All the talk in boxing circles this week focusses on Anthony Joshua v Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in New York and fight fans can read our in-depth preview of that contest on the boxing section of our site. There’s not a lot of value on show but our team have found a nice price pick and one that should boost your interest on the night. Here are our top Callum Smith v Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam betting tips.
That top of the bill tussle for an alphabet of world heavyweight titles deserves to stand at the head of the list but it isn’t the only duel of interest on the evening as Matchroom Boxing serve up a star-studded show, boasting some of the most promising fighters British boxing has to offer.
Plenty to Talk About on the Undercard
Follow the card live on Sky Sports Box Office and as well as Joshua v Ruiz, you can also enjoy Callum Smith v Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam for the WBA super middleweight title, Chris Algieri v Tommy Coyle for the WBO International super lightweight strap and Katie Taylor v Delfine Persoon which is a female lightweight bout to decide the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO gongs. Viewers can also catch-up on the careers of Josh Kelly and Joshua Buatsi, the former fighting for a WBA International at welterweight as he looks to showcase his skills to a global audience.
Major bookmakers lay on a feast of betting treats to ensure backers can enhance their enjoyment of the evening by backing their opinions with hard cash. Make your bets on the outcome of Joshua v Ruiz – that fight looking a question of how the Londoner wins, rather than if, or play one of the many specials. There’s method of victory, round betting, group betting, fight to go the distance, a fighter to be knocked down, and plenty more besides. That coverage extends to many of the other bouts on the schedule, including the chief support.
With so much to choose from it may be difficult to know where best to place your cash to ensure a profit on the evening. That’s where our team aim to help and we’ve trawled through the form and figures, as well as the betting markets and odds offered by bookmakers, before returning with our call on how you can deliver a blow to the money men. We have given our thoughts on the main event but there’s an undercard bout that caught our eye and this is a clash we believe offers punters the chance to boost their betting balance.
Big Year Ahead for Mundo
Englishman Callum Smith takes on African Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam over 12 rounds with the former’s WBA Super world title on the line. This promises to be a big year for Mundo as he aims to build on the success of 2018 when claiming World Boxing Super Series glory in Saudi Arabia. Smith beat George Groves in the final back in the summer of 2018 and claimed the Muhammad Ali Trophy as a result, as well as the world title the Londoner had worked so hard to win.
The champion travels to America with a professional record reading 25 wins from as many contests with 18 of those coming by way of knockout, resulting in a 72% KO average. The 29-year-old from Liverpool is one part of the famous Smith fighting family and many close to the brothers believe he is the most talented of the clan and will go on to achieve great things. Some big names have been mentioned as possible opponents for Callum this year, including Saul Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin and Billy Joe Saunders.
That’s great news for followers of British boxing as there’s a chance those bouts could happen in the UK, but to have any chance of seeing Smith share a ring with the likes of those men he will not only have to win in New York this weekend, he must do it in some style. Smith captured headlines with that win over Groves but a slot on the undercard of Joshua in one of the most famous boxing venues is an opportunity demonstrate his talents to the wider boxing public and it’s a chance he can’t afford to pass-up if he is going to reach his full potential and live up to the expectations of supporters.
Well Worth the Wait
Smith claimed the Muhammad Ali Trophy thanks to wins over Erik Skoglund, Nieky Holzken and George Groves. He faced the latter in the final in Jeddah but was made to wait for his shot due to an injury Saint George picked up when beating Chris Eubank Jr in the semi-final. It was September by the time the last two met to decide the super middleweight series, but it was well worth the patience shown by Smith with the Scouser stopping his opponent inside seven rounds. Groves has since retired from professional boxing.
That inside the distance win took his recent form to two points wins from his last three but he has stopped six of his last eight and is widely expected to deal with this latest challenge without troubling the scoring judges sat at ringside. As already mentioned, Smith must beat Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam and he must do it in the kind of fashion that will make a real statement, sending out a message of intent to his rivals. Many of the pre-fight predictions are going with Smith to win by KO/TKO and that’s a call very difficult to argue against.
Bookmakers have thrown the weight of their support behind Smith and priced him as a strong favourite to claim the desired result. Ladbrokes are offering no more than 1/33 and although that looks very tight indeed, it’s actually market best price at the time of writing. Much of the competition stand around the 1/50 mark. That’s the kind of price that forces us into the specials and the method of victory market offers encouragement. Smith by KO/TKO is 3/10 jolly with William Hill, the points result 3/1 at Ladbrokes.
Hassan Beat Murray Last Time
Those prices suggest Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam doesn’t have a chance of winning this bout and it’s more a case of how Smith will claim the victory, rather than if. That’s perhaps unfair on the challenger as he brings a professional record of 37 wins against three defeats and has vital big game experience, but it would be difficult to build a strong case for him winning and shocking the sport.
Hassan gets his shot at becoming world champion thanks to a run of form that has saw him win six of his last seven. British fight fans may remember him from scoring a majority decision win over Martin Murray at the Manchester Arena in December when contesting the WBC Silver strap at middleweight. This is a step up in both weight and class.
There won’t be many having a pop but punters who fancy a go on the underdog will find Bet365 offering a market best price of 14/1, most other firms giving closer to 10/1. There’s 25/1 for a KO/TKO shock result or 25/1 for the points verdict. Neither make any appeal.