Saturday night was, at least according to social media, supposed to feature a rematch between heavyweight boxers Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. Wilder posted a video on May 31 promoting the bout and said on social media that all of the paperwork was in order. Instead, Las Vegas will host a heavyweight bout between Fury and Tom Schwarz, a German heavyweight with a 24-0 record. As you can see, the moneyline favors Fury heavily, but it just takes one bomb to reverse that. Fury was the underdog in 2015 when he took down longtime heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. We have your sports betting preview of a heavyweight bout that should be much more interesting than the moneyline makes it.
Tyson Fury vs Tom Schwarz 2019 Boxing Odds, Prediction & Pick
When: Saturday, June 15, 2019, 11:30pm ET
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
TV: ESPN+ (Undercard on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, 7pm ET)
Radio: None
Live Stream: ESPN+
Boxing Odds: Tyson Fury -5000 / Tom Schwarz +1575
Why should you bet on Tyson Fury?
Fury comes with a 27-0-1 record, with 19 of those wins coming via knockout. His draw came in December, when he and Deontay Wilder fought to a standstill. Many observers thought that Fury had picked up enough points to win, but that wasn’t how it worked out. Wilder did deliver two big knockdowns in the ninth and twelfth rounds that likely convinced the judges that it was an even match. Fury got back up after that twelfth-round haymaker, showing the stamina to finish. The fact that Fury fights with Top Rank and Wilder fights on Showtime means that a rematch will be difficult to work out.
Fury stands 6’9” with an 85-inch reach. That gives him a 3 ½-inch advantage over Schwarz in terms of height. If Schwarz can get inside and chop Fury down, things could get interesting, but if Fury can keep Schwarz at bay, this might not last particularly long. Fury seems to have overcome some major issues — after beating Klitschko, he abused drugs and alcohol and pushed over 400 pounds. He was stripped of his belts, but he remains the lineal heavyweight champion. His comeback tarted last June when he beat Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta before that draw against Wilder.
Why should you put your money on Tom Schwarz?
Schwarz has fought 22 of his 24 pro bouts in Germany, and 16 of his 24 wins have come via knockout. The reason for this wide moneyline is that Schwarz has not faced any opponents that would be considered quality. Even so, he has been building momentum, with six straight stoppage victories. So he has earned a fight against a big-name heavyweight, but it’s hard to argue that you should wager on him to win, at least at this point.
Is Schwarz a hand-picked opponent? Yes, but heavyweight upsets have happened many times. Buster Douglas took down Mike Tyson. Leon Spinks did the same to Muhammad Ali. What about Michael Spinks over Larry Homes and Hasim Rahman over Lennox Lewis? We saw it happen again two weeks ago when Andy Ruiz Jr knocked down Anthony Joshua four times and brought the fight to an end in the seventh round. And if you know your German boxing, you know that Max Schmeling upset Joe Louis in the 12th round all the way back in 1936.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
You have to bet $5000 to make just $100 if you take Tyson Fury in this match. On the other hand, if you bet $100 on Tom Schwarz, you can walk away with a $1575 payday. For me, that’s worth taking a gander on an unproven fighter. Fury has the edge in terms of reach, but Schwarz has the confidence and the physical gifts to turn this into another boxing surprise. I predict Schwarz winning via decision.
