Joshua, Olympic Gold medalist at London 2012, has lit up the boxing world since turning pro. He’s blasted his way through all of his opponents – racking up a perfect record of 17-0 with all of his wins coming by KO.
Unsurprisingly, William Hill offer short odds (1/12) on a Joshua victory by KO. The round betting looks a more interesting proposition. He’s just 9/2 to win in round 1… However punters seem to believe AJ will during rounds 3 (9/2), 4 (7/1) or 5 (9/1).
Molina is available at 14/1 to win by KO and 50/1 to win on points.
The chief support fight is the grudge match between Dillian Whyte and Derick Chisora. The bookies make Whyte the 2/7 favourite, with Chisora available at 11/4.
One of the most popular bets of the weekend is for the either Whyte or Chisora to be disqualified during the fight. The bookies cut the odds from 10/1 to 9/1 on a DQ for either fighter after a fractious build-up to the heavyweight showdown.
Elsewhere, Kal Yafai is the 1/2 favourite to beat the defending WBA super flyweight champion Luis Concepcion.(7/4)
Another Luis in action is ‘King Kong’ Ortiz. The undefeated Cuban is rated a 1/100 chance to beat ‘The White Rhino’ Dave Allen (16/1).
Calum Smith is 1/100 to beat Luke Blackledge, while Conor Benn is the same price (1/100) to continue his unblemished pro-career with a win over Steven Backhouse (16/1)
Multiple world champion Katie Taylor, who made a stunning pro-debut last month, is 1/100 to beat Viviane Obenauf (16/1).
“Joshua against Molina tops the bill at the Manchester Arena – but the fight everyone is talking about is Whyte/Chisora, said William Hill spokesman Tony Kenny, “The volatile nature of their previous interactions suggest anything could happen – including a DQ.”
Latest odds from the sponsors
1/100 Conor Benn, 33/1 Draw, 16/1 Steven Blackhouse
1/100 Luis Ortiz, 33/1 Draw, 16/1 Dave Allen
1/2 Kal Yafai, 25/1 Draw,7/4 Luis Concepcion
2/7 Dillian Whyte. 28/1 Draw, 11/4 Dereck Chisora,
1/100 Katie Taylor, 33/1 Draw, 16/1 Viviane Obenauf
1/33 Anthony Joshua, 33/1 Draw, 12/1 Eric Molina
1/100 Calum Smith, 33/1 Draw, 16/1 Luke Blackledge
1/33 Scott Quigg, 28/1 Draw, 10/1 Jose Cayetano
3/10 Hosea Burton, 25/1 Draw, 5/2 Frank Buglioni
Selected specials
1/12 Joshua to win by KO
15/8 Joshua to win in round 3-4
5/4 Either Whyte or Chisora to be deducted a point during their fight
9/1 Either Whyte or Chisora to be disqualified
