This weekend the vacant IBF World Bantamweight Title is up for grabs, with either Emmanuel Rodriguez or Melvin Lopez walking away with the belt this Saturday evening in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Both boxers have impressive records so far and will be looking to build on their strong careers, but one has to lose in this winner takes all clash.
For Rodriguez, he steps out the more experience fighter, more than five years senior to Lopez. However, he’s had a tougher time in recent years, dropping back to back fights in 2019 and 2020. Can the Puerto Rican continue to bounce back or will his Nicaraguan opponent win his ninth bout in a row this weekend?
We break down all the latest odds from bookmaker William Hill and outline the best bets to make on the Rodriguez vs. Lopez title fight this Saturday night.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 12th, 11:30 A.M. (GMT)
Looking at the outright betting odds on this fight from bookmaker William Hill, there’s a clear favourite here and it’s the seasoned Emmanuel Rodriguez. With the Puerto Rican paying 1.12 for a win outright, he’s well ahead of Lopez’s odds of 6.00.
The method of victory odds offer a few more betting options with no surprises as Rodriguez leads here too. The 31-year-old winning by decision offers the strongest odds at 1.73 with a knockout not far behind at 2.75. For Lopez, both outcomes look tough with a knockout paying 11.00 and decision sitting at 13.00.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 12th, 11:30 A.M. (GMT)
For those who perhaps aren’t too well versed in Latin American boxers, the odds heading into this clash may seem somewhat surprising. Rodriguez is coming off two losses and a no contest in his last five fights, while Lopez is unbeaten in eight consecutive bouts. The younger fighter has more wins overall and is in better form—why is he such a heavy underdog?
Welcome to the nuances of boxing where fighter’s schedules are planned in such a way that they can get the better part of 30 victories under their belts without being truly challenged. For Lopez, he’s picked up a high volume of victories, but the reality is, these have not been against nearly the same calibre of fighters as Rodriguez has been competing with.
While Rodriguez went down to Naoya Inoue in 2019, the mere fact that he shared a ring with one of boxing’s all-time greats is a testament to his ability. We say backing Rodriguez for a knockout win here is the best bet. The Puerto Rican will be frustrated by how the last four years have unfolded, with several headbutts causing his career to somewhat stall. Look for him to grab the bull by the horns and land an emphatic win over Lopez here to breathe some life back into his prospects in the bantamweight division.
