Wagering: 1.888.238.8018 - 1.888.889.4313
Customer Service: 1.877.717.7747 - 1.888.889.4368
Customer Service: 1.877.717.7747 - 1.888.889.4368
: 1.888.238.8198 - 1.888.889.4312
: 1.888.378.0888 - 1.888.889.4219
| Boxing Preview: Tony Bellew vs. Ovill ''The Upsetter'' McKenzie |
BetPhoenix has a long list of wagering odds for people that like to bet on boxing. Check out the latest odds and then read the following information on the fight. Liverpool's often controversial but always entertaining Tony Bellew takes on big punching former prizefighter winner Ovill ''The Upsetter'' McKenzie in an intriguing bout for the Commonwealth light heavyweight title at Liverpool's Echo Arena on Saturday night on the Kevin Mitchell v John Murray undercard. The bout is a rematch - Bellew had to climb off the canvas twice to controversially stop McKenzie in eight rounds last December on the undercard of the James De Gale v Paul Smith British title fight. Bellew came within a pound or two of fighting Nathan Cleverly for the WBO light heavyweight title a month ago when defending champion, Germany's Andreas Braehmer was forced to pull out of his title defence against the Welshman with an injury. The title was awarded to no.1 contender Cleverly, yet somewhat bizarrely promoter Frank Warren was still insistent that the the young Welshman defended his O2 Arena bill, despite the fact that George Groves and James DeGale were also doing battle that night. Suddenly, Tony Bellew was announced as the opponent for Cleverly's first title defense. Ultimately Bellew was unable to make the weight, so the bout was scrapped and instead Cleverly defended his title against little known Pole Aleksy Kuziemski, who surrendered meekly after four rounds of 'action'. What neither Cleverly nor Warren seemed to have realized was that had the Welshman been beaten by either Bellew or Kuziemski, he would gone down in history with the embarrassing distinction of having by far the shortest world title reign in boxing history! Such is the often wacky world of Frank Warren's promotions. The press conference to announce the bout that never was between Bellew and Cleverly descended into one of the most vicious and nasty standoffs in memory, and while the two never came to blows, the bad blood that exists between them was clear to everyone who witnessed their verbal exchanges. The fuse has now been lit, and a Cleverly v Bellew matchup will be a sure-fire hit with the public, and a bout all fight fans in the UK would love to see. Before he can even dream of fighting Cleverly for the title, 28-year-old Bellew (15-0 six, 10 ko's) must get past the man he recently described as a ''world-class three round fighter"- Orville McKenzie. In their first encounter, Bellew was flawed in the first round by a McKenzie right hand to the top of the head, but in the second he was caught by one of the biggest punches thrown in 2010, a sledgehammer of the right-hand that luckily for Bellew, caught him on the cheek bone and not on the point of the chin. Bellew went down like the proverbial ton of bricks, yet was back on his feet within three seconds - showing powers of recuperation of which Larry Holmes would have been proud. Bellew managed to survive the round, and was never in trouble again in the fight. In the eighth round he floored McKenzie with a Hail Mary of a left hook to the jaw. McKenzie went down heavily, but to his credit he too was back on his feet within seconds and looked more than ready to continue the bout. It was a shock when the referee jumped in moments later despite the fact that Bellew had not connected with another heavy shot. At the time of the stoppage the balance of power had completely shifted in favour of the Liverpool fighter, and he was beginning to find his range with his power punches. The writing looked to be on the wall for the game McKenzie, but when a fighter possesses the one punch knockout power that he clearly does, a fight is never over until it's over. There is no doubting Bellew's fighting pedigree. A three-time British ABA champion, Bellew turned pro under the banner of Frank Warren in October 2007. A shade under 6'3" tall, with good boxing skills, it didn't take long for Bellew to establish himself as fighter to watch, drawing added attention to himself with a boastful, controversially outspoken attitude, and with an exciting big punching style to back it up with. Bellew makes no bones about how tough it was growing up on the mean streets of Merseyside, and credits his background for his iron will and do-or-die mentality. After just two years as a professional and boasting a record of 12 straight victories, Bellew met Atoli Moore of Ghana in March 2010 for the vacant Commonwealth light heavyweight title. The bout turned out to be a gross mismatch and the 5'6" Moore was dispatched in one round, giving Bellew his first pro title. Bellew had a much tougher time in his first title defense six months later when he had to climb off the canvas to outpoint Leeds prospect Bob Ajisafe. Bellew already had his eye on bigger things and began calling out the then British and European champion Nathan Cleverly for a fight, but the close call against Ajisafe and even more so three months later versus McKenzie have put those aspirations on the back burner, at least for now. Can Bellew survive the big bombs of Orville McKenzie once again and stop him more convincingly than in their first encounter? All will be revealed on Saturday night. 