Posted on 5/7/2008 4:50:26 PM

Boxing Betting – Witter vs. Bradley – The Hitter Tries to Hit Big!

By Charles Jay

There's an overseas treat for BetUS Sportsbook boxing bettors this weekend in the United Kingdom, as Junior "The Hitter" Witter, the WBC light welterweight (140-lb.) champion, who is seeking not just respect but a big payday against one of Britain's icons, makes the third defense of his title against young Timothy Bradley of California in a scheduled 12-round bout that will be televised in the United States in a special edition of Showtime's "ShoBox" series on Saturday night from the Nottingham Arena in Nottinghamshire, England.

BetUS Boxing Betting Odds

WBC Light Welterweight (140-pound) Title

May 10 -- Nottingham, UK

JUNIOR WITTER -700

TIMOTHY BRADLEY +500

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

WITTER (36-1-2, 21 KO's), the -700 favorite in the BetUS boxing betting odds, is campaigning for an eventual fight with Ricky Hatton. that may have some value since both fighters are from the United Kingdom, but otherwise Witter has not built enough credentials to be considered for such a fight. Like many fighters from the U.K., he has taken a low-risk road to getting where he is. Sure, he beat Lovemore N'Dou on a decision in February of 2005. And he also scored a decision over former WBO champ DeMarcus Corley in September of 2006. But these are hardly performances that mandate high-profile fights. When Witter moved into world-class opposition for first time (and some say, the only time), it was early in his career (the 18th fight, to be exact). Given an opportunity to fight Zab Judah for the IBF junior welterweight title on short notice, he failed miserably, running about the ring in an attempt to avoid contact, and though he went the full 12 rounds, it was not a credibility-builder. Witter has overcome that to an extent, but even though he stopped Vivian Harris in seven rounds in his last fight (September of '07), Harris is not the fighter he once was. In terms of style, Witter moves a lot, hits from both sides (orthodox and southpaw) and comes at the opponent from different angles. He is trained by Brendan Ingle, who also worked with former featherweight champ Prince Naseem Hamed. Witter gives the appearance of being a light puncher, but he can actually hit if he is able to set down and throw. And he seems to have power early in fights - 14 of his KO's have happened in the first three rounds.

BRADLEY (21-0, 11 KO's), the +500 underdog at BetUS, fights out of Palm Springs, CA (hence the nickname "Desert Storm") and has a healthy amateur background, but he has been relatively lightly tested thus far in his pro career. He has yet to venture outside the state of California since turning professional in August of 2004. And he has not faced world-class opposition, which is not so unusual in this day and age even for fighters getting ready to compete for a world title. Bradley's last fight was in July of 2007, and it was also his biggest win to date, as he won a ten-round decision over undefeated Miguel Vasquez to defend his WBC World Youth 140-lb. title. He was supposed to advance himself in terms of name opponents in March with a fight against Jose Luis Castillo, but that fell out and he fell into this greater opportunity instead. Bradley is a boxer/puncher who is generally considered to be strong for his size, with a style some have described as being reminiscent of Shane Mosley. He is 9-1/2 years younger than Witter.

In this fight, Bradley faces a lot of challenges at once. he is not only fighting outside of California, and outside of the U.S., but also in his opponent's home territory, where it is always tough to come away with a victory. Even though we're not crazy about Witter, there would appear to be little doubt that Bradley is taking a big step up in fighting his toughest opponent to date, and opponent with more pro experience, and against better foes. He is going to be encountered with a difficult style to negotiate, and he hasn't been the "championship distance" yet, while Witter has been twelve rounds on five different occasions.

That's a lot to overcome. I'd like to come up with some compelling reasons to move with Bradley, the underdog, but I think there will be too many things working against him. I'm going to make a recommendation on Witter at -700 in the BetUS boxing betting odds, though it is not a huge play.

JAY'S PLAY: WITTER TO WIN (-700) **

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