Arthur has Bigger Plans after Fighting Cook

Some BetUS Sportsbook bettors who are interested in wagering on professional boxing will be looking "across the pond" on Saturday (September 6), when Alex Arthur defends his WBO super featherweight title against the challenge of Nicky Cook in a scheduled 12-rounder that will take place at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England.

BetUS Boxing Betting Odds

WBO Super Featherweight (130-pound) title

12 Rounds

September 6 - Manchester, UK

ALEX ARTHUR -450

NICKY COOK +325

For betting purposes, let's take a look at the contestants:

ARTHUR (26-1, 19 KO's), the -450 favorite in the BetUS boxing betting odds, is the darling of Scottish boxing. Turning pro in November of 2000, he ripped through a number of opponents before winning the BBBC 130-pound title over Steve Conway in October of 2002. After another successful defense against Willie Limond in July 2003, he was sailing along until he was blitzed by Michael Gomez, knocked down three times en route to losing on a fifth-round TKO that sent him back to the drawing board. But he has come back with ten straight wins, and along the way he annexed the Commonwealth, IBF Inter-Continental, BBBC and European titles. In July of last year he made good on his quest to win the WBO title, as he scored a big stoppage of Koba Gogoladze in ten rounds. He made one defense, last September, racking up a decision win over Stephen Foster.

COOK (28-1, 16 KO's), the +325 underdog at BetUS, turned pro in December of 1998 with a first-round KO of Sean Grant. After a few years as a pro, his first 12-round opportunity came against Marcelo Gabriel Ackerman in December of 2001, who he stopped in three rounds. Cook won the Commonwealth title at 126 pounds in February 2003 and captured the European crown a year later. In June of '05 he scored a second-round KO of Dazzo Williams in a fight that was contested for the BBC, Commonwealth and European titles. Eventually that led to a shot at the vacant WBO 126-pound championship, but he was stopped in the eleventh round by Steven Luevano. He has fought once since, knocking out Kirkor Kirkorov in two rounds on February 2.

Cook feels Arthur has been looking past him, to fights with bigger-name people like Manny Pacquiao or Joel Casamayor. That may be more imagined than real, but judging by the result of Cook's effort against the limited world-class opposition he's faced might make a fighter with bigger aspirations a little over-confident. Cook was floored five times against Luevano, including body shots, and of course is making noises that the featherweight division, where he had spent virtually his entire career, did not represent his best fighting weight.

"The weight was definitely the issue against Luevano," Cook told the BBC website.." At world level you have to have the whole package - the strength, the stamina, the sharpness - and obviously I fell short in the strength department."

That's loser talk.

But in a way, Cook is right. Arthur and his trainer, the former 122-pound champ Wayne McCullough, are already making noises about moving to the lightweight division, so they're already looking past Saturday's opponent, although I don't notice them cooking up weight-related excuses in case the unexpected happens. What you are getting from McCullough are a lot of quotes about how Arthur is in the right kind of shape right now: "His physical condition is superb. His mental strength is back at the level it should be and he's ready to go."