The first weekend in May is set to be a busy one for sports bettors thanks to the most anticipated boxing match of the year, a Champions League Final preview in the Premier League, and the final stretch of the NBA regular season. Read below for a full preview of how PlaySugarHouse.com and BetRivers.com and bettors are wagering on the weekend’s biggest events.
BOXING: Pound-for-pound king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (55-1-2, -715 ML) faces undefeated Billy Joe Saunders (30-0, +475 ML) with all four major titles on the line in a highly anticipated super middleweight title unification bout on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Canelo, who has won six straight bouts since a controversial draw against Gennady Golovkin in 2017, opened as a -580 ML favorite, and is currently -715 to win on Saturday night. Saunders, who represents Canelo’s stiffest challenge at super middleweight since defeating Golovkin in a rematch, opened as a +400 ML underdog, and is currently +475. Saunders has similar odds to fellow Englishman Callum Smith, who was +455 ML when he suffered the first loss of his career at the hands of Alvarez via a unanimous decision this past December.
The public is currently backing Canelo with an overwhelming 95% of total fight bets and 96% of the total fight handle. The public is also on the bout to go Over 10.5 rounds, with 81% of the O/U handle and 72% of O/U bets. The largest single bet is a $10,000 wager on Alvarez (-667 ML) with a potential payout of $11,500. The largest potential payout on a single bet is currently $12,600 on a $100 wager backing Saunders to defeat Alvarez in the fifth round (+12500), which would be the first stoppage loss of Alvarez’s career.
NBA: With just six games remaining in the regular-season, the Denver Nuggets (+1500 Western Conference) are still within striking distance of the top seed in the Western Conference, with a Friday night showdown against first-place Utah Jazz (+325 West) looming large. If the season ended today, Denver would face the Los Angeles Lakers (+175 West), the odds-on favorites to win the west, in the first round in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup.
More certain than the Nuggets’ playoff seeding is Nikola Jokic’s chances of winning the NBA MVP. The dynamic big-man is currently -2000 to win the award, with Joel Embiid holding the second shortest odds at +800. Jokic is backed by the largest percentage of total MVP futures handle than any other player (28%), and the third most bets (15%). Embiid is backed by the third largest percentage of total MVP Futures handle (15%), and second largest percentage of total MVP bets (21%). Brooklyn’s James Harden, a relative longshot at +10000, is backed by the second largest percentage of total MVP futures handle (24%) and is responsible for the largest percentage of total MVP bets (25%). Steph Curry, who has shot up into MVP contention due to a red-hot March and April, has the third shortest odds (+2500) to win the award. Curry was +10000 as late as January, and for a Pennsylvania BetRivers.com bettor who wagered $100 on Curry (+10000), a $10,100 payout is still technically alive.
SOCCER: The Champions League Final is all set for an all-England final, and although the match won’t take place until May 29, Manchester City and Chelsea, the two finalists, meet Saturday afternoon in Premier League action. Manchester City (25-5-4, 80pts) sit atop the EPL table and are currently -105 favorites to beat +320 ML underdogs Chelsea (17-10-7, 61pts). Manchester City is currently backed by 82% of the ML handle and 65% of the ML bets to beat Chelsea in league play this weekend.
But that is hardly the lone marquee match of the weekend, as Atletico Madrid (23-7-4, 76pts) takes on FC Barcelona (23-5-6, 74pts) with just two points separating the teams atop the La Liga table. Barcelona (-129 ML) have lost just one of their last 21 league games against Atletico Madrid (+350 ML), and have not lost at home to Atletico in league play since 2006. The public is expecting Barcelona to emerge victorious, backed by 92% of the ML handle and 79% of ML bets.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Two highly competitive women’s bouts lead the way in betting for UFC Fight Night this Saturday. Fan-favorite Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (18-8, +175 ML), enters the main event against Marina Rodriguez (13-1-2, -215 ML) as the betting underdog for a fourth consecutive time. Waterson defeated Angela Hill via unanimous decision in September to halt a two-fight losing streak. But the public is squarely backing Rodriguez, who could be in line for a title shot with a decisive victory, with 91% of the total fight handle and 88% of total fight bets.
The most popular bout on the card by bet volume is Amanda Ribas (12-2, -190 ML) vs. Angela Hill (13-9, +150 ML). Ribas, who is coming off a TKO loss to Rodriguez, is backed by 84% of the total fight bets, although the distribution of money is more even, with 53% of the ML handle backing the Brazilian. The most wagered-on bout on the card is a “blink and you’ll miss it” lightweight fight between Gregor Gillespie (13-1, -190 ML) and Diego Ferreira (17-3, +150 ML). Of the 30 combined wins between Gillespie and Ferreira, 21 have come by finish. Of their four combined losses, only one was decided by the judges. The public is all over Gillespie to earn the much-needed win, backing the Long Island native with 96% of the total fight handle and 93% of total fight bets.
