Posted on 1/29/2008 9:57:06 AM

Boxing Betting – Can Haymer Pull an Oakey-Dokey Again?

By Charles Jay

BetUS Boxing Betting Odds

BBBC 175-lb. title

February 1 -- London

TONY OAKEY -350

PETER HAYMER +250

Tony Oakey, who won the BBBC British light heavyweight title eight and a half months ago and was barely able to hold onto it in his first defense, puts that crown at risk against on Friday when he takes on Peter Haymer in a highly-charged rematch that will be held Friday night (UK time) at the York Hall in London.

In the BetUS boxing betting odds, Oakey is listed as the -350 favorite (laying 7/2) while Haymer is the underdog at +250 (taking 5/2).

For betting purposes, let's size up the contestants:

OAKEY (24-2, 6 KO's), the -350 favorite at BetUS, is the former Commonwealth and WBU (World Boxing Union) champion at 175 pounds. He won the latter title in March of 2002 with a 12-round decision over Neil Simpson, and made two successful defenses, including one against Andrei Kiarsten where he had to get off the deck twice to score a decision, before losing a split nod to Matthew Barney in October of '03 in a fight that was, according to one British writer, "one of the worst to be seen in a British ring in years." Truth is, Oakey lost more than the title; he tested positive for cocaine after the fight and found himself banned from British rings for a year.

Aside from the fight with Barney, Oakey's only other pro loss took place in June of 2005 when he lost a ten-round referee's decision to Haymer. The arbiter, Grant Walls, had it razor-thin, giving Haymer the 96-95 advantage. Oakey, who claimed highway robbery there, has come back with five wins and a draw. He stopped Steven Spartacus in 12 rounds last May to win the BBBC British title, and in his last bout, on August 25, he managed to retain his title with a majority draw against Brian Magee.

HAYMER (17-4-1, 5 KO's) has also fought the aforementioned Spartacus, beating him on points in November of '04 for the BBBC's English light heavy title. Haymer made three successful defenses, including one against Oakey. He was stopped in two rounds by Ovill McKenzie in Sept. '04 in an attempt to win the Commonwealth title, and lost an eight-round decision to Paul David in his last fight on May 18.

This fight was supposed to take place in November, but Oakey had to beg out of it, citing eye problems. Oakey moved from Portsmouth to London after the first fight with Haymer and credits his success since then to the move, because of the better sparring he's received.

Haymer's trainer, Chris Hall, feels his man might be able to end things inside the distance, but, in his words, "that's a big task because Oakey's never been stopped."

Indeed. To be honest, neither guy is enough of a puncher to score an easy knockout over the other. In a fight that will likely go the distance, you've got to take a long, hard look at the underdog if he is the better boxer. Even Oakey's camp would admit that Haymer is the better pure technician. But they complained that Haymer held too much in the first meeting. At 6'1", Haymer has a considerable height advantage over the 5'8" Oakey, making him even more difficult to fight. On top of that, he seems to have frustrated Oakey the first time out.

Even with his unbeaten streak after the Haymer loss, Oakey hasn't really proven very much. We think Haymer has enough going for him to take a shot with him as the +250 underdog in the BetUS boxing odds.

JAY'S PLAY: HAYMER (+250) **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

Betting on boxing has never been so easy and you can get your bets in now in the BetUS sportsbook. Go to Other Sports: Boxing. Find tons of props on the fight and the fighters in the Future / props section as well!

(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a former manager, matchmaker and color commentator in professional boxing. He currently pulls no punches in the BetUS Locker Room)