Shakiel Thompson vs Brad Pauls Preview March 28th, 2026
Unbeaten Shakiel Thompson of Sheffield takes on fellow Englishman Brad Pauls of Newquay in a 10-round middleweight bout this Saturday, March, 28th. The fight from Manchester can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Pauls’ last outing resulted in an eighth-round decision over Omir Rodriguez last May. In his previous outing five months earlier he dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Denzel Bentley for the vacant European Middleweight Belt and the WBO International Title. Pauls also lost his British Crown in that fight. Thompson’s last fight took place in September when he stopped Grant Dennis in the second round. This weekend’s fight is for the vacant IBF International Middleweight Title.
Thompson vs Pauls Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Brad Pauls +209
- Shakiel Thompson -280
My Pick
Thompson is a 28-year-old southpaw who makes the ring walk with a perfect mark of 15-0 with 11 Ko’s and has 57 rounds of pro experience under his belt since making his debut in 2018. as an amateur he reached the semifinals of the 2015 England Youth National Championships where he lost to Ben Whittaker. Thompson is known for his strong jab and counterpunching ability. He’s also known for his height as he’s a 6-foot-3-inch middleweight but unfortunately has an unlisted reach.
Thompson has also impressed with his power as his current knockout ratio clocks in at 73.3 per cent and he’s gone the distance just four times in his 15 victories. He’s also stopped his last five opponents. Thompson captured the vacant IBF European, and WBO Global Middleweight Titles in April, 2024 when he stopped Vladimir Georgiev in the eighth round. He then defended both belts via a third-round TKO over River Wilson-Bent.
As for Pauls, he’s 32 years old and climbs into the ring with a record of 20-2-1 with 11 Ko’s and has boxed 138 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015 after his amateur career. He measures 5-feet-10-inches tall but unfortunately there’s no reach information on Pauls either, so he gives up five inches in height to Thompson. He carries around slightly above-average power as 55 per cent of his victories have come by stoppage but he’s gone the distance in seven of his last nine fights.
Pauls’ first pro loss came at the hands of Tyler Denny by 10-round unanimous decision in February, 2023 in a shot at the English Middleweight Title. He then won the vacant English Belt by stopping Mitchell Frearson in the eighth round in September, 2023. He drew with Nathan Heaney over 12 rounds in his first defence and then stopped Heaney in the 12th round of their rematch, both in 2024. He also has wins over Ryan Kelly and Robbie Chapman. Of course, he lost his English Title to Denzel Bentley in December, 2024.
Prediction…
Thompson and Pauls are solid pros on the domestic and European level rather than the world stage. Just nine of Pauls’ 23 opponents entered the ring with a winning record and just six of Thompson’s 15 have. Thompson definitely has the edge in power and size here but he needs to make sure he doesn’t take Pauls’ power too lightly. Pauls has won just four of his last seven fights with two defeats and a draw and is four years older than Thompson. This could go either way but I’m giving Thompson the edge here as due to his power and size.
Thompson’s size and power should be the difference-makers.
Play Thompson -280 @ BetOnline.ag
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Brad Pauls betting • Shakiel Thompson betting