Boxing predictions, odds, best bets: David Benavidez, Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin prop among top picks

Saturday is a big day in the boxing world, with some of the best fighters in the world entering the ring. The biggest fight of the weekend features arguably “the face of boxing” as Gervonta Davis returns to action to defend his WBA world lightweight championship against Frank Martin.

In addition to Davis vs. Martin, Saturday will see former world champion David Benavidez give up his pursuit of undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and move up to light heavyweight to face former world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the interim of the WBC title on the undercard. Plus, a main event from Puerto Rico with IBF junior welterweight champion Subriel Matias defending his title against Liam Parao.

Additionally, Chris Billam-Smith is set to defend his WBA world cruiserweight championship against Richard Riakporhe, who previously handed Billam-Smith his only professional defeat. This clash is scheduled to take place in London.

With so much boxing action scheduled for Saturday, we took a look to identify the three best in this packed boxing schedule. Let’s check out the three plays we think are best for rewarding those who like to add a little spice to their fighting action in the sports betting window.

Subriel Matias via KO/TKO/technical decision/DQ vs. Liam Paro (-350)

Matias has a reputation as the best junior welterweight on the planet, even without the big names of Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia – who isn’t actually a 140-pound fighter, but I digress. Aside from a misstep in 2020 against Petros Ananyan, Matias has shown a stingy streak that makes him an uninviting opponent for the division’s big names. As he defends his IBF championship, I expect Matias to put on a show in his native Puerto Rico. Paro is a decent fighter, as shown by his unbeaten record, but he hasn’t faced anyone like Matias and Matias has all the advantages to enter the fight. Matias in rounds 1-6 is attractive at +150, but take advantage of Matias getting the stoppage with another interesting move of your choosing to get a big return to make a safer decision in the biggest fight of the weekend, not Davis vs. Davis. Martin card.

David Benavidez in rounds 7-12 vs Oleksandr Gvozdyk (+150)

Gvozdyk is a skilled and skilled fighter, even considering his brief retirement after losing to Artur Beterbiev. That said, Benavidez is younger, probably stronger and has an impressive engine. With this being Benavidez’s first trip to light heavyweight, it’s reasonable to expect him to take a while to find his feet. Add to that Gvozdyk’s 37 years and it seems reasonable to expect Benavidez to take control of the fight in the second half, before calling the stoppage. Remember that Gvozdyk’s only loss, the aforementioned fight with Beterbiev, came in the 10th round and this seems like a safe move at a very good price.

Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin in 9.5 rounds (-110)

I’m struggling to see Martin’s path to victory in this fight. Martin is a legitimately good fighter and I would take him against most of the lightweights in the world. Davis is not “most lightweights,” however. Davis is a patient and technical fighter with a lot of pop and Martin’s technical abilities were somewhat muted by Artem Harutyunyan in his most recent outing. Davis is no Harutyunyan, he is a different beast with the kind of speed, timing and precision that punishes every mistake an opponent makes. Look at what Davis did to Ryan Garcia, and it’s hard to get excited about Martin’s chances of getting past the halfway point of round 10. Davis by knockout is -180, so there’s extra value in taking the under if Martin emerges, and he has the power to make something happen if it lands cleanly and starts rolling.