Crolla Betting
Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Anthony Crolla
Anthony Crolla faces a rematch with the formidable Jorge Linares in front of his own fans in Manchester as he looks to win back the WBA world lightweight. This article contains our Jorge Linares v Anthony Crolla betting preview, with free predictions, tips, best odds, bookie bonuses. Crolla Round 8 @ 33/1 (Sky Bet) Crolla Round 9 @ 33/1 (Sky Bet) Burns Round 9 @ 55/1 (Paddy Power) Burns Round 10 @ 55/1 (Paddy Power) If you want to cover all bases, it could be worth having a speculative dart in the Round Betting market. One of the areas in which Burns does have the upper hand over Crolla is punch power. THE Premier League title race is on hold until Sunday so it's all about the fight for the top four on Saturday while we have the first Scottish Cup semi-final. I've posted separate Scotttish and English previews where most of my top tips are reasoned. Also plenty of tips and match previews form the usual tipsters. It should be an interesting day with some big issues to be settled at the top. All in all, Crolla looks fresher, more confident and the fact that Linares (Crolla's last big opponent) is definitely over Burns shows us the level at which both fighters are right now. A Crolla win by decision seems a bargain for those looking for value bets.
Friday, April 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM (Staples Center)
The Line: Lomachenko -6825 / Crolla +3675 -- Over/Under: 9.5Click to Get Latest Betting Odds
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Vasyl Lomachenko and Anthony Crolla fight Friday at the Staples Center for the World Boxing Association Super World Lightweight Title.
Vasyl Lomachenko enters this fight with a 12-1 record that includes nine knockouts. Lomachenko has won each of his last 11 fights, and he’s coming off a December win over Jose Pedraza. Lomachenko will defend his belt fo a second straight fight and is coming off his first decision win since his 2014 bout against Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo. Lomachenko landed 158 power punches over the course of 12 rounds and was comfortably in the lead throughout the fight, but he couldn’t produce a knockout, ending his finish streak at eight in a row. Lomachenko is a 31-year-old southpaw who stands at 5’7” and has a 65-inch reach. Lomachenko is one of the best technical fighters in the sport with ridiculous footwork and defense, so his opponents have a tough time landing consistently and can get frustrated and lose confidence over the course of a bout. Lomachenko has quick hands offensively, puts combinations together nicely and clearly has power with 69 percent of his fights ending in knockout. For somebody who came up through the olympic ranks and had some doubters after losing his second professional fight, Lomachenko has really settled in as one of the most balanced fighters in the sport and somebody who is in the conversation as best pound-for-pound. This will be Lomachenko’s third career fight in California.
Anthony Crolla enters this fight with a 34-6-3 record that includes 13 knockouts. Crolla has won five of his last seven fights, and he’s coming off a November win over Daud Yordan. Crolla has followed up back-to-back losses with three straight wins and is coming off a comfortable decision victory where he outworked the best boxer from Indonesia. Crolla is 32 years old, stands at 5’8”, has a 67-inch reach and an orthodox stance. Crolla doesn’t have a ton of punching power, but he’s accurate, has a great work rate and works behind his jab well. Crolla has produced just four finishes in his last 13 fights and hasn’t had a knockout since his 2016 bout against Ismael Barroso. Crolla has a pressure style to him, as he’s always coming forward, looking to box on the inside and enjoys using his right hook on counters. Crolla also has a proven chin considering he’s lost six times and only one of those losses was a finish. Crolla may not be the best the UK has to offer, but he stays busy and can steal fights on the cards if his opponent doesn’t match his energy. This will be Crolla’s second career fight in the United States.
Crolla can make this a competitive fight if he brings his usual energy to the ring and lets his hands go. Crolla also has a size advantage over Lomachenko, which certainly doesn’t hurt the case for an upset. Crolla can close the ring off and box Lomachenko from the inside, possibly landing a strong power punch that makes the champ uncomfortable. Unfortunately, Crolla hasn’t been in the ring with somebody like Lomachenko and he doesn’t have the power in his hands that give him a punchers chance. Lomachenko is too good defensively to trade punches all night and Crolla doesn’t it in him to land that one punch that could shock the world. Lomachenko should also be eager to finish this fight given how his last fight went down and to keep your name in the p4p conversation, you have to finish lesser opponents. This is simply a few classes out of Crolla’s league.
