On Saturday, IBF and WBC light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and WBO titlist Joe Smith Jr. lock horns in a title unification bout from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
As always, there are plenty of bets to be made with a big-time boxing card. Let's take a look at some of them.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr. odds
Artur Beterbiev: -800
Joe Smith Jr.: +500
(All odds via BetMGM)
BetMGM (as of Friday, June 17) has Beterbiev installed as a massive favorite — coming in at -800, meaning you'd need to bet a whopping $800 just to win $100. Meanwhile, Smith is a live underdog at +500, meaning if you pluck down $100, you will win $500 if the American can score the upset and walk out of New York City with three-fourths of the light heavyweight titles.
Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) has only one time in each of the last two times. His sole 2021 outing was in December, knocking out Marcus Browne in the ninth round to continue his streak of being the only champion in the sport to win every fight by KO.
Smith (28-3, 22 KOs) became the WBO titleholder, defeating Maxim Vlasov in April 2021. He successfully defended the belt in January, knocking out Steve Geffrard in the ninth round.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr. prediction
Thinking about this fight give fans all kinds of good feeling inside. Why? Because Beterbiev and Smith only know one way to fight, and that's going forward. They are willing to eat a shot to land a significant shot.
The odds are high in favor of Beterbiev which is shocking considering both guys are champions and Smith is a better fighter than many are making him out to be. Beterbiev is one of the best in the sport but Smith is no slouch. He gave WBA champion Dmitry Bivol a tough test, beat Jesse Hart and knocked out Eleider Alvarez.
Unless you have an obscene amount of money or are bored, putting any currency on Beterbiev is a bad play. Smith by stoppage is the best play +900 as Beterbiev has been knocked down in the past by Callum Johnson in October 2018. Smith is a heavier puncher than Johnson.
I think both guys will score knockdowns in the fight, but the power of Beterbiev will be too much for Smith to overcome, and he will hold three 175-pound titles. Don't count Smith out there by any means, as he has the power to put the lights out on Beterbiev and bet the +900 on a Smith stoppage.
Muehlhausen's pick: Artur Beterbiev
Best odds: Joe Smith Jr. by stoppage +900
More Beterbiev vs. Smith odds
Method of victory
Beterbiev by KO/TKO/Technical decision or DQ: -250
Beterbiev on points: +333
Smith by KO/TKO/Technical decision or DQ: +900
Smith on points: +1200
Tie: +2200