Joe Calzaghe vs. Peter Manfredo Jr. - HBO Boxing - Bodog Odds

April 7th, 2007, will see a Super Middleweight bout between undefeated Joe Calzaghe and former star of the television show The Contender, Peter Manfredo Jr. The fight will be held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales and broadcast on HBO.

Calzaghe is 42-0 (with 31 coming by KO). A southpaw fighter, Calzaghe is known as both “The Pride of Wales” and “The Italian Dragon.” According to Ring Magazine, he is considered one of the 10 best fighters in the world. Calzaghe possesses power, good ring movement, and he combines European technique with American aggression.

Calzaghe signed to defend his WBO Super Middleweight Title against Manfredo, but had to relinquish his IBF Super Middleweight Title in order to do so (the IBF ruled that he must defend against Robert Stieglitz). If he beats Manfredo, his next fight may be against Bernard Hopkins or Jermain Taylor.

Manfredo, on the other hand, has a professional record of 26-3 (with 12 wins coming by KO). He has held the WBO and NABA Light Middleweight Titles. He hails from Providence, Rhode Island and has the nickname of “The Pride of Providence.”

He was a very popular competitor on the boxing reality show The Contender, although he was not the eventual winner.

Manfredo and his camp believe that he can easily outbox Calzaghe. Experts believe this may be wishful thinking on his part. To help him in this endeavor, the host of The Contender, Sugar Ray Leonard, will be in his corner.

So what kind of odds is the fight getting? Well, according to Bodog, the odds are as follows:

Joe Calzaghe -1800

Peter Manfredo Jr. +900

You can also bet on how many rounds that the fight will last. The Over/Under is currently 7 ½., and the odds are:

Over 7 ½ rounds -160

Under 7 ½ rounds +120

Personally, I’m going with Calzaghe to win by a TKO in the 3rd round. He’s too experienced and too talented to be beat by a journeyman fighter like Manfredo. Let’s just cross our fingers and hope that a fight between Calzaghe and Hopkins or Taylor actually materializes.

Joe Calzaghe vs. Peter Manfredo Jr. - HBO Boxing - Bodog Odds