rahman odds did a nosedive at olympic

[gardenweasel]

went from -170 to -135.....somebody`s weighing in pretty heavily and i`d say they are on the wrong side....bouie fischer who now trains rahman has stressed conditioning in camp and rahman is in great shape...fischer also concentrating on making sure holifield is kept at the end of rahman`s jab...holifield is not the same fighter...he couldn`t beat ruiz and ruiz couldn`t beat rahman with a nightstick.....holifield is an old 39,rahman is 29 and he knows if he loses to an old holifield,his days as a contender are over....i really like this fight...holifield looks like he`s half dead in his recent fights...if rahman doesn`t get real careless,he wins easily.

 

[TheShrimp]

I can't believe it. I got in on Rahman at -160 and thought it would go up. Public money MIGHT be moving this one, but by that much???

Maybe some sharp money came in on Holyfield, but I wouldn't be surprised if that -130 got pounded closer to fight time.

I wrote a little about this earlier (when I was thinking June 1 was last weekend). Rahman has a great right and holyfield can't see a right coming anymore.

Holyfield hasn't knocked anyone out in 5 years.

I think we see Rahman by UD, big.

 

[Mr.]

still moving....now to -130 at some shops.....anyone have any news on this???


Thanks

 

[badjab]

I agree that Rahman should be favored, but not by much. Ruiz was a bad matchup for him since he had a decent jab and was somewhat awkward. Lennox was too tall and Holyfield couldn't be effective up close. Rahman is more likely to give him the kind of fight that Holyfield wants -- a toe to toe battle. Styles make fights and for some reason Evander seems to relish trading heavy blows. Could be a knockout either way. I think I'll refrain from betting on this one and root for the old man.

 

[gardenweasel]

badjab

badjab

i know boxing,and from reading your comments,you do,too.i have looked at this fight(read as much as possible and searched all the boxing sites for anything helpful)....i am stuck between rooting for maybe the bravest,toughest,competitor ever(and an absolutely unbelievable overachiever at heavyweight) and using my boxing sense and laying a large wager on rahman....in his prime,eveander out guts rahman in a good tough bout....but the evander i have watched lately is a mere shadow of his old self...granted,ruiz is an awkward,mauling fighter,but,he`s not a big puncher,nor is he particularly skillful....i am banking my wager on the fact that rahman and his new trainer bouie fischer lobbied for this fight vs holifield...hbo and the powers that be wanted rahman to face tua in a rematch,but rahman`s people worked hard to get this fight with holifield(seeing it as a much easier fight for rahman)....i saw the sure signs that evander was shot in his last 2 fights...he had many opportunities to hurt ruiz but had trouble pulling the trigger on his punches(he couldn`t get off)....other than the lewis debacle,rahman`s other losses were in fights that he was outboxing and winning handily before getting tired or careless late(vs tua and oleg maskaev)...rahman weighed in at his lowest weight in years(around 220)and is said to be in phenominal shape....fischer is said to be drumming it into rahman not to be careless and use his jab...i agree that rahman`s normal style is to exchange,but,i don`t think people remember how easily he outboxed tua and maskaev before getting careless...rahman controls this early(evander is a very slow starter)and i am banking that his superior power and quickness(yes,he`s is quicker than this old holifield)and the drumming into his head not to get cocky or careless late,will be enough to handle the 39 year old veteran of to many wars.my only caviat is rahman`s chin if he`s not careful....that`s why they call it gambling and i like this wager...gl on whatever you do.

 

[gardenweasel]

one last thing

one last thing

i want to repeat for any boxing fans to please set your vcr saturday night to showtime at 11:00...ricky hatton vs eamon mcghee(britain vs ireland) and i promise,while it lasts it will be reminiscent of gatti-ward...these guys hate each other and this has turned into a battle for national pride....i will be honest and say i have substantial money on rahman,but,if i could only watch only one of these fights,i`d watch hatton-mcghee.....if i can get a line on this and it`s not to high,i`d take hatton.gl

 

[gardenweasel]

one last thing

one last thing

and i promise i`ll stop ..on espn2 friday is the rematch between champ leonard dorin and raul balbi....this was a war the first time with dorin winning an undeserved decision...this time,they are fighting in dorin`s native romania and i like him in another very tough fight....dorin had better staying power in the first fight(even though badly busted up)and finished strongly enough to get a shaky decision...i think the hometown and his relentless non-stop punching get dorin another win over the more stylish harder punching balbi....feel like a kid in a candy store the next 2 weekends... hope things break our way.gl

 

[1837]

Garden, i like Dorin too but disagree when you write it was a shaky decision. He fought better than Balbi and the decision was the right one. Not like Gatti who should have won vs ward but ref wanted to see a revenge match... These two fights are considered the best of the year so far so tonight, with Balbi and Dorin, it will be a piece of cake!

