Joshua vs Parker Betting Overview
Boxing’s heavyweight division seems to have sprung into life again after some years in the wilderness with the renewed focus on title unification.
Luis Ortiz and Deontay Wilder will square up for the WBC belt in New York on 3rd March, but it is the fight between IBF, IBO and WBA (Super) champion Anthony Joshua and WBO champion Joseph Parker that has really lit the touch paper under the division.
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The pair will contest a mega-fight in front of 75,000+ fans at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff, UK on 31st March. There is a good chance that the winner will go on to face the winner of Wilder v Ortiz to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion in nearly two decades. Betting is expected to be huge on the event. You can read a complete expert guide on the Joshua vs. Parker Fight: betting tips, offers and free bets, with some of the interesting markets highlighted below:
Fight Winner:
Joshua, as expected, is overwhelming favourite for the fight. His odds to win range from around 1/8 (-800) up to 1/14 (-1400). Parker can be found at 5/1 (+500) up to 17/2 (+850). The draw, something of a rare occurrence in the elite end of the heavyweight division, is available at 40/1 (+4000).
Method of Victory:
A market that Joshua fans will be keen to get on. The British fighter has won all 20 of his professional fights by KO, so odds of 1/3 (-300) that he wins by KO/TKO or Disqualification look very tempting. He is priced in at 9/2 (+450) to win by decision. Parker is 10/1 (+1000) and 33/1 (+3300) in those markets. It should be noted that Parker is also undefeated and three of his last wins have come by decision. Certainly, some punters will be lumping on Parker, a fighter who ‘always finds a way’, at attractive odds to win by decision.
Distance Betting:
Perhaps the bet for big money punters, the fight is priced at 1/5 (-500) to end early and 7/2 (+350) to go the full 12 rounds. Expect some very large bets to be made on the fight ending before the 12th, with big bettors looking a quick 20% return on their outlay.
Round Betting:
As most boxing punters will testify, picking the round the fight ends in is a little more difficult than most bets. Joshua is 12/1 (+1200) to win in the 9th, 16/1 (+1600) to win in the 10th and 16/1 (+1600) to win in the 11th. Considering his last two fights against Carlos Takam and Wladimir Klitschko ended in the 10th and 11th respectively, you can see the value in backing that. The Watford-born fighter seems to get a second win towards the last few rounds, so don’t rule it out. Picking a round for Parker ranges from around 50/1 (+5000) to 100/1 (+10000).
Specials:
Because this is such a big fight in the UK, bookmakers have brought out lots of special markets. Some of the highlights include Joshua to be knocked down and still win (as happened vs Klitschko) at 6/1 (+600) and 33/1 (+3300) for either fighter to win in 60 seconds.
All these markets are changing fast due to the heavy betting, so keep checking the betting guides for the latest updates.