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Whyte-Rivas, Allen-Price: Best Bets for Heavyweight Fights

Kelsey McCarson for Bookies.com

Kelsey McCarson  | 3 mins

Whyte-Rivas, Allen-Price: Best Bets for Heavyweight Fights

No division is hotter in boxing right now than the heavyweights, so huge boxing betting fights in the storied weight class are popping up all over the place as the race to find the next heavyweight star unfolds before our very eyes.

This weekend at the O2 Arena in London, popular UK slugger Dillian Whyte faces undefeated Columbian upstart Oscar Rivas in a bout with future world title implications on the line. The winner of the bout becomes the mandatory No. 1 contender to Deontay WIlder’s WBC heavyweight title.

On the undercard, two English heavyweight hopefuls, Dave Allen and David Price, continue their careers in a crossroads fight. Neither is close to a world title shot, but a win by either keeps the fighter in place for a chance to earn one.

Back Whyte by KO, TKO or DQ +150

Whyte, 31, is probably the most accomplished heavyweight in boxing right now never to have received a world title opportunity. His only loss was a stoppage to Anthony Joshua back in 2015. Since that fight, which at the time was considered Joshua’s toughest outing, Whyte has greatly improved as a boxer, probably even more than Joshua.

Rivas, 32, is coming off the best win over his career, a 12th-round knockout over former world title challenger Bryant Jennings. In that fight, Jennings outboxed Rivas for most of the fight but a late-round eruption of aggression from Rivas sealed the deal in the final round.

But for those keen on boxing betting strategy, Whyte is the better boxer, has more power and probably has the better chin, too. Where Jennings is past his prime and could only fight in spurts, Whyte will be aggressive and pressure Rivas into making a mistake to stop him late.

Back Allen by Any Method at -250

Whyte-Rivas, Allen-Price: Best Bets for Heavyweight Fights 1
British heavyweight Dave Allen has won his past four bouts.

In a true crossroads fight, Dave Allen is on his way up in the sport while David Price has been on his way down for some time. Allen, 27, lost several fights early in his career due to a general lack of focus, but he has won four straight fights since his last loss, a final-round knockout to Tony Yoka in 2018.

Price, 36, was once considered a future heavyweight champion but his porous defense was just too much to overcome. He has settled into being a gatekeeper of sorts whose popularity stemmed mostly from him being the captain of Great Britain’s 2006 Olympic team.

Price is a solid offensive fighter, but he never has been able to get out of the way of counterpunches. Allen is a crafty counterpuncher who should make Price miss enough early in the fight to stay out of harm’s way.

The most likely outcome of the fight is an Allen stoppage win, but since the bookies know it the price for backing Allen by KO, TKO or DQ just isn’t worth the risk at -167 when you can just back Allen by any method at -250.

About the Author

Kelsey McCarson for Bookies.com
Kelsey McCarson
Kelsey McCarson covers boxing and MMA as well as other sports for Bookies.com. He also contributes to Bleacher Report and his work has appeared with USA Today, CNN and Fox Sports.