The WBC Super Welterweight Championship bout between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito isn’t the only notable boxing match this weekend drawing a lot of betting interest. The WBA Heavyweight Championship between Audley Harrison and David Haye also takes place on Saturday, in Manchester, England. It’s the biggest all-British boxing match in recent history. Looking back, the last notable heavyweight match was when Lennox Lewis beat Frank Bruno in the seventh round to retain his WBC title in the 1993 classic.
Harrison (27-4, 20 KOs) is a former Olympian (gold medal in Sydney in 2000) but is running out of time in his boxing career at age 39. Haye (24-1, 22 KOs) is 30 and the current WBA Heavyweight Champion. Harrison hadn’t been impressive throughout much of his professional career until he knocked out Michael Sprott for the vacant European Heavyweight title. Harrison looked to be a sure loss in the match until the 12th round when he landed a clean shot to the head of Sprott that sent him to the mat.
Since it’s an all-British matchup with plenty of trash talking on both sides, it’s a tough one to call. The hype surrounding the match has been intense in Britain. Each man packs some power so somebody is sure to be decked. Look for a short fight here, judging by the history of each boxer. On paper, it looks like a clear win for Haye, but some oddsmakers think Harrison could surprise everyone. The betting value for Harrison to knock out Haye is rising. For the safe bet, however, Haye is a better fighter so don’t be surprised to see a win by KO in the first half of the match.
WBA Heavyweight Championship Odds (provided by Eurobet)
David Haye: 1/6
Draw: 40/1
Audley Harrison: 9/2