Thursday Night Boxing Odds Apr 19 – The weekend’s busy boxing schedule kicks off Thursday with a pair of fights getting lines at the sports books.
ESPN2 will be airing undefeated 22 year old Lamont Roach Jr (16-0) latest outing as he faces veteran Orlando Cruz (25-6-1) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Cruz is a hard fighting southpaw who has gone 0-2 in his last two fights and is now 36 years old. One of those losses by Cruz came in England as he faced Terry Flanagan for the WBO version of the world lightweight title.
Cruz brings a lot of pride to his fights but in this one he seems to cancel out his own advantages. Back in his youth, he was also a decorated amateur and an Olympian but on Thursday night he will likely find out just how long ago that was. In his last outing, Cruz lost to Puerto Rican rival Jose Lopez in a fight at 130 pounds that had a regional title on the line.
Roach is looking to make a name for himself in a crowded weight class. Cruz is likely his best opponent to date. Roach Jr will enter the fight a major favorite despite fighting in his opponent’s back yard. The fact is that Roach Jr is taking a measured step against Cruz. It is not like he is stepping into deep waters, as Roach Jr brings a much more sophisticated boxing arsenal than Cruz already. Though Thursday’s fight is a challenge for Roach Jr, it still falls short of being a true “step up” fight. Check your local listings for start times on ESPN2.
The Montreal Casino up north in Canada hosts a boxing card headlined by Oscar Rivas (22-0) vs Carlos Ramirez (16-5).
The fight does not appear to be airing anywhere major and is just an eight rounder but the books are paying attention to the presence of Rivas in this one. The Colombian born Rivas operate sin the heavyweight division and a win over the journeyman Antonio is expected.
And that will leave Rivas at 23-0. Recent losses by Australia’s Lucas Browne, England’s Hughie Fury and Cuba’s Luis Ortiz saw a trio of undefeated fighters take their first losses. Rivas hopes to keep his “0”and raise his stock. Right now he does not have a lot of attention but this Thursday’s fight is probably the last fight for Rivas at this level.
So the bottom line is that Thursday RAmirez will be in the bullseye for Rivas, who wants to be considered for a step up fight of his own next. Rivas was originally set to face Brazil’s Edson Cesar Antonio (40-7-1) but Ramirez stepped into the spot on late notice. Is Rivas looking past Ramirez? It is unlikely to matter in this one, but Rivas already has a May 19th fight booked so he is expecting to escape Thursday unscathed.
Below are the odds from one of the books. Check your sportsbooks for additional lines from both cards later as we get closer to fight day.
Thursday Night Boxing Odds Apr 19
Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot – San Juan, Puerto Rico – ESPN2
Super Featherweight 10 rounds –
Orlando Cruz +650
Lamont Roach -1350
Montreal Casino – Montreal, Canada
Heavyweight 8 rounds –
Sergio Ramirez +2800
Oscar Rivas -7000
Thursday Night Boxing Odds Apr 19 / Check out more boxing news and features at The Sweet Science.
[related_post_one]
The NBA playoffs are bringing the heat. Get all your basketball here.
