Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs Jose Velasquez Preview Nov. 19th, 2021
Unbeaten IBF and WBA Super Bantamweight Champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev will be defending his crowns against Jose Velasquez of Chile in Manchester, New Hampshire this Friday, November 19th. The 12-round bout can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Akhmadaliev, a southpaw, beat Danny Roman by split decision in January, 2020 to win the belts and defended them against Ryosuke Iwasa by fifth-round stoppage in his last outing in April. Velasquez is a late replacement for Ronny Rios, who had to pull out of the fight due to Covid 19, and last fought in May when he beat Ariel Lopez by a 10-round unanimous decision to capture the vacant NABF Bantamweight title.
**Watch live on DAZN this Friday. Your first month is free.
Akhmadaliev vs Velasquez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jose Velasquez +400
- Murodjon Akhmadaliev -600
My Pick
The 27-year-old Akhmadaliev is a perfect 9-0 with 7 Kos and obviously has a lot of power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 77.8 per cent. He made his pro debut in 2018 and has 45 rounds of experience under his belt. He enjoyed a successful amateur career as he won a bronze medal in the bantamweight division at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a silver at the 2015 World Amateur Championships in Doha, Qatar where he was beaten in the final by Ireland’s Michael Conlan.
Akhmadaliev reportedly reportedly went 300-20 as an amateur with 80 Kos. He also won silver at the 2012 World Youth Championships and was the Uzbekistan National Champion in 2013 and 2014. He was the silver medallist at the 2015 Asian Championships and won gold at the same event two years later. He gained experience by boxing for the Uzbek Tigers in the 2016 and 2017 World Series of Boxing (WSB). Akhmadaliev stands just over 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 68-inch reach.
Since turning pro, Akhmadaliev has brought his power along for the ride. He stopped Isaac Zarate in the ninth round for the WBA Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight Title in November, 2018 in his first defence after halting Ramon Contreras in just 80 seconds three months earlier to win the vacant crown. He won his world titles in just his eighth pro bout and doesn’t have much experience in the pro ranks against the upper echelon just yet but his wins over Roman and Iwasa were impressive and he has a wealth of amateur experience to fall back on.
The 32-year-old Velasquez climbs through the ropes with a mark of 29-6-2 with 19 Kos and has boxed 228 rounds since making his pro debut in 2013. He’s been beaten by Francisco Rogel, Juan Oyarzun, Miguel Gonzalez (twice) and Robinson Lavinanaza (twice) but has a solid chin as he’s never been stopped. His two draws came against Oyarzun over four rounds in his pro debut and Liner Hauman over eight rounds in his sixth fight.
Velasquez’s record is a bit deceiving since he got off to a rough start as a pro with a 2-2-2 record after six fights. He dropped three bouts in a row between 2014-15 but hasn’t lost since 2016. In fact, he’s won 21 fights in a row with 16 of them coming by stoppage. His last two outings went the distance though. Velasquez stands just over 5-feet-2-inches tall with a 64-inch reach which means he gives up 2.5-inches in height to the champion and four inches in reach.
Since turning pro, Velasquez has also captured the Chilean Bantamweight Title, the WBA Fedebol Bantamweight Crown, the WBO Latino Super Bantamweight Belt and the WBO International Bantamweight Title. This is his first shot at a world title and just his third fight in the USA. His biggest wins so far have been against the likes of Walter Rojas, Juan Pablo Sosa, Jonathan Burgos and Melvin Lopez.
Prediction…
Akhmadaliev, who fights out of Indio, California is a fine boxer with power and and doesn’t really lack anything other than pro experience. Velasquez has been on a hot streak with 21 consecutive victories but is stepping up in class here. He also has good power and anything can happen when a boxer steps in as a late replacement. However, I’m expecting Akhmadaliev’s skills and power to shine through as he retains his title.
The power of Akhmadaliev could be the difference.
Play: Akhmadaliev -600@ BetOnline.ag
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Jose Velasquez betting • Murodjon Akhmadaliev betting