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In a fairly quiet weekend in the boxing world, a couple of Friday cards grab my attention as we enjoy a breather after a stunning month of action. The heavyweights have been and gone, with a sprinkling of Golovkin in the middle; the remaining half of the year is sure to deliver with mouth-watering fights waiting to be made.

So this Friday’s British card heads back to York Hall in East London. The iconic venue is synonymous with all-action fights, with the close, hot and sticky atmosphere acting as added impetus for the fighters to deliver. Sweat dripping off the wall behind you as you peak over the balcony just feet from the action – there is no place like it in the UK.

One fight grabs the attention on this Matchroom NXTGEN card – Conor Benn vs. Jussi Koivula. Benn – like his father – loves a scrap. Willing to engage in warfare during fights has seen him labelled as one of the most entertaining fighters in Britain with a record of just 14-0. Benn will be defending his WBA Continental welterweight title on Friday – a trinket used for rankings purposes – against a Finnish fighter that can’t be underestimated.

The interesting point about this fight is the shift in the odds over this week. When I assessed the market on Monday you couldn’t get much better than 1/10 on a Conor Benn victory. The bookies had seemingly viewed this fight as another knock-over job for Benn, without looking at the bigger picture, as well as the vulnerabilities “The Destroyer” often shows.

Koivula went the distance with the rated Samuel Vargas in 2017. Losing a split decision on the cards, this level of experience will be priceless in this latest trip to foreign soil. Despite being 35, the patchy record of the challenger suggests he is willing to mix throughout the levels: Benn is a good match for him at this stage of his career.

Now priced at a more conservative 3/10 to get the victory, Benn has slipped into the realm of providing value in backing. He is susceptible to getting licks over the ten rounds, but as he showed against Cedrick Peynaud in their first fight, he’ll get up and keep fighting. With just 9 KOs on his record, it’s unlikely Koivula will keep Benn down on Friday; it’s also unlikely he’ll get him on the cards.

Conor Benn to win @ 3/10 (BetFred)

Andrew Cancio vs. Alberto Machado in a rematch of their February brawl is worth half an eye as well on Friday evening. It’s proving hard to source odds for this one (they may become available on Friday), but backing the challenger to regain his crown will offer value that you simply couldn’t get in the original bout.

It’s the old heart vs. head conundrum in a toss up between repeat and revenge. So often I find myself leaning towards revenge for the fallen champion after a shock defeat, assuming the lessons would be learned in the subsequent camp – maybe I’m the one that needs to learn the lesson of thunder so often striking twice in this sport.

Cancio dominated an aggressive fourth round in the first meeting with ferocious body attacks to the 5ft 10″ frame of Machado proving too much for the southpaw to handle. It all looked so different after the defending champion dropped Cancio in the opening round with a stiff uppercut – the Puerto Rican will be relying on his long levers to chop down the champion who will once again march forward attempting to walk through fire. I’m sticking to my guns with revenge. Machado is a freak at this weight and should be smart enough to negate the one-dimensional attacks of the champion. Providing he isn’t completely drained at the weight, he should regain his crown before moving up to lightweight.

Alberto Machado to win @ TBC

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After the excitement of the US Open, its back to business as usual this week, but for European golf fans, the upcoming BMW International Open is one of the highlights of the Tour. Held at Eichenried, just outside Munich, this tournament usually attracts a high-class field, and this year is no exception, with a number of household names lining up to compete for the trophy.

And it should be a wide-open contest at a course that offers something for everyone. Of modest length, the layout is a parkland setting, and has been won by players who represent a range of styles, from big hitters to crafty scramblers.

Top of the pile, at least according to bookmaker BetCris, is the defending champions Matt Wallace. Who is rated as a +950 chance. Wallace will be a popular choice with those trying to predict the winner in Germany, given his strong performances in the PGA Championship and the US Open, where he finished third and twelfth respectively, suggesting that a first Major may not be too far away.

He will be joined by another pair of Europeans who were competing at the US Open in Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer, both available at +1350 with BetCris. Veteran Garcia has never won this tournament and hasn’t been in the best of form in recent months, although he has shown glimpses of his best this year, and a player of his class can never be completely written off.

