Gervonta Davis looks to continue his winning ways as he takes on Issac Cruz on Sunday night for the WBA "Regular" lightweight title from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
As always, with a big-time boxing card, there are certainly plenty of bets to be made. Let's take a look at some of them.
Gervonta Davis vs. Issac Cruz odds
Gervonta Davis: -1200
Issac Cruz: +700
(All odds via BetMGM)
BetMGM (as of Saturday, Nov. 19) has Davis installed as a massive favorite — coming in at -1200, meaning you'd need to bet a whopping $1,200 just to win $100. Meanwhile, Cruz is a +700, meaning if you pluck down $100, you will win $700 if he can pull off the upset.
Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) fights for the second time in 2021. "Tank" last competed in June when he moved up to 140 pounds to face Mario Barrios. In a nip-and-tuck fight, Davis knocked Barrios down three times in a route to an 11th-round TKO win. After that, fans and pundits wanted Davis to face either undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, or Teofimo Lopez. However, Davis' team, led by Floyd Mayweather Jr., had other ideas in mind and went with Rolly Romero. But Romero was pulled from the fight due to sexual assault allegations and was replaced with Cruz.
Cruz (22-1-1, 15 KOs) enters the biggest fight of his career unbeaten in his last 18 (17-0-1). For the third time in the calendar year, he steps inside the ring with victories over Jose Matias Romero and Francisco Vargas, respectively.
Tank vs. Cruz prediction
It's not surprising the odds are this high in favor of Davis.
Davis is a better boxer than people think. But his bread and butter is the knockout. The scary thing is that he isn't reliant on one hand and has ferocious power with either one. In addition, he's got a powerful jab and better boxing IQ, which sets everything up.If Cruz pulls off the shocker, he's got to pop the jab and pop it often. He cannot get sloppy with it because if he does, Davis will find an opening.
Ultimately, Davis is going to find a way to finish Cruz. The beginning may be ugly if you're on the Davis train. But Cruz will eventually leave an opening, and Davis will put him on his butt and win via knockout.Two bets are good plays as the odds for a Davis win by KO is -400, and you want to make the most money possible by spending the least. The best routes are Davis by stoppage in Rounds 5-8 at +175 or Rounds 9-12 at +300.
I'm making a couple of wagers in placing $100 on Davis by stoppage in Rounds 5-8 at +175 and Rounds 9-12 at +300 to make myself a little money.
Muehlhausen's pick: Gervonta Davis
Best odds: Gervonta Davis via stoppage in Rounds 5-8: +175
More Tank vs. Cruz odds
Method of victory
Davis by KO/TKO/Technical decision or DQ: -400
Davis on points: +400
Cruz by KO/TKO/Technical decision or DQ: +1100
Cruz on points: +1800
Tie: +2500