Having seen his domestic rival Dalton Smith get rid of Walid Ouizza inside a round last weekend, Azim will be keen to impress but has a tougher task on his hands in the shape of a former world champion.

The highly-promising Azim took his record to 12-0 (nine early) when breaking down and stopping former world title challenger Ohara Davies in eight rounds in October, further enhancing his status as one of the UK’s brightest prospects.

Still displaying his lightning quick hands and reflexes, the 22-year-old produced a more mature performance as he showed more patience against the wily veteran, and Azim is fast becoming a more rounded fighter under the guidance of top trainer Shane McGuigan.

Lipinets no pushover for Azim

The Slough native is a best of 1/7 (as short as 1/16) to continue his winning streak this weekend, but this is his toughest test to date on paper and quotes of 15/2 about Lipinets are bordering on disrespectful.

Adam Azim and Sergey Lipinets at the weigh-in

Lipinets has had a better career than his 18-3-1- record would suggest, having won the IBF super lightweight strap in his pomp before losing it to Mikey Garcia, who was on the pound-for-pound list at the time. That was back in 2018, but he has continued to mix in top company since, registering good wins against the likes of Lamont Peterson and Omar Figueroa Jr along the way.

A five-fight run at welterweight ended in a six-round beating at the hands of the hard-hitting Jaron Ennis, but that remains his only stoppage defeat, and he is now back at his best weight of 140lb.

After losing a unanimous decision to Michel Rivera in November 2023, Lipinets got back on track with a points victory over former Azim stablemate Robbie Davies Jr last May and he will fancy his chances of knowing too much for the younger man here.

The Kazakh’s rugged and physical approach has made him a fan favourite, as forward is the only direction he seems to know, and 13 stoppages from 18 wins is evidence of the power he carries.

However, just as Azim faced a faded version of Davies four months ago, he may be getting Lipinets at the right time too. The latter dropped Davies Jr three times nine month ago and was a deserving winner, but he was also rocked badly on several occasions that night against a man not noted for his power at world level.

It may be Lipinets’ age and/or the effect of going up and then back down in weight, but the 35-year-old’s punch resistance appears to be on the wane and Azim could capitalise to make a real statement with a stoppage victory.

What are the best bets?

The apparent decline of Lipinets hasn’t escaped the attention of the odds compilers, with the home fighter just 1/3 to get this done inside the distance and he’s 3/1 to win by decision. The latter outcome is still a runner, and the visitor may just know enough to make it to the final bell, but I prefer the 15/8 about Azim to wear him down in the second half of this 12-rounder.

CLICK HERE to back Azim in rounds 7-12 with Sky Bet

As exciting as he is to watch, Lipinets has never been hard to find, and Azim shouldn’t have too much trouble landing his rapid power shots against an opponent who is slowing down. The favourite will need to be careful, though, as Lipinets has the power to do damage at any point while he is still on his feet, but Azim looks to be learning quickly and is less gung-ho now.

It may be cagey early on, but I expect Azim to really utilise his speed advantages when we hit the middle rounds, and it could become target practice thereafter.

Benavidez and Morrell face off

We’re only a month into the year and we already have one of the best match-ups of 2025 on our hands in Las Vegas, as unbeaten light heavyweights David Benavidez and David Morrell go head-to-head in a fascinating contest.

Both men made their names at super middleweight before stepping up to 175lb for their last fight, and the winner will jump to the front of the queue to face the winner of the hotly-anticipated rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for all the belts later this month.

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Due to being more experienced and more established, Benavidez is the 8/15 favourite as he brings a formidable 29-0 record to the table with an impressive 24 stoppages. However, many see this as a much closer fight than that, and the 11/5 about Morrell may tempt the value seekers.

Having picked up a world title as a 20-year-old in 2017, Benavidez has long been touted as a future star and he has really started to deliver on that promise in recent years. Impressive stoppages of David Lemieux (TKO3) and the previously unbeaten Demetrius Andrade (RTD6) sandwiched a good points win over former champion Caleb Plant, before he stepped up to 175lb with a wide decision victory over former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk last summer.

At 6’2”, the ‘Mexican Monster’ is an imposing individual, but he is much more than just a big man. His size and punch power are obvious advantages, but his impressive combination punching and huge engine belie his big frame. He constantly pressures his opponents and seems to increase the pace as the fight goes on.

A world youth champion as an amateur, there were plenty of eyes on Morrell when he turned professional in 2019, and he hasn’t disappointed – stopping nine of his 11 victims and looking sensational for the most part. The Cuban is a quick, explosive southpaw who is adept on both the front and back foot, with serious power in both hands to boot.

The one criticism is that we would like to have seen more of Morrell and this is just his 12th outing in five and a half years, while his calibre of opposition has been good so far but not quite world class.

Benavidez has the edge in fight to savour

You could argue that neither man has boxed anyone as good as each other, but the step up is bigger for Morrell than Benavidez and we don’t know how he will handle the big occasion. We do, however, with Benavidez, who has headlined some big events in recent years and looked better than ever.

David Benavidez gets the verdict

This is an excellent fight, and good cases can be made for either man, but I have to go with the experience and proven form of Benavidez. Morrell has the tools and potential to come out on top and be the next ruler of this red-hot division, but his lack of activity and top-level opposition as a professional may well show here.

Morrell failed to shine on his light heavyweight debut when outpointing Radivoje Kalajdzic (29-2) in August and early indications suggest it is Benavidez who is better suited to this weight.

Despite both men boasting impressive knockout ratios, I see this contest between two high-class operators going deep and that view is echoed by the 8/15 about it going the distance.

Benavidez can be a little slow to start and Morrell is usually quick out of the blocks, so it would be no surprise to see the Cuban have success in the first third of the fight. However, the favourite gathers pace with each round and he generally takes over once he catches up with his opponent to begin finding the target for his relentless output.

He may be behind early on, but I fancy Benavidez to dominate the second half of the contest on his way to registering a decision victory (11/8) in what should be a contest to savour.

CLICK HERE to back Benavidez by decision with Sky Bet

Posted at 1450 GMT on 31/01/25

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