As a likely winner in Munich this week, however, Kaymer would appear to have more going for him. The two-time Major champion has been without a tournament win for five years, which seems astonishing for a player of his talent. But the good news for Kaymer fans is that he seems to be turning the corner in 2019. He finished in the top ten at the British Masers, and third at Memorial, before playing well at Pebble Beach last week, where his iron play was outstanding.

He also should have won this tournament last year, having been in a good position on the final day, despite not playing at his best, but ended up finishing a shot behind Wallace in third, so will be keen to improve on that showing on his home soil this time round.

Another likely contender is Alex Noren, who has a history of being at his most effective during the summer months and has an impressive record on this side of the Atlantic. He’s won seven of his last forty starts on the European Tour and he will be much more at home than on the PGA Tour.

Other European contenders to keep an eye on this week include Joost Luiten, who has won in Germany before, and has a solid record in this tournament, and the upcoming talents Erik van Rooyen and Thomas Detry. Detry in particular will be keen to return to a course where he finished as runner-up in 2017 and it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see him claim his first title in Munich.

Now that the action at Roland Garros is over, Wimbledon will soon be upon us, and that means that the crowds in London will once again have the chance to watch the great Roger Federer playing his sublime brand of tennis on his favourite, and most successful surface.

Tennis fans who tune in to watch Wimbledon on the BBC will be in for a treat once again as the man who has won the tournament a record eight times, attempts to extend his record to nine.

Grass has always been ideal for Federer’s game. His phenomenal shot-making ability and pin-point precision has always been given full value on this surface, and though many have tried to knock him off his game at Wimbledon, few have succeeded.

Federer is 37 and his decline has been long predicted, but there has been no sign of it yet, and his form remains as good as ever. He may pick and choose his tournaments more these days, but as he showed in France – on his poorest surface – he remains an extraordinarily dangerous player. Only clay-king Rafael Nadal, playing at his absolute best, was able to stop Federer in Paris, and back on a grass court, he could be close to unbeatable.

A few seasons back, when it seemed that his powers might be on the wane, Federer reinvented his approach to the game, particularly on grass, upping his aggression levels. This proved to be a shrewd move, as winning points more quickly enables him to preserve his energy and up against younger opponents, that can be the difference between victory and defeat. Having won three Grand Slam events in 2017 and 2018, he remains a potent force at the top level.

Once again his main challenge at Wimbledon is likely to come from Novak Djokovic. The Serb emerged from a period in the doldrums in remarkable fashion last year, winning Wimbledon and the US Open, before claiming the Australian Open in January this year. His attempt to win a fourth Grand Slam in a row ended in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, but his pace and energy give him extra power on a grass court, and he will be focused on retaining his title.

Grass is Nadal’s least favourite surface, but he is such a fine player that he can win in any conditions, and he has made five finals at Wimbledon, winning it twice. But the last of those came in 2011 and while he has retained his dominance on clay, he hasn’t quite looked as dangerous on grass in recent seasons. That’s why it is Djokovic (6/4) rather than Nadal (11/2) who is rated as the main threat to Federer by bookmakers ahead of this year’s Wimbledon.

But writing off arguably the greatest player of all time is a foolish venture, and there will be plenty of tennis fans looking for the best odds on Bigbetbookmakers.com who will side with the Swiss legend and hope that he can make Wimbledon and tennis history this year.

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Argentina’s bid to win a fifteenth Copa America got off to the worst possible start at the weekend when they crashed to a 2-0 defeat against Colombia in Salvador.

They went into the tournament with lower expectations than in previous years, as they aim to end a drought in this competition that they haven’t won since 1993, although they have finished as runners-up in each of the last two editions. And of course, they have the presence of the world’s best footballer in Lionel Messi, which is always going to mean they will be among the favourites.

Messi’s lack of honours with the full national side has been well documented. Although he has won a gold medal and an Under-20 World Cup for Argentina, and has reached a World Cup final with the senior squad, he has yet to lift a major trophy in his national colours, while his great rival Ronaldo has won the European Championships and this year the Nations League with Portugal.

