Weekend boxing tips from Rob Tebbutt including Abass Barou v Sam Eggington

With no major domestic action taking place this weekend, our resident boxing expert Rob Tebbutt takes a look at four bouts taking place overseas and reveals where the betting value can be found across them all.

Abass Baraou v Sam Eggington Tips
Luis Alberto Lopez v Reiya Abe Tips
Otabek Kholmatov v Raymond Ford Tips

Abass Baraou v Sam Eggington
EBU European super-welterweight title

Fight To Go The Distance @ 1/2
Either Fighter To Win By Split Decision @ 5/1

In what could well prove to be the fight of the weekend, Germany’s Abass Baraou squares off with Birmingham’s Sam Eggington for the vacant EBU European super-welterweight title.

The bout presents an interesting clash of styles between the slick, well-schooled style of Baraou and the all-action Eggington; a man who has a strong claim to the title of Britain’s most entertaining fighter.

Though starting out as a 50-50 affair, the money has come in on Baraou, shortening him to a 4/11 favourite on the night. That, for me, is a touch short and gives value players a very attractive price for Eggington to win outright at 11/5.

For me, this is a fight that will be nip and tuck and more-than-likely heads to the judges scorecards.

Eggington has only been stopped twice in eight losses and Baraou, for all of his talent, has boxed just five times at a poor level since his controversial loss to Jack Culcay in August 2020.

Eggington has been more active, against better opposition, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one that judges and fans-alike find it tough to split.

Luis Alberto Lopez vs Reiya Abe
IBF featherweight title

Luis Alberto Lopez by Decision/Technical Decision @ 20/21

IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez (1/8) looks to continue his rich vein of form this weekend, as he takes on Japan’s Reiya Abe (5/1) in New York.

The bout marks the third defence of the title Lopez won from Josh Warrington back in December 2022 and is arguably his trickiest test of his reign so far.

Abe is an experienced operator around Japanese-level and the rangy southpaw will enjoy a significant height and reach advantage over Lopez on the night.

Lopez, who looked so devastating in a fifth round stoppage win over Mick Conlan last May, flattered to deceive somewhat in his last outing against Joet Gonzalez.

It will be interesting to see how his unorthodox movement and offensive angles will go about closing the distance against Abe.

Indeed, the last defeat Lopez had came against another slick, southpaw boxer in Ruben Villa back in May 2019 and he’ll have to box better than he did that night if he’s going to retain his title on Saturday night.

I do think Lopez will find a way to make his pressure count on the judges scorecards, but this is a fight I see being close and tough to score. With the Mexican being the home fighter and, likely, the aggressor on the night, I feel he will do enough to convince the judges and hold on to his title by decision.

For the underdog bettors, you could do a lot worse than looking at Abe springing the upset by Decision/Technical Decision @ 8/1, but for me, I’ll be backing the champion to retain his title by a narrow margin.

Otabek Kholmatov v Raymond Ford
WBA featherweight title

Raymond Ford by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2/1

The second of two world featherweight title bouts sees Uzbekistan’s Otabek Kholmatov (4/6) and America’s Raymond Ford (6/5) meet for the vacant WBA belt in a clash of unbeaten potential stars.

The contest serves up an interesting clash of styles, with Kholmatov’s aggressive, front-foot offense meeting Ford’s slick, snappy counter-punching skills head-on. Invariably, these fights will come down to who is able to execute their respective game-plans.

Kholmatov looked fantastic in blowing Thomas Patrick Ward away in March 2023, but other than that, there isn’t a whole lot to measure the undoubtedly-heavy-handed southpaw against.

He possesses good power and speed, but also looks somewhat open defensively and boxes with a wide stance, which could prove tricky against a fleet-footed mover like Ford.

Ford, on the other hand, has been given a stern apprenticeship as a professional, with some arguing - perhaps correctly - he was fortunate to remain unbeaten in bouts with Edward Vazquez and Aaron Perez.

Nevertheless, Ford has had to pass those gut-checks on the way up and produced a career-best performance last time out against former super-bantamweight champion Jessie Magdaleno.

This is a fight that really could go either way, but I do feel the value lays with Ford. I feel Kholmatov’s win over the largely-untested Thomas Patrick Ward has flattered him a little, and I’m backing the American to tough it out in spots before hanging on to emerge victorious by close decision.