In what is shaping up to be a massive summer in the heavyweight boxing landscape, Oleksandr Usyk vs. Derek Chisora is the latest fight to have been announced, with the former installed as a strong betting favourite.
The May 23 bout will mark Usyk's second professional outing in the UK, 18 months on from his knockout victory over Tony Bellew in his final fight at cruiserweight.
While a best price of 1/6 for Usyk is fair given the Ukrainian's amateur pedigree and his incredible CV in the professional ranks, Chisora has enjoyed a resurgence in the last two years with impressive wins over Carlos Takam and David Price. Punters could be forgiven for being tempted at 9/2.
The Brit's last defeat was at the hands of Dillian Whyte in their thrilling rematch at the O2 Arena in 2018, and another loss in London would surely spell the end of his hopes of a shot at a world title.
Usyk, meanwhile, is the mandatory challenger for the WBO belt and is in line to face champion Anthony Joshua, who is also involved in a big fight this summer.
Having reclaimed his WBO, IBF and WBA titles from Andy Ruiz Jr in December, Joshua faces his IBF mandatory, Kubrat Pulev, on June 20 in the first boxing event staged at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The pair were set to meet in Cardiff in 2017, but Pulev withdrew through injury and Joshua instead fought Takam.
Joshua, a two-time world champion, is a 1/8 shot but Pulev might take interest at 7/1 especially given the vulnerability Joshua showed in the first Ruiz Jr fight. Bettors who believe Pulev could spark an upset can claim one of the betting site offers currently available before placing a wager and in turn scoop some free bets.
Even though the Pulev fight is Joshua's only focus right now, the bookies are already looking ahead to possible future fights that could take place further down the line.
The betting odds for Joshua to beat Usyk are 1/2, but perhaps even more enticing are potential matchups against Deontay Wilder and an all-British undisputed heavyweight title bout with Tyson Fury, who stopped Wilder in Las Vegas last month.
Interestingly, the bookmakers are split on who would triumph between Joshua and Wilder, with the Englishman priced at 4/7 with some firms and 11/10 with others.
Fury vs. Joshua is more clear cut as far as online betting sites are concerned, with the Gypsy King a 1/2 shot and Joshua at 7/4 best price.
Before either Fury or Wilder can think about a long-awaited clash with Joshua, they will battle one another again this summer in the third instalment of their trilogy.
Fury, who in the eyes of many won the first fight, earned a comprehensive victory over the American in February and is a 2/7 favourite to successfully defend his WBC title against the former champion.
When it comes to future fights, especially those that aren't even announced yet, it is best to shop around multiple betting sites and look for the best prices and deals on comparison websites like MyBettingsites.com/ca.
Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povetkin is confirmed for May 2, with the best price on a Povetkin triumph set at an intriguing 3/1.
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