At the age of 31, he still has time to put that record right, but if Argentina are going to lift this year’s Copa America, they will need to improve drastically, starting with their next Group B game against Paraguay, which takes place on Wednesday June 19.

Paraguay are one of the lower-ranked teams in South America. According to FIFA, they rank only above Ecuador and Bolivia, and they came into this tournament with a mediocre record, having won just one of their preceding four games, against Guatemala. They’ve also entered a period of transition following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Osorio in February and his replacement by Eduardo Berizzo, whose tenure they have been conceding an average of two goals per game.

Like Argentina, they conceded two in their opening Copa America game, but they had a far easier task, taking on Qatar, one of two non-CONMEBOL teams invited to this year’s tournament. Having been expected to pick up an easy win, Paraguay took a 2-0 lead before the hour mark, but conceded twice in the space of nine minutes in the last half an hour, and any repetition of that level of fragility against Argentina is likely to be severely punished.

So, it’s no surprise to see Messi and co regarded as the clear favourites for this one. In fact, BetCris make Argentina the -217 favourite with Paraguay rated as +627 and the draw at +339. Still Argentina will be taking nothing for granted in this fixture against opponents who have caused them problems in the past. In the last round of World Cup Qualifying fixtures, Paraguay held their neighbours 0-0 at home before inflicting a surprise 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture.

And Argentina have some defensive frailties of their own to address, having conceded twice to Colombia in the last twenty minutes of their opening fixture, a game in which the stellar strike force of Messi and Sergio Aguero was unable to produce a goal. Argentina are favourites here but getting the win they need to get their campaign back on track may not be easy.

Soccer – Copa America – Qatar vs Argentina

There were mixed fortunes for each of these two nations in their respective opening tournament fixtures, and this will be a fascinating match-up between the pair. Argentina are long odds-on for this Copa America clash, and it is the first of my big betting events this weekend.

It’s been a terrible couple of years for Argentina, and not even the mercurial Lionel Messi can help turn things around. After an underwhelming 2018 World Cup, Scaloni’s men opened this years Copa America with a 2-0 defeat to Colombia. For all of their attacking riches, they were unable to find the back of the net against their opponents, and their worrying downward trend continues.

It was their first defeat to Colombia in 12 years, and it puts a dent in their hopes of reaching the final once again. They have a great history in this tournament, but their recent record is not quite as impressive. They have been involved in the last two finals, but have failed to get over that final hurdle.

They did have their chances in that game, but were unable to take them. They should get plenty more in this match.

In contrast, Qatar were left feeling very satisfied with their lot following their 2-2 with Paraguay. The invited nation weren’t expected to pick up many points during the course of this tournament, but their opening day stalemate left their small band of travelling fans in a state of delirium.

It proved that they will be no pushover this summer, and they are likely to give the rest of their opponents plenty to think about. They fell behind as early as the fourth minute, but they had the spirit to fight back, and not let their heads drop.

Qatar have not really been given much of a chance by the bookies, but they won’t go down without a fight. They are unlikely to get anything from this tie, but it certainly doesn’t look like they will be embarrassed by Argentina. Messi and co seem short on confidence at the moment, and they appear unable to find the best starting XI. However, they should have the individual quality to come through this tie.

With Qatar buoyed by their unlikely draw, and Argentina deflated by their opening loss, there will be an interesting mix of emotions going into this game.

I can’t wait to see how Argentina approach this one. It is expected to be one-sided, but it could be closer than the bookies imagine.

All of the matches from the Copa America will be shown live on Premier Sports this summer. 

Soccer – African Cup of Nations – Algeria vs Kenya

Despite it being mid-June, there is a surprising amount of football on at the moment, and the AFCON could potentially go under the radar as a result. Algeria will be quietly fancied for success in this year’s competition, and they open their tournament against Kenya. It is the second of our big betting events for this weekend.

Djamel Belmadi’s men have been preparing for their trip to Egypt with a number of warm-up games including a decent victory over Mali. Their Doha-camp looks to have served them well, and they are clearly taking this year’s event very seriously.

