Felix Alvarado vs. Deejay Kriel fight odds, picks and prediction
We get an IBF junior flyweight title bout between Felix Alvarado and Deejay Kriel at American Airlines Arena in Dallas on Saturday. The 12-round fight is tentatively scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET, and will be televised on DAZN as part of the Ryan Garcia-Luke Campbell undercard. Below, we break down the Alvarado-Kriel bout with betting odds, picks and predictions.
Alvarado vs. Kriel: Tale of the tape
Alvarado (35-2) will be fighting on a card with his twin brother, so that will be exciting for the family. The 31-year-old will be defending his 108-pound title for the second time. He took the vacant strap at this division with a win over Randy Petalcorin back on Oct. 2018, and he hasn't faced a challenge like this one since. However, South Africa's Kriel (16-1-1) presents a real danger. He hasn't lost since April 2014, a points loss to Colin Tloubatla, and he has been on an upward trajectory since. He won the IBF strawweight belt after topping Carlos Licona in the 12th round back in February 2019, and he is seeking his second title in a second weight division in this one against the Nicaraguan.
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Alvarado vs. Kriel betting odds, predictions and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 9:15 a.m. ET.
Alvarado (-450) will look to kick off 2021 on a positive note for his family, as the first twin climbs into the ring before his older brother Rene at 4 p.m. against Roger Gutierrez. Felix will get the job done over the South African, despite Kriel's frequent saying that he won't lose again. He will, and it will be Saturday. However, risking four-and-a-half times your potential return is not a good long-term betting strategy, so let's get more specific.
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ALVARADO ON POINTS (+125) is a better bet. He topped Reiya Konishi by unanimous decision on May 19, 2019 in his most recent showing in Japan, retaining his light flyweight title. While he has 30 knockouts among his 35 wins, with just five wins by decision, as he meets better competition he will see fewer knockouts. And Kriel has seen 10 of his 18 career professional bouts decided by the judges, and this one will be no different. If you don't want to pick a specific fighter, but want some action, taking YES (-165) ON 'WILL THE FIGHT GO THE FULL 12 ROUNDS?' is the way to go.
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