Odds for a pair of random boxing bouts have popped up at the sportsbooks as we head into fight week… Madison Square Garden – New York, New York Super Bantamweight – 6 rounds Tim Ibarra +4000 Michael Conlan -10000 NOTE: New York City hosts the highly-anticipated professional debut of Ireland’s amateur phenom Michael Conlan appropriately on St. Patrick’s Day, this Friday (March 17, 2017). The fight card is promoted by Bob Arum and Top Rank, with the venerable promoter winning big publicity for itself by signing Conlan shortly after the young man was robbed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janiero. Here, Arum is taking no chances with the talented Conlan, as he is facing a 4-4 fighter in Tim Ibarra. Because of his decorated amateur career that saw Conlan win bronze in the 2012 Olympics before being robbed in 2016, Conlan enters the professional ranks already a recognizable draw. Few fighters get to headline NYC for their debuts, but Conlan is getting to do just that. Ibarra has fought at several smaller weight classes, and he simply doesn’t have the pedigree that Conlan has. The fight is set to air on Spanish language UniMas in the United States. — Santander Arena – Reading, Pennsylvania – Showtime Heavyweight – 10 rounds Amir Mansour -115 Travis Kauffman -115 Note: Hard-hitting action tops the March 17th PBC on BounceTV card, as Mansour (22-2-1) and Kauffman (31-1) vie for the vacant WBC United States title at heavyweight. Kauffman is best remembered for his December of 2015 split-decision loss to Chris Arreola, which was later overturned to a No-Contest. Besides that, the lone loss of his career came back in September of 2009. Meanwhile, Mansour has been off for more than a year since he was stopped by Dominic Breazeale. Mansour (now 43 years old) is a physical specimen who is looking to make a run at one big payday, but he suffered a broken jaw against Breazeale, and this will be his first competition since that injury. As for Kauffman, he is a veteran, but he has journeyman-level competition compared to Mansour throughout his career. Kauffman will be slightly bigger than Mansour, and he does have an age advantage of a dozen years as they head into Friday’s fight.
Friday’s Worldwide Boxing Odds & Betting Action (March 17, 2017)
