The long wait is almost over for boxing fans across the world, as superstar fighters Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders are almost ready to meet inside of the ring. This bout has been highly anticipated for a while now. So, who will walk away with the victory? In this piece, we offer up our Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders picks for fans to check out leading up to things.
With the two stars all set to meet on Saturday, May 8, Canelo Alvarez is a monster favorite going up against Billy Joe Saunders. The Vegas sportsbooks have incredible belief in Alvarez, as they’ve given him -600 odds to enter the ring against Saunders and leave victorious. Meanwhile for Saunders, he holds +425 odds, which tells you that many out there don’t think he has a true shot.
While we would never rule out a stunning upset to potentially go down or give anyone a 0 percent chance of winning, there’s just no way Alvarez doesn’t win this one. Pound for pound, he’ll go down as one of the best athletes the sport has ever seen. His experience alone should give bettors all the faith in the world that Alvarez will go ahead and take care of business in this one.
| Alvarez-Saunders odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvarez to win | -600 | -600 | -600 | -600 |
| Saunders to win | +425 | +425 | +425 | +425 |
| Over 10.5 rounds | -165 | -165 | -165 | -165 |
| Under 10.5 rounds | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
Throughout his career, Alvarez has fought in a head-turning 58 fights. In those battles, he’s posted 55 wins, one loss, and only two draws. That kind of success really feels out of this world. It speaks to how outstanding he’s been from the start of his boxing days. This is bad news for Saunders, as Alvarez will work to wear him down from the opening bell. We think that will happen.
Remember, Alvarez has only lost one fight in his career, with that coming to arguably the best boxer of all time in Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather took care of business against Alvarez, but no one else has been able to do the same. Will Saunders? We don’t think that’s going to happen. Come May 8, look for Alvarez to remind everyone why he’s such a dominant force. Rock with him as your pick.
When the two do face off, boxing fans will have a big question on their minds: how many rounds will the Alvarez-Saunders fight last? As things stand, the oddsmakers have the over/under for this showdown at 10.5 rounds. It will truly be interesting to see how long this one will go for. On paper, you might think that Alvarez will make easy work of Saunders.
However, he’s also among the top fighters in the sport right now too. That’s why the over/under has been set so high. If people thought Alvarez would run away with this one, it’d be much lower. Nevertheless, our belief is that Alvarez will be able to win this one via a knockout and before the 11th round. With the over/under for rounds, don’t forget that there’s no space for error.
In this case, if you take the under, Alvarez and Saunders would have to wrap things up by the 10th round since the over/under is at 10.5 rounds. If they’re still fighting entering the 11th round, that means you’ve lost your best. However, if Alvarez for example takes down Saunders in the sixth round, that would result in you winning things. It all comes down to when a victor is crowned.
The boxing odds for the over-hitting are at -165, while the under is at +125. So, this tells you that folks think this won’t go into the 11th round. From our chair, we do think that Saunders will be able to make things a bit interesting, but we’re not expecting the over to hit. We like Alvarez to win via knockout somewhere in the middle rounds. Because of that, we’d say roll with the under.
Despite Alvarez being our pick for the fight, Billy Joe Saunders has the confidence of being undefeated when the two meet. Saunders is a perfect 30-0 in his career, which has given him the chance to try and take down Alvarez in early May. It surely won’t be an easy task, though.
With Saunders being a southpaw (lefty), this will be to his advantage in the earlier rounds. Alvarez will try and figure out exactly how he brawls, as it’s not often he faces left-handed fighters. Could this help make a difference for Saunders? Surely. At the same time, Alvarez is known for being a brilliant fighter. A different style of boxer shouldn’t alter his prep.
If you’re thinking of betting on Saunders, it’s important to know he’s left-handed and that he is yet to lose. This could make a difference in helping him go all the way in the fight, rather than get knocked out early. This is useful information for you to consider.
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