 

[TheShrimp]

badjab --
In regards to a knockout either way. Seriously, Holyfield hasn't knocked anyone out since 1997. This natural cruiserweight has never had the power to really take out good heavyweights. Rock has been KO's by Tua, Maskaev and Lewis. he was obviously outclassed by Lewis. The Tua one came in a round immediately following Tua hitting him after the bell, and I don't remember the Maskaev one (did he go through the ropes onthat one or something). I don't know how well his chin has been tested in other bouts, but I suspect moreso than it will against "real deal'.

Also, Holyfield NEVER gets knocked out. He's a warrior with an iron chin. That's part of the reason why he so slurred nowadays. He was TKO'd in one of the Bowe fights and that's his only loss by KO.

Now, I'm not one to say, "this will happen" or "this won't happen" especially in the fight game, but I see a decision as pretty likely.

And, that decision goes to "The Rock" easy if you ask me. As I've said before, Ruiz pounded Holyfield with rights in his fights, and those power punches score big points with the judges. I truly believe that Holyfield has a "blind spot" in his left eye that he's hiding.

Ruiz is a lesser fighter than anyone mentioined above and Holyfield couldn't put him away in any fight.

Prediction: Rock by UD.

Good luck in whatever you do. I think it should be a good fight. I have more on this fight than I've ever had before on one.

TheShrimp

 

[badjab]

Gardenweasel/Shrimp
You make very valid points about this fight being a mismatch. Holyfield would appear to be a shot fighter. He has done nothing recently to generate any fear among heavyweights. He does seem to lose wind rather quickly (not surprising due to his age). He should have hung up the gloves after the second Tyson fight. Part of me just can't stand rooting against him because he is such a warrior. I'm not going to bet this fight -- if I were, I'd probably bet on Rahman.

Shrimp -- you are right when you say that Holyfiled does not get knocked out. I made a bundle on the last Holyfield-Ruiz fight by betting it would go the distance. This may be a different type of fight. The only reason I give Holyfield a shot, is because this fight may likely turn into a war (a la the Gatti-Ward fight). The fact that Holyfield can absorb a tremendous amount of punishment only adds to the likelihood that he may be able to get Rahman in trouble with a continuous back and forth exchange. Holyfield is a counterpuncher and Rahman (like Tyson) likes to go at a fighter. Is it likely that Holyfield wins? No. Would I be surprised to see him win? No.

 

[gardenweasel]

shrmp and badjab

shrmp and badjab

i don`t mean to sound pussified,but i`m glad you guys are there...it makes these bouts more interesting when you can get a little give and take from people who obviously are not just casual fans....i,along with shrimp have wagered a little more than a prudent amount on rahman because the odds keep dropping....the closer we get to fight time,the colder my feet are getting...holyfield looked pretty much dead in the water prior to his first tyson fight(rumored heart problem`s etc)....this guy has to many lives and to much heart.whomever made the comment about holifield being a counterpuncher was dead on...and that`s what`s scaring me.he couldn`t time ruiz,and i`m hoping this will be the same....rahman`s chin is my concern,but i am not going to hedge my wager.made my bed...i`ll take my chances....but,i do understand badjab`s hesitation....1837,sorry i didn`t get back to you on the last ultimate fighting....i usually tape these and wait for a "no boxing" weekend to watch the ultimate...glad you caught the first dorin-balbi bout...but,are you willing to lay roughly 2-1 on dorin?...he cut last fight and may again...that makes me very leary.gl guys.

 

[gardenweasel]

i can`t stop-a heads up.

i can`t stop-a heads up.

one last thing....if anybody wants to hedge a little on their rahman bet,olympic has evander by k.o. at +300...i think if evander has a chance,it will have to be by k.o....i don`t see him winning a decision vs a guy who is 10 years younger...holi would have to go 12 strong rounds at a tough pace and he couldn`t do it effectively vs a very inactive ruiz(who mostly threw one punch and held).....again,g.l.

 

[1837]

Dorin gave a lesson to Balbi Nobody will contest that one!