Lomachenko should win this bout by knockout, and taking the under 9.5 rounds is certainly a lot more valuable than laying this insane ML or even a KO/TKO prop. Seven of Lomachenko's nine finishes have been decided in the ninth round or earlier.
Randy’s PickUnder 9.5 -248
On Friday, April 12th, Top Rank Boxing will be live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, for a boxing event showcasing lightweight superstar Vasiliy Lomachenko defending his world titles against former world champ Anthony Crolla. Lomachenko is considered the P4P best fighter in the world according to both ESPN and The Ring. Crolla was the mandatory challenger to Vasiliy’s WBA title, but not Team Lomachenko’s first choice.
The semi-main event is a light heavyweight fight featuring WBO’s super middleweight champ Gilberto Ramirez making his debut in a new division. The undefeated Ramirez will be taking on Tommy Karpency in a 10 round contest. ESPN+ will stream both the undercard beginning at 8 PM ET and the main card beginning at 11 PM ET.
The entire event has 9 scheduled fights, but boxing betting sites are only listing odds for just a few of these bouts. Let’s take a deeper look at the betting odds provided by 5Dimes and see if there’s any value. It’s pretty safe to say that we will KO these picks.
Celebrate the 1-year launch anniversary of ESPN+ with a @trboxing Lightweight World Title
@VasylLomachenko vs. @ant_crolla
Friday, April 12
⏰ 11 p.m. ET
Exclusively on ESPN+ ESPN Apphttps://t.co/HpmT3H03j8#LomaCrollapic.twitter.com/2sTPyVFiNe
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 8, 2019
Gilberto Ramirez (39-0, 25 KOs) vs Tommy Karpency (29-6-1)
- Gilberto Ramirez (-4500)
- Tommy Karpency (+2250)
Gilberto Ramirez comes into this 10 round light heavyweight fight as a massive betting favorite. However, his -4500 odds aren’t even the largest of the night. For Karpency, he also has huge betting odds as the underdog. And, like Ramirez, Karpency’s odds don’t make him the biggest underdog of the night. Ramirez might be adding a few pounds to go up in weight, but it won’t prevent him from being successful. If anything, Ramirez is probably fighting closer to his walking around weight. With that said, there’s no betting value in either fighter. And, don’t even risk any money on Karpency to pull off the upset.
Ramirez vs Karpency Preview
| Boxer | Gilberto Ramirez | Tommy Karpency |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 27 | 33 |
| Height | 6’2.5” | 6’ |
| Reach | 75” | 73” |
| Total Fights | 39 | 36 |
| Record | 39-0 | 29-6-1 |
| Knockouts | 25 | 18 |
Karpency comes into this fight with fans and pundits expecting Tommy to be steamrolled by Ramirez. But, that’s not exactly the case. Yes, Ramirez is a better fighter, but Karpency does have experience taking on world champs and title contenders. Karpency has fought against guys like Cleverly, Stevenson and Gvozdyk. Unfortunately, they didn’t turn out well for Karpency, but it’s questionable whether or not Ramirez is on that level. Let’s also not overlook that huge upset that Karpency pulled off against Chad Dawson.
Karpency has won three straight fights after losing to Gvozdyk in 2016. Nicknamed “kryptonite,” Karpency is a rugged fighter with a lot of confidence and experience:
“I will be ready for either a chess-match or toe-to-toe war. After 36 pro fights and three world title fights, I am prepared for anything that happens in the ring. I am very excited to be fighting a current WBO world champ, on the ESPN platform, and I look forward to putting on a show for the 10,000 or so fans at The Staples Centre.”
