Top offshore sportsbooks favor Canelo Alvarez over Billy Joe Saunders in their May 8 fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. After making short work of Avni Yildirim, it was immediately announced that Canelo Alvarez’s next match will be against Billy Joe Saunders to unify three of the four major super middleweight titles.
Looking at the best online sportsbooks, it should not be surprising that Alvarez, the WBA, WBC and The Ring super middleweight champ, is the betting fave. Saunders, the WBO super middleweight champion, is the underdog.
Canelo is a heavy -800 fave. Saunders is a +500 underdog. This means you would have to bet $800 to make $100 on a Canelo win. A $100 wager on a Saunders win would earn you $500 at the top sportsbooks.
Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders Boxing Betting Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Alvarez | -800 |
| Saunders | +500 |
Betting Billy Saunders
Billy Joe Saunders’ third WBO super middleweight championship defense will be his toughest. he will put his perfect 30-0 record on the line. For Canelo, Saunders is one of two boxers he must overcome to become the first-ever undisputed super-middleweight champeen.
The other is Caleb Plant. He is the current holder of the IBF super-middleweight belt. Saunders is facing his longest odds ever. For the brunt of his career, “Superb” has gotten into the ring as the minus-odds fave.
And he has walked out with another win on his record. His prior longest odds in fights for which odds were available came in his last WBO middleweight defense versus David Lemieux. He was a -140 fave. He won by unanimous decision.
Saunders has been favored at -300 or higher in the rest of his fights. This will be the first time he is going to be a plus-money bet. Is there real value on Canelo? Betting on a -800 favorite is a hard pill to swallow. Especially considering if you bet $100, you’re only winning $12.50 at top sportsbooks.
Having said that, from an odds history point of view, Canelo’s -800 betting line would have value taking into account he has been a four-figure fave in four of his last nine fights. That includes a -10000 chalk in his win over Yildirim on February 27.
Betting Canelo Alvarez
Saunders is no pushover. He is a much more worthy adversary than Yildirim. Can Saunders upset Canelo Alvarez? Billy Joe has some of the weapons that could make this interesting on the scorecards. He lacks punching power.
He has just 14 KOs in his 30-win career. Only two in his last eight.
He has tremendous raw boxing skills. A talented leftie who is great on his feet and has a quick jab, Saunders can stick and move and keep distance is his road to victory. The major problem will be getting Canelo’s respect since he doesn’t have knockout power.
Saunders could hesitate a little throwing combos to score repeatedly. He will have to master his defense if he wants a decision win. One of the reasons that Yildirim was a perfect fit for Canelo was his inclination for standing in the pocket and exchanging fists with opponents.
Against Alvarez, he didn’t get to the fourth round. Alvarez will have to counter Saunders’ long jab and hit his power combos once he is inside. Although his opponent’s power won’t make him sweat, he will have to be careful because Billy Joe is great at stopping fighters in their tracks when they are in the pocket without an appropriate setup.
Canelo Alvarez Vs. Billy Joe Saunders Boxing Betting Pick
Saunders will pull out some tricks that Canelo will need to decipher. If Alvarez can consistently find entries to hit his counters and body work, that’ll hamper Billy Joe’s footwork. This could leave him easy. This is going to be a good showcase for both men. It will pit a power puncher against an elusive cat. Canelo should solve but not put Saunders down. Canelo Alvarez by decision.
