Latest Boxing Odds and Predictions

Boxing Odds Favor the Champ, However…

It’s not the Dmitry Bivol fight. But Natasha Jonas will only make that undisputed fight more enticing if she can whoop Mikaela Mayer to defend her three belts. The Jonas vs Mayer boxing odds see the champion favored at -485, which is the longest he’s been since she fought Oleksandr Gvozdyk back in 2019. Mayer is 2-0 since moving up to this division. But as the boxing odds indicate, she’s outmatched here.

Is Jonas the “B Side” in Her Title Fight?

Boxing can be a popularity contest if you consider the judging aspect of it. It may be unfounded, but history has shown that both the public and the judges side with the “bigger name” in close contests. And that’s partially why the Jonas vs Mayer betting odds are trending against the champion here.

Jonas broke through by moving up to 147 pounds and owning that division. She became the U.K.’s top boxer in 2022 and is 4-0 since moving up. But outside of that, she may still be known as the challenger who almost beat both Terri Harper and Katie Taylor in the lower weight classes.

Facing an American, Jonas is fighting a “big name” boxer for the first time since losing to Taylor. As such, this is a high-stakes bout for her. And you can argue there is a lot more pressure on her as the champion and veteran of the weight class.

“For me to class myself as one of the best in this era, I have to fight the best,” Jonas said on BBC Sport. “I look at some of the boxers on the list, the Katie Taylors, the Chantelle Camerons – they’ve beaten people in that top 10 pound-for-pound list and for me to be able to solidify a legacy for myself, I have to do the same.”

Indeed, a win over Mayer would not only cement Jonas as a pound-for-pound boxer but also as a legitimate star. She has all the tools to do it: power, experience, and a home crowd advantage.

Mayer Needs To Dominate

The public may be sold on Mayer here, but we’re a bit more skeptical. The challenger is still fighting in enemy territory, in a new weight class, and against a boxer with experience against top-tier competition. Mayer needs to prove she’s a cut above Jonas to buttress a sharp boxing bet, especially given how the lines have moved.

“The respect has to go out the window that first round because I know that I’m in her hometown, I may not have the crowd in my favor,” Mayer said on Sky Sports.

Mayer does have the size and reach advantage here despite being the…