They’ve been drawn in Group C, and will face Tanzania and Senegal, but they begin their campaign with a potentially tricky-looking tie against Kenya.

Riyad Mahrez and Andy Delort combined for a strike against Mali, and the duo will look to link up once more in this fixture.

Algeria are odds-on favourites for this tie, and they do have that extra star-quality, but Kenya will be no pushovers, and they will fancy their chances of getting off to a fast start.

The Harambee Stars have been talked up by their own Federation President and they will provide plenty of danger from wide areas. They have faced Madagascar and DR Congo, and performed well in both of those ties. Victor Wanyama is arguably the team’s biggest name, and he will look to be instrumental in the centre of the park.

It’s an interesting match-up between the pair, and both sides will be desperate to get off to a winning start. Opening fixtures in the AFCON are rarely high-scoring and one-sided affairs, and this game could be tighter than the odds-on price suggests.

Algeria will be determined to pick up three points, and they do have more firepower than their opponents. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly they can break down Kenya in this opening Group C game.

EVERY single AFCON game will be shown on Eurosport 1 or Eurosport 2 this summer

Soccer – Copa America – Peru vs Brazil

We’re back to the Copa America for the third of our big betting events this weekend. Brazil got off to a fairly comfortable start last weekend, but how will they fare against a lively Peru side?

The hosts could not have asked for a simpler start to their Copa America campaign as they cruised to a 3-0 victory against low-scoring Bolivia. However, the scoreline does not tell the full story…

The home fans booed at the break as Tite’s men trudged off the field having failed to find a way through.

Brazil will be without Brazil for the entire tournament, and whilst they did appear to lack a focal point at times, they had enough going forward to eventually find a way through in the second half.

Coutinho, who has had a wretched season at Barcelona this year was instumental in his side’s victory, and he’ll be looking to help his side pick up maximum points here.

This will be significantly tougher for Tite’s side, and the 56-year old cannot expect Gareca’s men to give his side an easy ride. Peru put in a decent display last year at the World Cup, and although they could only pick up a goalless draw against Venezuela last weekend, they did have the ball in the back of the net twice.

Peru will have already faced Bolivia by the time they go into this final group game, and they will be expected to have collected four points from a possible six by this stage. There could be plenty to play for in this fascinating tussle between the pair.

Los Incas have some very talented players, and they will be determined to upset the odds in this clash. Gareca’s side know that they have the ability to frustrate their opponents for long periods of the game, and they will be looking to find gaps in the Brazilian back-line.

This is Brazil’s toughest task during the group stage, and if they can overcome this challenge, they will fancy themselves to go all the way.

Peru vs Brazil will be shown live on Premier Sports this weekend for UK viewers. 

Aussie Rules – AFL – Port Adelaide Power vs Geelong Cats

Port Adelaide Power are back on home turf after facing a number of games on their travels, and they will be hopeing to use home comforts to propel them back into the top eight. Their clash with high-flying Geelong is the fourth of our big betting events for this weekend.

Power have suffered from inconsistency this season, and they find themselves just outside the top eight going into this clash. This is about as tough as it gets, and with a 3-2 home record this season, Geelong will be expected to leave with all of the points here.

The Cats have a perfect 6-6 record on the road this season, and they are going to take some stopping! They come off the back of a bye, but had won eight in a row prior to their week off. They sit top of the ladder, and have plenty of momentum, and it’s simply a question of whether they can maintain it here.

The Power have a terrible record against the Cats, and have failed to win 14 of their last 15 meetings with this weekend’s opponents.

Scott Lycett is likely to be key to Power’s chances if they are able to get anything from this clash. He has been a big improver in recent weeks, and he could be instrumental for the hosts.

However, Tim Kelly is unstoppable at the moment, and he may prove decisive in this match-up. He was excellent against North Melbourne, and will take plenty of confidence into this one.

Geelong will be expected to be victorious, and it’s hard to see them tripping up anytime soon. They must maintain their focus, and not get complacent in games such as this one.

All AFL games this season will be part of the highlights package shown on BT Sport in the UK. 

