Elijah Pierce vs Mike Plania Preview August 4th 2023
Mike Plania of the Philippines will battle it out with Elijah Pierce of Oklahoma City this Friday, August 4th in an eight-round junior featherweight tilt. The fight from Atlanta, Georgia can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Plania last fought in May when he stopped Mark Anthony Geraldo in the first round while Pierce beat Tramaine Williams by a 10-round unanimous decision in April in his last outing.
**Watch live on DAZN this Friday. Your first month is free.
Pierce vs Plania Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Mike Plania +325
- Elijah Pierce -450
My Pick
The 26-year-old Plania climbs through the ropes with a mark of 28-2 with 15 Ko’s and has boxed 151 rounds since making his pro debut back in 2014. before that he enjoyed a pretty good amateur career which saw him capture a gold medal in the junior division at the 2013 PLDT-ABAP National Boxing Championships in the Philippines and a gold at the 2013 Philippine National Games. He also represented his homeland in 2013 at the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships in Ukraine.
Since turning pro, Plania won the vacant WBF International Bantamweight Title in 2016, the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver Super Bantamweight Crown and the vacant IBF North American Super Bantamweight Title. His first defeat came at the hands of of Juan Carlos Payano by 10-round unanimous decision in 2018 in a shot at the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Bantamweight Title despite dropping him in the third round.
The only other loss on Plania’s record came to Ra’eese Aleem by way of a wide 10-round unanimous decision in October of last year in a shot at the WBO NABO Super Bantamweight Crown. His biggest wins have been against Joshua Greer Jr, Ricardo Nunez, Giovanni Gutierrez and Juan Antonio Lopez. He stands just over 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 65.5-inch reach and possesses average power with a current knockout ratio of 50 per cent. However, his last three wins have come by the way of stoppage.
As for Pierce, he’s a 26-year-old southpaw who has built up a record of 17-2 with 14 Ko’s and has fought a total of 76 rounds since turning pro in 2016 following his amateur career. He measures 5-feet-8-inches tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach, so has a 2.5-inch height advantage on Plania. He also has more power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 73.7 per cent and has gone the distance in two of his last four fights.
Pierce’s first pro defeat came to Giovanni Cabrera in 2018 when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision while his second loss came two fights later when he was edged in an eight-round majority decision to Sulaiman Segawa in September, 2019. His biggest wins have been against Jesse Garcia, Daron Williams, Juan Carlos Pena and Tramaine Williams.
Prediction…
Plania has fought stiffer opposition as a pro but when stepping up in class against Payano and Aleem he fell short, but did manage to beat Joshua Greer. He’s not really stepping up in class against Pierce this weekend so has a decent shot at earning a win. Pierce has the edge in height and power though but Plania has yet to be stopped. This is a very even matchup and I am leaning towards Plania coming out on top of a close contest, although his chin will be tested again.
Plania’s experience against tougher opposition should benefit him here.
Play Plania +325 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Elijah Pierce betting • Mike Plania betting