Ramirez has been lauded as the first Mexican fighter to win a super middleweight title. He would go on to dominate his opposition after becoming the champ. Unfortunately, there are critics who believe that Gilberto hasn’t faced any elite fighters in his entire career. With that said, Ramirez has decided to test the waters in the light heavyweight division and make more history as he claims. Gilberto gets some credit for taking on a solid foe in Karpency, but Tommy is still an opponent that Ramirez should vanquish based on talent level alone.
After this fight against Karpency, Ramirez believes he has multiple options moving forward:
“I’m looking forward to getting into the ring this April 12, for the fans to enjoy my performance. I’ll be in my best condition and I want to give them a big fight. If everything goes well, we’ll try to unify titles at 168 or we’ll see if we’re given an opportunity at 175 pounds, I want to be in the ranked among the best pound for pound fighters.”
If Ramirez stays in the light heavyweight division, his promoter Bob Arum and Top Rank Promotion could position Gilberto with title fights against other light heavyweight champs that are also under the same promotional banner. IBF champ Artur Beterbiev and WBC champ Oleksandr Gvozdyk are both undefeated light heavyweight world champions that are also with Top Rank and could be potential opponents for Ramirez.
.@RamireZurdo is up for a new challenge as he makes his light heavyweight debut against Tommy Karpency. What do you expect from the super middleweight champ?
Zurdo v Karpency April 12 : @ESPN+ 11PM ET#LomaCrollapic.twitter.com/DdjZcAUC8z
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 8, 2019
Can Ramirez Take Over Another Division?
Ramirez believes that he will put on an exciting show against Karpency this Friday night. He also believes it’s just a mere formality before Gilberto is either taking on champs in the super middleweight or light heavyweight divisions.
If Ramirez wants to remain undefeated then he should stay in the super middleweight class. The previously mentioned 175-pound champs are too powerful for Ramirez. I don’t believe he would be able to hold up against that type of battering.
As for this fight, I think Karpency is going to make it a challenge for Ramirez. Gilberto has won 8 of his last 9 fights via Decision and I believe that will be the outcome for this fight. I’m taking Gilberto Ramirez to win via Unanimous Decision over a tough Tommy Karpency.
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Anthony Crolla
- Vasiliy Lomachenko (-7000)
- Anthony Crolla (+3000)
The P4P top fighter, Lomachenko, is a massive favorite in this main event. Vasiliy comes in at -70000 odds. Some boxing betting sites have Lomachenko as high as 100-1 odds or +10000. And, really, you can’t blame these oddsmakers for listing Vasiliy as such a massive betting favorite. He is the best in the sport according to multiple outlets. Furthermore, there’s a huge difference in talent between “Loma” and Anthony Crolla. With that said, there’s no betting value with either fighter. And, Crolla isn’t worthy of a flyer. Between Crolla and Karpency, Tommy has a better shot at pulling off an upset.
Lomachenko vs Crolla Preview
| Boxer | Vasiliy Lomachenko | Anthony Crolla |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 31 | 32 |
| Height | 5’7” | 5’8.5” |
| Reach | 65.5” | 67” |
| Total Fights | 13 | 43 |
| Record | 12-1 | 34-6-3 |
| Knockouts | 9 | 13 |
Corolla Battery
Crolla comes into this contest on a three fight win streak ever since losing the WBA lightweight title in 2016 and a rematch to Jorge Linares in 2017. He’s spent the majority of his career fighting in his home country the UK. Friday’s fight against Lomachenko will be the first time Crolla has ever main evented a card in the United States. He has fought in America before, but it was on the undercard.
Crolla admits that he’s fighting “one of the best fighters on the planet.” However, he also wants everyone to know that he earned this opportunity and that it wasn’t handed to him. He declares that he’s “one of those fighters who work for their success.” With that said, Crolla believes that he’s been at a world-class level of boxing for the last several years and that’s the reason why he earned this opportunity:
“I’ve been boxing at world-class level for a number of years. Since losing to Linares, I’ve had two wins over world-class opponents, former world champion Ricky Burns and former world title challenger Daud Yordan, and if you are around at that level for long enough, big fights can happen.”