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India v Pakistan
Cricket World Cup – 10.30 am
Sky Sports

Here we go then. Get ready for some fireworks. Cricketing rivals Pakistan and India step into the ring at Old Trafford, Manchester for one of the most highly anticipated games of the tournament. India have made an unbeaten start to their campaign, having seen off South Africa and Australia. Their third game against New Zealand was washed out at Trent Bridge. India have arguably looked the strongest side at the tournament and are 2/5 odds-on with leading bookmarks to win this fixture.

While India have been the strongest, Pakistan have been the most entertaining. You just never know what is coming from them. One minute it’s brilliant, the next minute it’s comically bad. But that’s the joy of watching Pakistan who have had their ups and downs in the tournament already. They suffered a loss against Sri Lanka in their opening game for example and then turned around to beat hosts and tournament favourites England.

This will be the first meeting between the two rivals since two game in Dubai in September 2018. India won both of them convincingly. In the last fourteen meetings between India and Pakistan, India have been on top winning nine of those fourteen. Pakistan have managed to take just the one win in their last five against India. That one win was in the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in England. Pakistan are 2/1 underdogs with leading bookmakers.

USA women v Chile Women
Women’s World Cup – 5.00 pm
BBC

How much will Chile be looking forward to this one? Not much at all. They are in their first ever World Cup and suffered 2-0 loss in their opener against Sweden. Now they have to take on the reigning Champions the USA who just smashed 13 goals past Thailand. To be fair, Chile, without offering any kind of attacking threat, looked as if they may hang on for a point against Sweden in Rennes. In a game that was suspended for a rain break, Sweden didn’t get their breakthrough until the clock had clicked past the 80th minute.

So Chile can take some credit for the way they stuck in there. But naturally, they tired against a physically stronger team. Still, this looks like a massively lop-sided game. The USA tore Thailand apart in a 13-0 drubbing, with star striker Alex Morgan bagging five goals. She is the 13/10 favourite with top bookmakers to score 2 or more goals in this game. Punters will no doubt recognise that as one of the best bets of the day.

People will now be expecting the goals to flow from the USA against Chile. They have set the bar pretty high. The problem for Chile is that they created nothing against Sweden and are facing an even better opponent here. It’s another gruelling game in the space of just five days for them. It’s that second half period when legs tire when it could start getting tough for them. Will the USA dial things back after being criticised for being so energetically ruthless against Thailand? Probably not.

Sweden Women v Thailand Women
Women’s World Cup – 2.00 pm
BBC

Sweden are on a good four-match winning streak of form at the moment and they opened their World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over debutantes Chile. The Swedes only managed to break them down later on in the game, so they will probably be taking a look at their creative options. However, they are taking on Thailand here and the Swedes may not find the going quite as tough.

Just to sum up how strong favourites they are, a Sweden -6 Asian Handicap still odds-on at 31/40 with leading bookmakers. What next for Thailand after that 13-0 nightmare against the USA? You would think that things couldn’t get worse and they probably won’t in this one. It’s not likely to be another 13 goals fired off against them. Thailand’s confidence must be rock bottom at the moment though. It is part of a growing process though, but this looks as if this is going to be another World Cup experience to forget.

Paraguay v Qatar
Copa America – 8.00 pm
Premier Sports

This will be a fascinating meeting in the Copa America. Qatar got an invite to join the CONMEBOL celebrations this year. They are the AFC Asian Cup Champions and they are carrying a bit of form with them. For this calendar year, they have won six of their eight games played (D1 L1). Granted it’s not been the toughest of opposition that they have faced, but they did topple Japan 3-1 in the final of the Asian Cup.

They seem to have good confidence and momentum behind them and are something of an emerging side. They are still 4/1 underdogs with top bookmakers to win this match though. It is Paraguay who are going to be facing the pressure of meeting the tournament underdogs. But they are horribly out of form at the moment. They have taken one win in their last seven games played and that was a success over minnows Guatemala. The bookmakers are expecting them to win at 8/11, however they could come in for some heat in this game.

Take a look at the best bookmakers out there for betting big, so that you are getting the services, odds and bonus that you want.

