Gambling Blog

Last Saturday saw the much awaited world championship boxing match between UK challenger Ricky “Hit Man” Hatton and Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather – a clash of styles, a clash of personalities and in some ways perhaps one of the biggest grudge matches for some time.  But how was the betting effected by the challengers fan base?

There are few sports in the world where common sense and straight thinking can so quickly disappear, with millions of British gamblers taking a punt on the challenger knocking out the “pretty boy”, despite Mayweather being odds on favourite to win.  Hatton’s odds came in to 7/4 in places as the UK betting industry saw unprecedented support for their man and his quest for yet another belt.

The truth is that fan bases can move markets, they can upset the balance of the betting arena and ultimately they can affect the thinking of the teams and people involved.  While Hatton received unbelievable support from his UK followers in the end he was unable to tame the man from the US, and the UK bookmakers all breathed a sigh of relief – with the industry looking at multi-million pound loses in the event of a Hatton win.  Many suggested that Hatton should not have been a 7/4 gamble, with some suggesting odds of nearer 5/1 being fair, but it was the weight of money from the UK which made a difference to the odds.

So why did this particular event receive such attention and have such an impact upon the betting odds?

This fight had a number of elements to it :-

• Hatton and Mayweather were both unbeaten.
• It a was a UK v US fight – prompting a split of loyalty for each country’s man.
• The clash of personalities was enormous, with many hoping to see the “pretty boy” come unstuck.

All of these elements worked together to give the fight an edge which has not been seen in the sport for some time.  The simple weight of money from gamblers saw “false” pricing compared to views in the cold light of day, but that did not stop the phenomenal support for the “Hit man” who did his followers proud, even in defeat.

While the boxing world has become a little used to slanging matches, dirty tricks and volatile press conferences, it seems that respect has finally broken out prior to the Calzaghe v Kessler fight this Saturday, at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.� The quiet man of the valleys has held his WBO title for more than 10 years (a feat which shows the true class of Calzaghe), with the Danish fighter putting his WBC and WBA titles on the line.

This super-middleweight title fight looks like being a real battle of respect, with both fighters well aware of each others strengths and weaknesses.� Joe Calzaghe is very passionate about his Welsh routes and will be supported by a sell out 50,000 crowd on Saturday night.� While there is no doubt that Kessler� is a great fighter, he does not have the experience of Calzaghe, or the hand speed which has caused so many of his opponents major problems.

Calzaghe himself freely admits that some of his sparring sessions for earlier fights were not what they should have been, but as with the Jeff Lacy fight (where he destroyed his opponent), the WBO champion seems up beat, confident he is in top shape and has put in sufficient work in the gym.� While Calzaghe is 35 year old ( 7 years older than his opponent) he still seems to have the same desire and level of fitness that he had as a young fighter.

Trained by his father, Enzo, Calzaghe has never been one to court the limelight, although there is a growing feeling that his does not get the respect that he deserves.� The Americans tried to write him off prior to the Lacy fight, a fight which he controlled from the opening bell, and while some have reservations about his age and desire, he seems more focused than ever on Saturday�s fight.

While the years will catch up with him at some stage, Calzaghe is a very proud man and will not want to break his fathers impressive record, which shows none of his fighters have been defeated in the last 2 years. Forecast : Calzaghe by a knockout in the middle rounds to unify the titles.� No more than the man deserves!