Boxing expert Chris Oliver looks ahead to Saturday's KSI vs Logan Paul 2 card which includes Billy Joe Saunders' US debut against Marcelo Esteban Coceres.
Recommended bets: Saturday boxing
While KSI and Logan Paul will get all the headlines, thankfully there is some there is some more meaningful and traditional action on the undercard at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
The YouTubers fought out a draw in Manchester and do it all again now under the Queensbury Rules, which means losing the head guards and wearing smaller gloves, making this the most lucrative and most watched bout ever between two men making their professional debuts.
This has touched a nerve with plenty of boxing fans around the world and, like those complaining about the headliners, it is only the 'proper' stuff we are interested in for punting purposes on this show.
The main event is preceded by two contests featuring highly-skilled individuals making the first defence of their world titles, with both men generally 1/100 to prevail, but that doesn't mean some interesting punting opportunities can't be found in the other markets.
We'll start with Billy Joe Saunders, the former middleweight belt holder who became a two-weight champion when stepping to 168lb and comfortably outpointing Shefat Ifusi in May.
He's now with Matchroom after parting company with long-time promoter Frank Warren and makes his US debut against Marcelo Esteban Coceres.
Despite now being one of British Boxing's old guard and unbeaten in 28 outings, it's fair to say we still don't really know how good the 30-year-old from Hatfield is and those defining fights against the likes of Gennady Golovkin and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez are on the horizon in 2020, provided he does the business here. With that in mind, it's easy to see why Coceres got this gig as he looks ideal for Saunders to shine against.
While Ifusi was no match in the skill department, he had spent most of his career at light-heavyweight and Saunders became wary of engaging as the fight went on, especially after being caught with a couple of clean shots around the halfway mark. Coceres, on the other hand, has campaigned solely at middleweight and is not noted as puncher.
The Argentinian's unbeaten 29-fight record (one draw) looks good at first glance, but closer inspection reveals he has mixed in very mediocre company and has boxed solely in his native country up to this point.
This hasn't escaped the attention of the layers, with Saunders a best price of 4/9 to get the stoppage and while I expect those odds to be landed at some point, the better value looks to be the 15/8 (Sky Bet) about it being in the second half rather than the 6/4 available about the champion getting the job done in rounds one to six.
Saunders is known more for silky skills than his knockout power, and all of his last six scheduled 12-rounders have gone the distance, so while the gulf in class and desire to make a statement can tell in the end, it may not be the early night many are expecting.
However, a quick finish would come as no surprise when newly-crowned lightweight champion Devin Haney looks to continue his steep upward curve against Alfredo Santiago.
Haney is being billed as the next big star in the States and has recently been upgraded from interim to full titlist after the WBC's bizarre decision to make Vasyl Lomachenko their 'franchise champion'. The Las Vegas native doesn't turn 21 until next weekend but has already raced to a perfect 23-fight record (15 early) and was punch-perfect in forcing the well-regarded Zaur Abdullaev to retire after four one-sided rounds in September.
He faces another unbeaten opponent this time and it could go a similar way, as while Santiago has shown promise in winning all 12 outings so far, this is a big step up in class for him and he has come in at short notice.
The challenger has a height and reach advantage, but the favourite has the edge in every other department and can quickly close the gap to start landing his eye-catching shots. With fast hands and good feet, Haney looks great when getting off his sharp, accurate combinations and works well behind a good jab.
He can quickly begin to show his class here and if the 8/11 about him stopping Santiago inside six rounds is a little on the short side for you, the advice is to go with the American in rounds 4-6 at a more working man's price of 2/1.
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1045 GMT on 08/11/19.
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