Sri Lanka v Australia
Cricket World Cup – 10.30 am
Sky Sports

Four matches have now been wiped out at the Cricket World Cup. The persisting rain is taking some of the shine off what has been a brilliant tournament so far. Sri Lanka have collected four points from their opening four games. That leaves them in a competitive position still to make a run at the top four. They aren’t expected to get that done though. This is a tough match for them and Sri Lanka are the big 9/2 underdogs.

Their match against Bangladesh in the week was rained off. They probably would have won that, so that was a dropped point for them. Australia were stumped by the power of India in their big headlining match-up but then held their nerve against Pakistan to pick up a 41-run over them. The Australians did have a bit of a batting collapse in the fixture though. But still with the batting power of David Warner, who is 13/5 to top score for them, and the lethal bowling threat of Mitchell Starc, the win for the Australians is expected.

Netherlands Women v Cameroon Women
Women’s World Cup – 2.00 pm
BBC

The Netherlands are the reigning World Champions and they looked as if they were going to be left frustrated in their opener against New Zealand. But a stoppage-time goal from Jill Roord got the Dutch up and running. This on paper, is the easiest fixture that they will get in the group stage. Three points from it will likely land the Dutch in the next round. That was the fifth straight win for the Netherlands in their current form and they have not conceded in any of their last four.

Given their star power of Lieke Martens and Vivianne Miedema, the Dutch will be expected to coast in this. The Netherlands Women are 8/15 to win to nil at leading bookmakers. Cameroon battled gallantly in their opener against Canada but still took a 1-0 loss. There just wasn’t any kind of attacking threat coming from them. Given the amount of effort they put in, they are likely to tire in the second half of this fixture. The Netherlands, with their slick style, will likely be one of the best bets of the day for punters.

Canada Women v New Zealand Women
Women’s World Cup – 8.00 pm
BBC

The Canucks got an opening win on the board in the World Cup. That was a 1-0 success over Cameroon. It wasn’t a thumping that they delivered to the African Nation but Canada won’t be worried about that. They are in great form with no defeat in any of their nine games played in this calendar year, winning eight of those. The big thing about Canada is not their scoring output, although they have Christine Sinclair (who needs four goals to be the top goalscorer in the history of the women’s game at international level), it’s their defence

Canada have conceded a total of one goal in their last ten games. That’s a remarkable run and it suggests that they will likely keep the Kiwi’s at arm’s length. Canada to win to nil is at 21/10 with leading bookmakers. New Zealand almost got a point out of the Netherlands in their opening game but conceded in the 92nd minute. That was heartbreaking for them after such a bold defensive effort. They are still looking for their first ever point at a Women’s World Cup.

Argentina v Colombia
Copa America – 11.00 pm
Premier Sports

This is a huge heavyweight clash right at the start of the group action at the Copa America. Whoever comes out on top in this game is likely to go all the way and top the section. Argentina have lost four of the last five Copa America Finals, and all of the hype is whether or not Lionel Messi will finally win his first major international trophy.

They have an enviable attacking line-up, but Argentina face a stiff challenge in Colombia. Los Cafeteros have had a great warm-up, and have been scoring freely. They are a good young side and go into this one as 5/2 underdogs. That keeps Argentina at odds-against at 6/5. This is going to be a tense game, perhaps one that they will both care about not losing more than anything.

Tyson Fury v Tom Schwarz
Boxing – 4.00 am (Sunday 16th)
BT Sport

After the shock defeat for Anthony Joshua against Andy Ruiz, Tyson Fury is the next big heavyweight to step into the ring. The heavyweight division was rocked by Joshua’s defeat and it sent a big warning that no opponent can be underestimated. Fury will be taking on German challenger Tom Schwarz, who is going into the biggest fight of his career.

Will Fury avoid the same fate as Joshua? Well, the leading bookmaker have him as short as 4/9 for a knockout win. There’s not a great deal known about Schwarz and how well he will stand up and compete in such a high-level fight. He looks a little slow in the ring though and if anything, Joshua’s defeat will have Fury dialled in and focus him even more.

There’s a lot of action flying around on Saturday and so it is worth taking a look at the latest live bets to keep up to date.