, when the Brit was pulled out by his corner in round six after an accidental low blow.
Backing a Crawford victory in the second half of the fight looks like the way to go, with round 9-10 a juicy price (13/2 Betfair).
Best Bets
Terence Crawford and Kell Brook – Terence Crawford to win in Round 7-12 (9/5 Betfair)
