Expert Boxing Picks of the Week – January 23rd

This weekend we have a number of exciting bouts from the world of the sweet science. On Saturday night, we have bouts for the vacant WBA regular welterweight title and for Jorge Linares’ defense of the WBA lightweight title. We also have the WBO/WBC cruiserweight unification bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Mairis Briedis. Take a look at our boxing betting preview for these three tilts as you consider your wagering action for the coming weekend.

Expert Boxing Picks of the Week – January 23rd

Lucas Matthysse (38-4, 35 KO) vs Tewa Kiram (38-0, 28 KO) (Saturday, January 27, 10:30pm ET, HBO)

Matthysse makes his second fight at the 147-pound division after making his debut back in May. In that opener, he took down Emmanuel Taylor in the fifth round via knockout. He brings solid punching power — but he is 35 years old. That’s almost ancient in the world of boxing, so I don’t see him moving into this regular welterweight division and becoming a real contender. Kiram also brings significant punching power — and neither of these fighters is particularly quick on their feet. Kiram does have the advantage of having fought as a welterweight in his entire career, with dates back almost a decade. In his last fight, a win over Vladimir Baez, he used his reach superiority to get the decision. Kiram is a solid 147, with thick legs and a solid upper body. Kiram also delivered a knockout in that win over Baez, just four rounds in. He has the advantage of being just 25 years old. But can he win at this level? Boxing Betting Prediction: Kiram wins via knockout

Jorge Linares (43-3, 27 KO) vs Mercito Gesta (31-1-2, 17 KO) (Saturday, January 27, after Matthysse-Kiram, HBO)

Gesta comes in as the contender in this bout, ranked #14 in the WBA’s standings. He comes in as a slugger with heavy hands, which gives him a real disadvantage against a boxer like Linares who can dance with his feet. When Gesta last took on a boxer of Linares’ style, back in 2012 against Miguel Vazquez, things did not go well for him. However, the only limes Linares has lost during his fifteen years in the ring, he has lost to solid punchers — Sergio Thompson, Antonio DeMarco and Juan Carlos Salgado. With that said, this looks like a fairly easy win for Linares. He can dance circles around Gesta, wearing him down, and then circling in by pounding the body and then taking him down. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this fight end with an early knockout. Boxing Betting Prediction: Linares wins via knockout

Oleksandr Usyk (13-0, 11 KO) vs Mairis Briedis (23-0, 18 KO)

Usyk enters the ring for the fifth time since 2016; in his last bout in September, he took down Marco Huck. He is 75 inches tall and has a 78-inch reach. A southpaw, the 31-year-old has a reputation for delivering big blows to the body, but he has a lot of mobility for his size — this is is distinguishing factor within the division. He can bob and weave while delivering big punches, which makes him more of a dual threat. Briedis dons the gloves for the sixth time since 2016, and he also won in September, taking down Mike Perez. He has also beaten Huck on 2017, winning both of those bouts in unanimous decisions. He is 73 inches tall and has an 8-inch reach — and his punches may be even stronger than Usyk’s. He has brought seven of his last nine fights to an end in the ninth round or before, and he can move as well. Both of these fighters can land big blows — but they can both move. Usyk probably has more mobility than Briedis, which is why I’m going with him in this bout. Boxing Betting Prediction: Usyk wins via unanimous decision.