As the Olympics coverage begins to transition, fans can now see more and more of the fights that will take place. In this article, we have our Boxing Odds for Saturday’s vacant IBF Title Fight between Kid Galahad and James Dickens. Who will be able to bring home the title?
The featherweight division is for those fighters who weigh at or less than 57 kilograms or 126 pounds. The lower limit of the weight class is right at 122 pounds. Basically, these are weight classes that often see quite a bit of fluctuation. Fighters have a difficult maintaining weight within these small windows. It is why titles can often go vacant in these classes.
Now, that being said, this weight division usually has one or two constants contending in it. Kid Galahad probably qualifies as this one. He has been at or around flyweight most of his professional career. It is hard to believe the boxer is 31-years old. Galahad has fought just 28 times as a pro with a record of 27-1. Also, 16 of those fights have resulted in a knockout while 12 have gone to a decision of some form.
Galahad was born in Doha, Qatar. He grew up in Yemen but his family moved to England at the age of 13. It was a chance meeting with Prince Naseem Hamed that changed his life. Galahad began training at the Brendan Ingle gym and turned professional in 2009.
The fighter resides in England, and still fights a vast majority of his fights in England. Saturday’s bout is no exception. He has only fought once in the United States. He hopes that a convincing win over Dickens is a springboard towards bigger and better fights before the twilight of his boxing career comes.
This is where the debate for Boxing Odds begins. Naturally, no one quite knows what will happen in this fight because of the layoff. It is a nice way of saying can Galahad beat the rust off quick enough to be able to dispatch Dickens in a relatively convincing fashion.
It is easy to see why Galahad is the favorite. There is no fighter in this weight class that can look more dominant. He has a style that simply makes other fights look bad. Even in his loss against Josh Warrington, it was a split decision filled with much debate. Galahad made Warrington look bad and that outcome honestly was in the eye of the beholder. For what it is worth, the thought is most feel Galahad won that fight or drew at the worst.
However, that layoff is hard to ignore. Galahad last fought on February 8th, 2020 against Claudio Marrero. He won that fight after eight rounds by RTD. So, come Saturday, it will be 18 months (minus one day) since he has been in the squared circle. Yes, Galahad has relentlessly trained but there is nothing like real ring action no matter how much sparring and “fighting” one does.
Ahead of this Saturday bout, the Boxing odds are out and they do not favor Dickens. The Brit has been listed between +300 and +400, while Galahad has been a pretty easy favorite throughout the past few months. For perspective, the English boxer is the one who has fought in the last year at least. He won by unanimous decision last December over Ryan Walsh.
As for the previous history, Dickens did take it to Galahad during their 2013 fight. That was another fight with a close scorecard. Then, Galahad started to time him and eventually took him out with a brilliant shot. This is still a problem for Dickens and that becomes the concern. Can Dickens outbox a boxer who happens to be capable of striking unexpectedly?
It comes down to the start. Dickens must build up an advantage early and take advantage of Galahad’s ring rust. If he lets his opponent get in some early shots, this could be a fight that ends up not going the distance. Dickens only has 11 knockouts in 33 fights so the chance of him winning that way is very small at best. He has been stopped three times in his career. Dickens has some power but the expectation is that again he has to stick and move often then pick his spots.
For Boxing Odds, our best bet is still taking on Kid Galahad for these reasons.
Before more COVID concerns, the odds for Dickens were still lukewarm at best. Little has changed there and there is little to indicate that Dickens has the ability to again knock out Galahad. One has to hope for a decision and that will not be easy at all. Fighters like Galahad make fights difficult to score at best. That mucking style is nasty to combat. Dickens did not do a good job in the first fight as the rounds went on.
The WBO European Featherweight titleholder definitely has his work cut out for him. Can the 2021 version live up to the 2013 fight? That is the hope for Dickens. The expectation is however tilting again towards Galahad in the Boxing Odds.
Take Galahad to win the fight and the title.
See below the top sportsbooks, like Bovada, where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
