Boxing Betting – Hasim Rahman vs. James Toney

It's a heavyweight rematch that maybe no one really wanted to see, except perhaps BetUS Sportsbook boxing betting enthusiasts interested in value. On Wednesday night (9 PM ET), Hasim Rahman, the two-time heavyweight champion, will once against fight James Toney, who has almost been a two-time heavyweight champion, in a scheduled 12-round NABO heavyweight title bout that will take place at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California and will be televised in the United States on Fox SportsNet.

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BetUS Boxing Betting Odds:
NABO Heavyweight Title
July 16 -- Temecula, CA

HASIM RAHMAN -140
JAMES TONEY +110

Over 11.5 Rounds -220
Under 11.5 Rounds +175

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

RAHMAN (45-6-2, 36 KO's), the -140 favorite in the BetUS boxing betting odds, suffered grueling defeats to both David Tua and Oleg Maskaev before he knocked out Corrie Sanders (May 2000), then Lennox Lewis, to win the undisputed heavyweight crown in April of 2001. A tug-of-war for his services then ensued, and when Rahman fought Lewis in the rematch, it was a different story, as he was knocked out with one big right hand in the fourth round. he then went three more fights without winning, including a technical decision loss to Evander Holyfield, a draw with Tua, and a decision defeat to John Ruiz. He then rehabilitated his career with fights against mediocre opponents, then beat Monte Barrett for the "interim" WBC title after Vitali Klitschko retired rather than face him in a mandatory championship bout. The first defense was against Toney, and it wound up being a dull fight which ended with two of the judges scoring it a draw and the other giving Rahman a six point edge. Then Rahman lost a rematch with Maskaev, getting stopped in the 12th and final round to lose the title. Once again, Rahman has been rehabbing, with four straight wins, the latest of which was a tenth-round TKO over Zuri Lawrence last November.

TONEY (70-6-3, 43 KO's), the +110 underdog at BetUS, has never won a heavyweight crown (at least not one he could keep), but he's probably the more accomplished of the two fighters. He began his career with a long unbeaten streak as a middleweight, and won his first title, the IBF 160-pound crown, in 1991 over Reggie Johnson. Toney later beat Iran Barkley for the IBF super middleweight title, and lost that belt when he was dominated by Roy Jones Jr. in November of 1994. Toney later won titles from the World Boxing Union at both light heavyweight and cruiserweight, and won the IBF cruiserweight title when he scored an impressive decision over Vassily Jirov. Then he set his sights on the heavyweight division. First he knocked out Evander Holyfield, then decisioned Rydell Booker, and even scored a decision over John Ruiz, and rather easily, to win the WBA crown. Subsequent to the fight, however, he was stripped of his crown when he tested positive for a prohibited substance. He then had the draw with Rahman, and a controversial decision loss to Sam Peter, in further heavyweight bids. Then there was a rematch with Peter, which e clearly lost. Toney last fought in May of last year, a split decision over the ordinary Danny Batchelder.

When analyzing this fight the first time, I figured Rahman would be the guy plodding forward, while Toney would be an elusive target, exhibiting upper body movement to confuse Rahman, often by standing against the ropes. He was indeed elusive, but Rahman countered that relatively well. There is little question about the fact that Toney has a bigger big of tricks, but what must come into consideration here is how much each of these guys have lost since the last time they fought. Well, Toney looked horrible against Peter, and in the fight against Batchelder, who should not have been much of a problem for a great fighter.

Rahman, who is "only" 36 compared to Toney, who is a month away from the 40-mark, seems like the one who might have more left in the tank at this point. And last year he was active, fighting four time sin a five-month period, One of those wins was over Taurus Sykes, who is respectable. Rahman can still carry some power with him, and though Toney has an excellent chin, he can be busier and make Toney a little more apprehensive about going on an aggressive attack. What's more, who knows whether Toney, who was unusually tentative, and actually got outboxed by Peter, is offensive-minded enough to do much more than last the distance.

I can imagine a fresher, more active fighter in Rahman, and that's why I will take him as the -140 favorite in the BetUS boxing betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: RAHMAN TO WIN (-140) **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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