Carl Frampton v Kiko Martinez Boxing Odds : Punters eye a new super bantam weight champion with all eyes on Belfast
Its Carl Frampton v Kiko Martinez as Paddy Power release the latest boxing odds and report that Frampton is a heavy favourite to lift the title.
A sold out Odyssey Arena in Belfast will be hoping to see one of their own, Carl Frampton, become super-bantamweight champion this Saturday – but Kiko Martinez won’t relinquish his title without a fight.
Frampton is being billed as one of the UK top young fighters and this is the next step along the long road to becoming a world champion.
He is a warm order in the betting markets against the current European champion with online bookmaking firms such as Ladbrokes and Paddy Power offering just 1/5 on the 25-year-old winning on home soil.
Carl Frampton v Kiko Martinez : Paddy Power Free Bet Offer
Paddy Power are getting involved in the fight by throwing up a new free bets offer worth worth £250/€250 to all customers to spend on any of tonights betting markets, be that outright winner, method of victory and more! Claim here!
Managed by Barry McGuigan and trained by his son Shane, Frampton is unbeaten since turning professional 15 bouts ago.
Despite being sheltered from the limelight by his management over the last two years, he looks a very special boxer. He is super-quick and can box very well off the back foot whilst also sustaining strong actions when going forward.
Many pundits are predicting that his impressive speed and array of shots will see him through against the very durable, but limited current champion, who is a 7/2 shot with Bet365 to hold onto his title.
Martinez, who oozes confidence, has history when crossing the Irish sea to take on a home-grown fighter seemingly set for the top. “La Sensacion” stunned the 8,000 in attendance back in 2007 when he dished out a surprising thrashing to Bernard Dunne for his EBU super bantamweight title.
Martinez had promised fireworks before that fight, in similar fashion to the build-up to this match-up, and within 90 seconds had put Dunne down on the canvas three times before the bout was stopped.
That was a crushing defeat for the career of Dunne, and Martinez is looking to do the same to Frampton this weekend.
Martinez has been due to fight Frampton for the last 18 months but has pulled out of each scheduled bout due to injury. The theory, according to Frampton’s camp, is that the man from Alicante was running scared, but he is true fighter and won’t be running come Saturday night. Any locals expecting a walkover for their prodigal son will be surprised.
Rendall Munroe and Takalani Ndlovu are the only fighters in the world to have beaten Martinez, and on both occasions, the Spaniard put on firm resistance. He has also never been knocked down in his career – anyone taking the 11/10 with Ladbrokes about Frampton winning by KO, TKO or Disqualification may want to rethink their punting strategy. Both of those aforementioned fighters have gone onto bigger and better things – Munroe went close to a world title while Ndlovu claimed the IBF crown; therefore, subsequently, the form line of Martinez’s fight have been boosted.
The European champion also has the know-how in the ring that maybe Frampton, as talented as he may be, doesn’t possess as yet. Martinez has gone the distance in five of his professional fights, whilst the Northern Irishman has only done it once and strikes as someone that doesn’t relish a battle. With that in mind, it’s no surprise to see that Frampton to win by Decision has been popular with Ladbrokes at 6/4. Martinez may be lacking in technique but he has the heart – that can take you pretty far in this game.
That 7/2 on a Martinez win might look very generous come Saturday evening.
This is being billed as one of the biggest nights in Northern Irish boxing history since the days of McGuigan, and Sky Sports is covering all the action live.
Also on the Odyssey bill Martin Lindsay challenges Lee Selby for the Welshman’s British and Commonwealth titles, while Jamie Conlan fights for an Intercontinental title and Andy Lee faces Anthony Fitzgerald.
