Right now, the IBF Super Featherweight Title is sitting vacant. As of Saturday night, it will have a new owner.
In-form boxers Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and Zelfa Barrett meet for a straight shoot out to see who will be the newest IBF Super Featherweight Title holder. Fighting in the third to last fight of the evening before two other exciting title fights coming out of the Etihad Arena, both men will step into the spotlight full of confidence.
Bookmaker William Hill has the odds for this fight, which we’ll look at in this betting preview.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: November 4th 12:30 P.M. (EST)
Looking at the outright odds for this bout from bookmaker William Hill, we can see that Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov is ahead by 1.25 to 4.00. This puts Rakhimov as the moderate favourite to win this clash.
While both of these men come into Saturday night holding strong professional records, Rakhimov is the only man who can claim to be undefeated. Since debuting in 2016, the Tajikistan native has accumulated 16 wins and one draw. The draw came recently against Joseph Diaz in 2021. Rakhimov bounced back emphatically from that fight however, knocking out Sardor Muzaffarov in the second round in a match that was also on the undercard of a Bivol fight.
Zelfa Barrett cannot make the same claim as Rakhimov as the 29-year-old does have one blemish on his record. Debuting in 2016, Barrett made a strong start to his career winning his first six fights with five by knockout. However in 2018, Barrett lost a majority decision to Ronnie Clark giving the Englishman his first taste of defeat. Since then, however, Barrett has gone on a nine fight win streak extending his professional record to 28-1-0.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: November 4th 12:30 P.M. (EST)
Bookies think that this one will likely end early with Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov paying 2.25 for a knockout.
This is a fair assessment given that Rakhimov has only gone the distance three times in his career—the other 13 wins all ended in the 28-year-old’s opposition on the mat. Chances are Rakhimov will execute this successfully again. If he doesn’t, the next strongest odds for how this fight will end are Rakhimov winning by decision, which pays 2.50.
For those after a big win perhaps taking a punt on Barrett at 9.00 would be the best move. While this is the least likely method of victory, Barrett has a plethora of knockouts to his name and it’s certainly a possibility.
