Somebody’s “O” has got to go when Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Michael McKinson face one another at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas in a welterweight matchup on DAZN. The main event highlights what should be an all-action card from Golden Boy Promotions.
Let’s look at the odds and find some picks we like.
Vergil Ortiz vs. Michael McKinson
Date: Saturday, August 6, 2022
Main card: 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. BST
Main event ringwalks (approx): 11 p.m. ET / 4 a.m. BST
Network: DAZN
Ortiz and McKinson were scheduled to face off in March. However, Ortiz (18-0, 18 KOs) had to postpone after he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. The last time Ortiz was in the ring was in August of 2021. That fight was when we saw the young rising star defeat Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (22-1-1). Ortiz got good rounds in against the Lithuanian and stopped a very battled-tested opponent.
McKinson (22-0, 2 KOs) stayed on the show after Ortiz dropped out and defeated Alex Martin (17-3) via unanimous decision. Despite the delays, the winner of this bout should be in line for a world title show in the near future.
Ortiz is perfect so far, with 18 wins and all of them coming by KO. McKinson will provide a different look for Ortiz, though. Although a bit unproven, he’s undefeated and a southpaw. This fight might be awkward at times.
Listen to me here: Ortiz wins this in a landslide. That is my pick. But is there any betting value to be found in this fight?
The over/under on for this fight is coming in at 8.5 rounds. Both sides are even money at -110, although that might change. Depending on how you think Ortiz will win, that potentially offers some good value.
I do think it will take Ortiz a few rounds to figure out the southpaw. But McKinson only has two (2!) stoppages in 22 fights against subpar competition. I think Ortiz will have no fear of what’s coming back and gets a stoppage within 8 rounds. I like the under here.
Pick: Under 8.5 rounds (-110) at DraftKings
Maurice Hooker vs. Blair Cobbs
The co-main event on the Ortiz-McKinson card is an interesting scrap between Maurice Hooker and Blair Cobbs.
Hooker (27-2, 18 KOs) is usually in fights where he is knocking people out or getting stopped himself. Fittingly, he was stopped by the main event headliner, Vergil Ortiz Jr. Cobbs (15-1, 10 KOs) himself was stopped in his last outing. Put the two together and it makes me want to bet that this fight does not go the distance.
The odds for this bout not to go the distance are currently at +120. That’s great value. I like this bet a lot.
Pick: Fight to go the distance? No (+120) at DraftKings
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