Gennady Golovkin is a knockout machine who has held the WBA’s middleweight crown since 2010 and many consider him to be one of the most dangerous and avoided fighters in boxing. On paper his title defence against Irishman Matthew Macklin looks like a foregone conclusion. The bookmakers certainly see it that way with odds as low as 1/9 on the fighter who goes by the alias “Triple G”. So is this a sure thing for punters or is it worth taking a punt on the rank outsider?
As my regular followers will know, I am not a gambling man who likes to take a risk – so if I was forced to stake my own cash on the outcome I would have to go for the favourite. But the generous odds of 5-1 available for the challenger are always attractive in a sporting contest where it is one against one.
The reality is that Macklin, the Tipperary Tornado, will be no pushover when he takes on the champion at the MGM Grand Casino in Connecticut tomorrow night (June 29). He has lost just four fights out of thirty three in his career as a professional boxer, though he lost two consecutively in 2011 and 2012 before recovering to win his last fight against Joachim Alcine last September.
His problem is that in Russian Golovkin he is up against one tough fighter who has never been put on the canvas in his total amateur and professional career total of 375 fights, 26 of them as a professional. He also holds the all time record for knockouts.
Betting nine pounds to win just one might seem to be a questionable betting strategy and you need a great deal of capital to make any money out of these odds. But when you consider the stats any sane punter will conclude that Macklin will not pose much of a challenge so banking on the favourite is the only way to go.
For those who disagree, I challenge you to put your money where your mouth is and win big if the 5-1 outsider pulls off a shock that Rocky would be proud of.