31-year-old Ovill McKenzie was born in Jamaica but has been based in the UK throughout his eight year professional career and currently resides in Derby. A pro since 2003, McKenzie is the classic example of a tough, dangerous journeyman fighter – willing to take a fights on a moment’s notice, and far better than his 18-10 (7 ko's) record would suggest. McKenzie's pro career can be divided into two parts; pre-2005 and post-2005. Pre-2005 saw McKenzie heading towards a career of a paid loser. By December 2004 his record was an uninspiring 5-6, and he was on a three fight losing streak. In his defence, a closer look at McKenzie record during those first two years of his career reveals a fighter that was being ridiculously overmatched considering his lack of experience. Among the fighters McKenzie lost to in his first two years as a pro were names like former top amateur prospect Courtney Fry, future WBO super middleweight champion Dennis Inkin of Germany and the future WBA light heavyweight champion Croatian Stipe Drews. The Drews fight in particular is a classic example of the mismanagement McKenzie was suffering at that point; the Croatian was having his 27th fight that night, McKenzie his 11th. Since the Drews defeat in December 2004, McKenzie's record reads 14 victories against just four setbacks. He captured the Commonwealth light heavyweight title with a two round knockout over Peter Haymer, capping an eight fight winning streak. That streak was snapped dramatically when McKenzie suffered his first and only stoppage loss so far in his career when he was TKO'd in one round by the always dangerous Dean Francis, losing his Commonwealth belt in the process. McKenzie's career looked to be heading for another slump with just one win in four fights when he was invited to compete in the 2009 cruiserweight edition of the highly popular Prizefighter competition. Despite being the rank outsider, McKenzie threw the form book out of the window, winning his first two fights and then defeating Sheffield slugger John Keeton in the final. The Prizefighter win suddenly made McKenzie a hot property, and led to the shot against Bellew last December. Had the right-hand bomb that he detonated in the second round landed just 3 inches lower on Bellew's chin rather than the side of his face, McKenzie would be Commonwealth champion today, and angling for a shot at Cleverly's WBO title himself. Despite only seven knockouts amongst his 18 ring victories, the muscular McKenzie is very heavy-handed. He does have a tendency to" go missing" in fights, and from the third round onwards in his bout with Bellew he did very little. If the Jamaican wishes to improve on his previous fight performance and this time get the win, he will have to go all-out and throw far more right hands, especially during the first five rounds. If he is going to catch Bellew again, it will be early in the fight. Whether Tony Bellew or even Nathan Cleverly have what it takes to make an impact at world level in a division that boasts such talented fighters as Chad Dawson, Jean Pascal, Tavoris Cloud, and of course, the legendary Bernard Hopkins and who may soon be joined by the likes of Carl Froch, Kelly Pavlik and Lucian Bute remains to be seen. Certainly at domestic level at least, Bellew looks a real threat, and may well have the tools to take Cleverly's crown if and when the two eventually meet. Look for Bellew to make a faster start this Saturday night, as he looks to get McKenzie out of the fights in half the time, and more impressively. McKenzie will still be dangerous with that big right-hand bomb, and don't be too surprised if Bellew has to take another count in the early rounds. By the sixth round Bellew will be in the driving seat and controlling the contest. Although Bellew will be looking for a more impressive performance, McKenzie is a durable fighter and if Bellew cannot get through with his own big shots, this one could run out of steam and go the distance. With his profile now at an all-time high, that is the last thing that Bellew wants to happen, and I see him keeping the pressure on McKenzie to force another late stoppage. Boxing Free Selection: Tony Bellew 
|
This weekend, boxing takes center stage as the fight card offers plenty of intriguing fights for the boxing fan to tune into.
© 2012 BetPhoenix Chinese / Vietnamese Sportsbook & Casino Group. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information. All rights reserved.
BetPhoenix.com is a current leader in the North American and Asian Online Gaming sector. Sportsbook, Live Casino, Virtual Casino and Racebook. All in one! Customer satisfaction is our number one priority.
Sportsbook
Racebook
Online Casino
Live Casino
Bingo
Affiliates
Daily Doubles
Exacta
Pick3
Pick4
Pick6
Quinella
Straight
Superfecta
Trifecta
Others
NFL Football Betting
NBA Betting
UFC Betting
NCAA Football Betting
MLB Betting
NASCAR Betting
Tennis Betting
NHL Betting