Get your full fight coverage right here for Sergey Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal II, live on HBO Saturday, January 30.
This Saturday night on HBO, undefeated knockout artist Sergey Kovalev (28-0-1; 25 KOs) defends his Light Heavyweight titles in a rematch with Jean Pascal (30-3-1; 17 KOs). HBO World Championship Boxing Kovalev vs. Pascal II is live on HBO this Saturday, January 30 with a fight time of 9:45 p.m. ET. Bloody Elbow will have live fight night coverage.
These two men first met this past March with Kovalev taking an 8th round KO victory. Based on that, the champion is favored to retain again on Saturday. Here are the odds from OddsShark as of Wednesday afternoon:
Sergey Kovalev -2500
Jean Pascal +1400
For those not used to US odds, that means you would have to bet $2,500 on Kovalev just to win $100. Pascal is the underdog, and a bet of $100 on him will earn you $1,400.
Given their history, it’s no surprise that Kovalev is the favorite, but those are very wide odds. For perspective, in the recent Deontay Wilder fight, Wilder was considered a near prohibitive favorite at -1000 – a far cry from Kovalev here. A bet on the champion is hard to justify given that line.
At +1400, Pascal is an interesting option. He had success at times against Kovalev, and he’s now training with the superb Freddie Roach. I am not comfortable picking him for the win here, but are those odds long enough to tempt some underdog bets? I certainly would think so.
Also, as a quick sidenote, if you think those are wide odds, check this out: earlier in the day UK fighter George Groves faces Andrea Di Luisa in London. The odds there? Bovada has it as Groves -10,000 to Di Luisa +1600. Wow.
What do you think fight fans – is there money to be made this weekend?
Join us Saturday night for HBO World Championship Boxing Kovalev vs Pascal II coverage, here at Bloody Elbow.