 

[gardenweasel]

1837

1837

congrats on dorin...didn`t have the coulumes to lay the 2-1......i understand the odds on rahman are down to -110...man,what`s goin` on?....rahman has said today in the paper that he will retire if he loses...these odds are makin` me wonder...could it be the casual fan weighing in on holifield`s name recognition?....or maybe i`m not as clear on this fight as i initially thought.

 

[1837]

Garden

I'm with you on Rahman. Got it when he was -160... Now -110? :shrug: Should have wait...

 

[Mr.]

I got Rahman for 2 units at -120....good luck!!!

 

[SMOKE JENSEN]

MY TAKE:
HOLYFIELD RISES FROM THE DEAD AND CATCHES RAHMAN. I DON'T THINK RAHMAN HAS THE CHIN TO TAKE MANY PUNCHES. WHEN HE GETS KNOCKED OUT HE GOES OUT HARD. WHILE I HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING WHY HOLYFIELD STRUGGLED WITH RUIZ. I MEAN COME ON. RUIZ WOULDN'T HAVE MADE GOOD SPARRING FOR HOLYFIELD IN THE PAST. I STILL BELIEVE HOLYFIELD WINS THIS ONE. AND ONE MORE THING. RUIZ WOULDN'T BEAT ANYBODY IN THE TOP 15. HIS MANAGERS BETTER BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHO THEY MATCH HIM WITH NEXT.

 

[cooz3]

SORT OF AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER WHEN IT COMES TO BOXING BETS ALTHOUGH I DO WATCH THE SPORT WITH AN AVID INTEREST...LET ME SAY THIS ABOUT RUIZ...HE IS A TALL FIGHTER AND VERY AWKWARD AT THAT...HIS STYLE OF BOXING MADE EVANDER LOOK TERRIBLE...ALL DONE ETC....(I AT ONE TIME SAW RUIZ QUITE A BIT AT A LOCAL GYM AND LET ME TELL YOU HE IS NOT THE MOST COORDINATED ATHLETE IN THE WORLD) ...THIS FIGHT FOR EVANDER IS BY NO MISTAKE...THIS GUY IS A STRAIGHTFOWARD FIGHTER...THERE IS NO MYSTERY TO HIM NOR HIS STYLE...IN MY HUMBLE OPINION THIS IS A GREAT MATCHUP FOR HOLYFIELD REGARDING STLYES...RAHMAN CAN DELIVER A BLOW AS EVIDENCED BY THE LEWIS FIGHT...BUT IM NOT CONVINCED BY A LONG SHOT HE CAN TAKE A SHOT...AND WE ALL KNOW HOLYFIELD WILL HANG AROUND FOR QUITE A WHILE...IF TYSON AND BOWE IN HIS PRIME DIDNT PUT HOLYFIELD TO SLEEP THEN I CANT SEE THIS KID DOING IT...I WOULDNT BE SURPRISED IN THE LEAST TO SEE HOLYFIELD KNOCK THIS KID OUT AFTER AN EXCHANGE....AGAIN IM JUST A FAN TO THE SPORT AND YOU ALL ARE MOST LIKELY MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE NUANCES OF BETTING THIS SPORT...BUT I THINK HOLYFIELD HAS A GOOD SHOT TONIGHT....IM PUTTING A FEW BUCKS ON HIM...COOZ

 

[gardenweasel]

cooz and other holifield backers

cooz and other holifield backers

many good points,and,as i said in a previous thread,my feet are getting colder by the minute...still considering an off bet with evander by k.o.(was 3-1 at olympic)..have seen holifield come back from the dead more times than dracula....ans couts is right that rahman`s style is much more suitable for evander than ruiz....but,holi has looked old in his last 5 fights and i think most top 10 guys handle ruiz much easier than evander did....everything comes to an end and rahman has said in the baltimore papers that he retires if he loses tonight.....and new trainer bouie fischer has said they want to outwork holifield but be careful....rahman is 10 pounds lighter than at any time since his second pro fight...i think his stamina should be good...one last thing,i heard evander refer to stuttering john and crazy cabbie (the stern fight)as "stuttering joe" and "crazy cabbage".....let`s all hope evander comes to his senses and retires before he can`t walk and chew gum at the same time....still going with prohibitive play on hassim...praying his chin doesn`t betray him.

 

[gardenweasel]

just got down at olympic

just got down at olympic

a few quid on the draw proposition....14-1 odds would mean a nice payoff...a kind of hedge bet that doesn`t cost much.