In a lightweight title fight, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez Jr. meet Saturday inside The Bubble at MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a unification fight. Lomachenko enters as the WKO and WBA lightweight title holder, while Lopez holds the IBF lightweight belt. The fight card kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Lomachenko heads into this one with 60.6 average total punches thrown per round, to just 47.4 for Lopez. He is also ahead 21.6 to 17.0 for total punches landed on average per round. In addition, “Loma”, considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters, has a tremendous advantage on jabs, too, throwing 30.4 to 19.1 on average per round. Those stats are across Lomachenko’s past 15 pro bouts, and Lopez’s past eight professional fights.
Lomachenko is a perfect 4-0 since scooting up to the lightweight division back in 2018. However, he has also looked human at the division, as Jose Pedraza and Luke Campbell took him all the way, while Jorge Linares knocked him to the canvas in their bout.
Lopez is looking to become the second-youngest boxer in history to hold at least three world titles in a decision. Only “Iron” Mike Tyson, at 21 years, 37 days, would be ahead of Lopez at 23 years, 85 days.
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Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez Jr. betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:45 a.m. ET.
Lomachenko (-400) is a solid champ, but he is definitely not infallible. Since moving to the lightweight division, he is unbeaten, but not dominant. LOPEZ JR. (+300) is a strong play on the 3-way line, as the up-and-comer will be looking for the big blow, and he’ll get it. LOPEZ BY KO/TKO/TECHNICAL DECISION OR DQ (+500) is an outstanding value, too.
In addition, if you really want to make a little extra bread, bet round group betting with LOPEZ IN ROUNDS 5-8 (+1400) and LOPEZ IN ROUNDS 9-12 (+1600) worth small-unit plays. Yes, you will lose one of the wagers, but if Lopez pulls the upset while winning in one of those four-round blocks, you will be well ahead. Taking LOPEZ ON POINTS (+900) is also worth betting lightly, too, although I do not expect it to go the distance. Still, it’s just too tempting to pass up.
If you’re not feeling the upset, and want to play it safe, betting ROUNDS 5-8 (+400) and ROUNDS 9-12 (+500) for the fight end is also worth a play. You can triple up, regardless of fight winner, as long as the fight doesn’t end in ROUNDS 1-4, or go to the judges’ cards.
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