Crolla may have a valid argument for why ESPN ranks him #4 in the division and why the WBA has him as a #1 contender, but that doesn’t mean he will defeat the P4P best in Los Angeles this weekend.
The fight is set, but that doesn’t mean Top Rank Promotions and Lomachenko are happy about having to take on a mandatory challenger. In fact, Top Rank’s head honcho Bob Arum publicly voiced the displeasure:
“The fight got shoved up our a-, with the mandatory, and thanks to our friend, Eddie Hearn, who thought he’d go to purse bid and have Lomachenko fight at least one time on DAZN. We disabused him because we told him that would be the start of a war that they couldn’t win [with ESPN]. And sanity prevailed. We overpaid for Crolla, and that’s what you’re gonna see on Friday night.”
Arum also shared that if Lomachenko didn’t take this fight then he would’ve been stripped of the WBA title. And, that wasn’t something that Vasiliy was going to do:
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“You’ve gotta understand that my guy Lomachenko is an eastern European. They love to pile up titles, they love to unify and they don’t like to give up belts. There was no chance I could convince him to walk away.”
As for the man himself, Lomachenko is excited to fight in Los Angeles again. He spent his last three fights in New York, but returns to the west coast for the first time in almost 2 years. The P4P best wants to put on a show for the fans and is looking forward to facing his “mandatory challenger” because Crolla “always comes to fight.” Arum also stated that Crolla was a former champ and a tough fighter who will try his hardest to win on Friday night.
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Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ Lomachenko vs Crolla FRI 4/12, 11:00 PM/ET #1 pound-for-pound fighter, Vasiliy Lomachenko, defends his unified lightweight world titles
— ESPN (@espn) April 4, 2019
What Round Will Lomachenko End This Fight In?
Despite Crolla’s best efforts to defend why he belongs in this fight, we are going to see a significant gap in boxing skills on Friday night. Lomachenko has been “hit more than what he has throughout his career,” according to Anthony Crolla. But, that doesn’t mean that Crolla will connect with enough power to put the P4P best in trouble.
If anything, Crolla will try to trade punches and brawl with Lomachenko. That will play into “Loma’s” hands, both literally and physically. Linares (who beat Crolla twice) took on Lomachenko last May and was TKO’d for his efforts. I see the same thing happening to Crolla in this contest. I don’t believe Anthony will make it the full 12 rounds.
Other than watching Lomachenko’s skills on display, I believe the most excitement from this fight will be afterwards when Teofimo Lopez enters the ring and tries to provoke Lomachenko into a future fight. Lopez is an exciting, young lightweight contender with the potential to be a box office opponent for Lomachenko who is slowly clearing out contenders. For Loma to remain captivating, he needs exciting opponents that can challenge him. With that said, Richard Commey will be next on Lomachenko’s wish list unless Lopez can sneak in there first.
For this fight, I believe Lomachenko wins it before it gets to the championship rounds.
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Final Thoughts on Top Rank’s Boxing Event
Friday’s event is basically a showcase for Lomachenko. A glorified tune-up fight to keep him busy until Commey gets healthy and is ready for their unification bout. Crolla will make the fight interesting for a few rounds, but this really is a mismatch. As for the semi-main event, Ramirez will have a challenge on his hands against Karpency.
But, he won’t be in danger of losing. The two top fights, and the only two with odds from boxing betting sites, are predictable and offer little in the way of betting or entertainment value. Fortunately, there’s going to be plenty of boxing and MMA action to choose from this weekend.
Full Fight Card
The following fights have been scheduled for Friday’s ESPN+ boxing card:
- Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Anthony Crolla
- Gilberto Ramirez vs Tommy Karpency
- Arnold Barboza Jr vs Mike Alvarado
- Alexander Besputin vs Alfredo Blanco
- Janibek Alimkhanuly vs Cristian Olivas
- Vijender Singh vs Calvin Metcalf
- Guido Vianello vs Lawrence Gabriel
- Chris Zavala vs Sergio Gonzales
- Elvis Rodriguez vs Kevin Luna