Rodriguez vs Lopez Odds: Vacant Title Up for Grabs
IBF World Bantamweight Title
As Rodriguez vs Lopez odds suggest, most of the betting attention has been for Emmanuel Rodriguez.
The 21-2 fighter is the second-ranked bantamweight in the world, and many boxing bets will include him.
In terms of boxing schedules, it’s one of the bigger boxing fights this weekend.
Rodriguez Fighting Back
Consecutive losses can derail anyone’s career, but the 31-year-old Puerto Rican bounced back impressively.
He lost to Naoya Inoue in 2019 for the IBF title before losing to Reymart Gaballo by split decision, so he deserves credit for pushing Gaballo so close.
He took care of an average fighter last year before scoring a technical decision victory against Gary Antonio Russell, after he sustained an injury due to an accidental headbutt.
However, Rodriguez was winning that fight at the time, so it somewhat tarnished what could have been a statement victory.
The -800 favorite is eyeing a knockout, according to the latest boxing news.
“We’re coming to knock Melvin Lopez out,” said Rodriguez. “I believe that I will be dominating the fight by the sixth, seventh or eighth round. It’s going to be just a matter of time.
“Our goal is to drive him back because we know he has an aggressive style and reputation. We’re going to prevent that by fighting in the middle of the ring or pinning him against the ropes. If we have to adjust, I’m confident we’ll still be successful.”
He has the class advantage of Lopez, who might be 29-1, but he’s ranked 69th in the world, so there is lightyears between them, as the odds suggest.
Lopez Taking His Shot
Credit to Lopez for accepting such a difficult fight, but he should be +1000 with Rodriguez vs Lopez odds and not +500.
We don’t see much value for the Nicaraguan, who scored a split decision victory against Jobert Alvarez last year, which was a two-star fight.
The only form guide at the top level came against Jose Velasquez in 2019, where he fought for the WBO International bantamweight title. He would lose by TKO in the ninth round, so it’s not a good performance.
He turned pro at an early age, and he’s only 25 now. That’s in his favor, but it’s hard to find positives against such a tough opponent.
We would have liked to see Lopez taking on someone easier to prepare for fights like this.
“I’m very excited that the time is almost here to fight for a world title,” said Lopez. “We’ve had a great training camp and everyone has sacrificed and worked hard so that we’re at our best on August 12.
I’m going to show everyone why I earned this opportunity and repay my team for all of their efforts.I have a lot of respect for Emmanuel, but the best man will have his hand raised when we share the ring.”
