British heavyweight sensation, Anthony Joshua, will make his US debut in New
York on June 1 as the overwhelming favorite.
Wednesday’s money line futures odds on him winning his title fight against
American Andy Ruiz were sky high this week.
New Jersey sportsbook market leader FanDuel was offering odds of -4000 on
him winning. Alternatively, you could get +1200 on a Ruiz upset.
The odds varied quite some among the Garden State’s 14 sportsbooks, but all
were pretty big. 888sport, for example, was quoting -2500 on a Joshua
triumph and +1100 on a Ruiz upset.
Here’s what this means. You will have to put down between $40 (FanDuel)
and $25 (888sport) on Joshua to win just one dollar.
On the other hand, for every dollar, you slap down on underdog Ruiz you could
get$12 if he wins.
Can Ruiz possibly beat Joshua is the fight’s big question mark
The big question is this. Can Ruiz actually defeat Joshua? Nothing is impossible
in the world of professional boxing. If a freakish punch does stop Joshua, it
certainly won’t be the first time it’s happened in a title fight.
The general feeling, however, is that Joshua carries too many big guns for
Ruiz. After all, it’s not for nothing that he’s the holder of the IBF, WBA and
WBO heavyweight titles.
Furthermore, the American fighter is a late replacement for Jarrell Miller,
rather one of Joshua’s highest world-ranked opponents. Ruiz, in fact, is not
ranked among the top-10 heavyweights in the world by respected Ring
Magazine
Miller was disqualified from fighting by the NY State Athletic Commission
when he failed three pre-fight drug tests.
Fight promoter Eddie Hearn reportedly sought other last-minute opponents
for Joshua to start with. Among them was Luis Ortiz, a former heavyweight
title challenger, Ortiz said no because he would not have had time to prepare
for the fight.
WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and former unified champion
Tyson Fury were not even approached for the self-same reason.
Ruiz stepped into the breach
And so it was Ruiz who stepped into the breach. Ruiz is no slouch. He has had
21 knock-outs in 32 fights with just one loss – and that was to the then WBO
title holder Joseph Parker in 2016.
Joshua is something else, however. Even if you ignore the fact that he whipped
Parker not too long after Parker beat Ruiz.
Americans are not yet too aware of his qualities, but the Brits see Joshua as
the next big thing in the heavyweight fight game.
The 29-year-old has everything you can think of going for him. Size, strength,
speed, skill, determination and a winning culture are all there. So too is an
ability to charm his fans with the microphone.
Backing him at Madison Square Garden’s in three weeks time could win you
some money. But you will have to risk plenty to win very little. It’s the reverse
story if you back underdog Ruiz. One dollar could win you $12 and 100 dollars
$1 200.
Your chances of losing your $100, though, are very high, so which way to go?
You have three options. You can leave this fight alone and simply enjoy the
spectacle. You can take a good chance of winning little for much (or losing
big) on Joshua. Or you can take the not so good chance of winning big for not
much (or losing little) on Ruiz.
Take your pick.
