Boxing betting tips: DAZN action preview and best bets including Edwards vs Yafai

Boxing betting tips: Saturday November 30

2pts Sunny Edwards to win by decision at evens (Sky Bet, Star Sports)

1pt Conah Walker to win in rounds 6-10 at 7/4 (Ladbrokes, William Hill)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

The little men take centre stage this weekend as SUNNY EDWARDS and Galal Yafai clash in a fascinating flyweight contest, live on DAZN.

It’s not just the skills of these two men that have captured the imagination of the fans, they also have a lot of history with each other and there is plenty of interest in this all-British affair at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on Saturday night.

Edwards beat Yafai in the semi-finals of ABAs in 2015 on his way to landing the crown that year, but instead it was Yafai who was chosen to represent Great Britain at the Olympics in Rio the following year. That decision forced Edwards to turn professional and he has used Yafai for sparring on plenty of occasions in preparation for his bouts since.

Yafai remained in the Olympic cycle and went on to win gold at the Tokyo games in 2021, by which time Edwards was 16-0 as a professional and a newly-crowned world champion, having ended the long reign of IBF ruler Moruti Mthalane with a brilliant performance.

Edwards (21-1) defended the title four times, with a quartet of comfortable unanimous decisions against good opposition, before running into the brilliant Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez 11 months ago. The two unbeaten champions put on a great unification fight and Edwards was very much in it after four rounds, but the effects of Rodriguez’s heavy hands soon began to show on the Brit’s face, and it became one-way traffic after he suffered a fractured orbital bone.

Eventually rescued by his corner after the ninth round, Edwards paid the price for getting into a war with his opponent but, make no mistake, Rodriguez is a sensational talent and there was no shame in losing to him.

Edwards showed serious ‘cojones’ by going straight back into the lion’s den in Phoenix to face former world champion Adrian Curiel in front of a partisan crowd, and he displayed no ill-effects from his first career defeat. Back to doing what he does best, ‘Showtime’ returned to his role as the matador and used his excellent movement to outbox the Mexican in his usual silky manner.

That fight was stopped by the doctor after eight rounds due to an awful gash on the forehead of Edwards caused by an accidental clash of heads and the Croydon man was an easy winner on the scorecards. That cut has the potential to be an issue just five months later, but the big positive for Edwards is that he proved the Rodriguez defeat hadn’t dented his confidence in the slightest.

Yafai has been fast-tracked since turning professional in February 2022, jumping straight into 10-rounders and he arrives here with a perfect record of 8-0 (6 early). The sublime skills that took him to Olympic glory have been on display throughout his run in the paid ranks, with his superb footwork enabling him to move beautifully around the target as he puts on pressure and throws plenty of leather.

However, he has also been caught far too often so far and, while he has taken the shots well enough, his lack of head movement continues to be an issue. This was especially evident in his victories over Rocco Santomauro (UD) and Agustin Gauto (TKO8) during the last 12 months, when he was hit more cleanly as those fights went on and that raises question marks over this stamina. If there are issues with his gas tank, then they will be highlighted even more now as takes part in his first 12-rounder.

There isn’t much separating them in the betting, but it’s Edwards who shades favouritism at 4/5 with Yafai available at 11/10, and it is only 2/9 for it to go the distance. The latter price highlights what is expected here – a boxing match between two excellent technicians.

If anyone is going to do damage it is Yafai, who appears to be the puncher in this one and he has looked offensively brilliant at times. However, that has come against opposition below what he faces now, and the feeling is that he could have done with a couple of more tests before being thrown in with a world-class operator.

Edwards is very well seasoned at world level and accustomed to doing 12 rounds, which could make all the difference. Despite being by far the more experienced, he is the younger man by three years and appears to be still very much in his pomp.

These two know each other very well and, given the ability of both men, it could be a high-class game of chess early doors, with very little between them. However, as the fight progresses and Edwards going through the gears, I believe Yafai could begin to feel the pace a little and get caught cleanly a bit too often. The superior experience and engine of the slight favourite could be the deciding factor, and I fancy Edwards to gain a DECISION VICTORY, which is available at evens.

CLICK HERE to back Edwards by decision with Sky Bet

On the undercard, CONAH WALKER returns to the scene of his ‘fight of the year’ contender against Lewis Crocker when he takes on Lewis Ritson.

Walker went to-to-toe with the unbeaten Crocker over 10 breathtaking rounds in June and while he didn’t get the nod on the cards, his stock certainly rose in defeat.

Ritson also arrives on the back of losing to an unbeaten Irishman, but the manner of his defeat was more concerning as he showed little until being stopped by Paddy Donovan in the ninth round of their bout in May.

Not only are Ritson’s best days behind him, but they were also down at lightweight and super lightweight, and it was evident he wasn’t natural at 147lb when stepped up to welterweight for the first time against Donovan. The latter fought most of the bout on the back foot but faced little resistance when he put his foot on the gas that night and the end came soon after he did.

Walker is in better form than his record of 13-3 would suggest, as he upset the highly-touted Cyrus Pattinson (RTD8) and quickly stopped the unbeaten Lloyd Germain (TKO3) prior to his barnburner with Crocker.

The Wolverhampton native is strong at the weight and a real handful, as he marches forward looking to land heavy shots and sets a very good pace from the off. That suggests an ageing and battle-worn Ritson could be in for a tough night at the office and that is backed up by the odds, as he can be backed at 7/1 and Walker at just 1/6.

I don’t envisage Ritson hearing the final bell in this 10-rounder, but Walker is only 4/7 to win by stoppage and it may be worth bumping that up to 7/4 to win in ROUNDS 6-10. Ritson has been stopped in the ninth round in each of his last two fights and while Walker will be aggressive from the off, he doesn’t have big one-punch knockout power, and the underdog should still know enough to take the favourite a few rounds.

CLICK HERE to back Walker in rounds 6-10 with Sky Bet

Posted at 1245 GMT on 29/11/24

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