On Saturday, February 13th, Golden Boy Promotions in conjunction with DAZN will hold a boxing event from the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, that features two world title fights on an eight bout card.
The main event of the night is a junior lightweight world title fight as Joseph “JoJo” Diaz defends his IBF title against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. This will be Diaz’s first defense of the title that he won 13 months ago.
The co-main event of the night will see Patrick Teixeira defending his WBO junior middleweight title against Brian Castano. The main card action will begin at 8PM ET on DAZN.
Boxing betting sites have released odds for the two world title fights. Let’s take a closer look at these odds, identify any potential value, and KO our predictions with a nasty uppercut.
Teixeira: I Want To Be Undisputed Champ, Makes Castano Most Important Fight Of My Career Right Now https://t.co/gYa5sPCLZR pic.twitter.com/pOc29KccfF
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) February 6, 2021
Patrick Teixeira vs Brian Castano
- Patrick Teixeira (+385)
- Brian Castano (-485)
Although he’s the champ, Teixeira is a large underdog in this matchup. His odds range from +275 to +400. He was a bigger underdog in his last fight against Carlos Adames for which he won the WBO title.
Castano is a large favorite with odds ranging from -390 to -550 at online sports betting sites. He’s been a favorite in many of his recent fights except for the bout against Erislandy Lara which ended in a Draw.
Teixeira vs Castano Preview
| Details | Patrick Teixeira | Brian Castano |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 30 | 31 |
| Height | 5’11.5” | 5’7.5” |
| Reach | 76.5” | 67.5” |
| Total Fights | 32 | 17 |
| Record | 31-1 | 16-0-1 |
| Knockouts | 22 | 12 |
This bout is a classic matchup between Brazil and Argentina, which promises to be an exciting contest just like many of the previous bouts between fighters from each country.
Teixeira commented on the special feeling of the rivalry between the two countries inside the boxing ring:
“Winning against any athlete is an amazing feeling, but when it’s a Brazilian winning against an Argentine it gives it that extra special taste. I have nothing particularly against Castano as a fighter, but I also feel nothing in favor of him. I’m determined to be the best at 154 pounds and he’s just another fighter who stands in the way.”
Teixeira suffered the first loss of his career five years ago via 2nd round TKO. Since then, he has bounced back with five wins in a row. All five of those victories have come via decision.
He last fought in November 2019 when he won the WBO title from Carlos Adames via unanimous decision with the scores of 116-111, 114-113, and 114-113.
He will have a four inch height and nine inch reach advantage in this contest.
Castano enters this bout unbeaten in his career with the lone blemish coming via Draw to Erislandy Lara in March 2019. The fight was for the WBA super welterweight title and it ended with some controversy as many pundits believed that Castano had one.
However, the biggest travesty followed that bout when the WBA stripped Castano of his title due to issues over his next opponent. It was a complete disgrace to the sport and one that Castano hasn’t forgotten. He feels that he was wronged by the WBA and many of us agree.
With that said, Castano is motivated to win his second world title this weekend against Teixeira:
“This is my opportunity to become a world champion for a second time. I know how important it is for my family, for my fiancée, for my team, for Argentina and for me. “He’s a good, good fighter. He moves good. He’s strong. He boxes well from the intermediate and the long distances. But I am a strong guy. My pressure and my combinations will make the difference.”
Which Fighter Gives Their Country a Reason to Celebrate this Weekend?
Teixeira has the reach advantage and will fight from a distance. Castano will put on the pressure and work his way inside the long reach.
I see this bout going the full 12 rounds as both men are very durable and have shown to hold up well against tough competition.
With that said, I like Castano to win the WBO title. He should still be the WBA champ as well. A win this weekend will put him in the running for a bout against the division’s top draw Charlo as they both fight for PBC.
Take Castano to win via unanimous decision as his pressure and work on the inside will win him plenty of rounds with the judges.
$100 Could Win You…$120.62
Joseph Diaz vs Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov
- Joseph Diaz (-195)
- Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (+168)
Diaz enters as a small underdog in his first title defense of the IBF belt. His odds range from -190 to -235. Diaz has been the favorite in most of his fights over the last half dozen years or so. The only two bouts he was an underdog in was against Tevin Farmer and Gary Russell Jr.
Rakhimov is a slight underdog with odds listed at a range of +160 to +185. He’s been a betting favorite in his last few fights. Rakhimov is considered by some to be a live dog in this fight.
Diaz vs Rakhimov Preview
| Details | Joseph Diaz | Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 28 | 26 |
| Height | 5’6” | 5’8.5” |
| Reach | 64” | — |
| Total Fights | 32 | 15 |
| Record | 31-1 | 15-0 |
| Knockouts | 15 | 12 |
This bout was on the verge of being cancelled last month as Rakhimov tested positive for covid. However, after additional testing, Rakhimov produced several negative results and the fight was back on.
The 26 year old Tajikistan, who fights out of Russia, is already in the United States and ready for this contest. The California state athletic commission is on board and everything is set for the world title fight.
This will be Rakhimov’s first fight in the United States and only the second one outside of Russia. He hasn’t fought since September 2019. In that bout, he scored an 8th round TKO against Azinga Fuzile which was a title eliminator.
The junior lightweight world title fight between @JosephDiazJr & Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov is back on. My @boxingscene story: https://t.co/lqADlnK5Zr #boxing @DAZNBoxing @GoldenBoyBoxing @makeawar @OscarDeLaHoya @Micheladatime
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) January 20, 2021
Rakhimov spoked about this being his first title shot and he’s very excited as you could imagine:
“I’ve been waiting for this chance for a long time. Thank you for this opportunity to my team. My training camp is long one but very good. I will do my best to win this fight. I came here for the victory!”
For Diaz, this will be his first title defense since pulling off the upset against Tevin Farmer 13 months ago. He’s on a five fight win streak after losing to Gary Russell Jr. via unanimous decision in 2018.
Diaz made the following comments about his opponent and the upcoming fight:
“Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov is a very good fighter who is highly ranked throughout the world. I know he’s been aching for a world title shot, but I’m ready to go out there and showcase that I’m willing to fight the best and defend my title with whoever wants to step in that ring with me. I’m the hungriest I’ve ever been, and there is nothing that he brings to the table that can affect me.”
Who Wins the IBF World Title?
Both fighters are southpaws with plenty of skills. Rakhimov has power and great footwork. He can quickly close the distance and unleash brutal combinations.
Diaz has the experience advantage having fought in world title bouts and against top rated competition. He should also have the technical advantage as well as the edge in counter punching.
January 30, 2020: Jojo Diaz overcame one of the worst cuts we’ve ever seen to win his first world title 💥
Diaz makes his first defense in 2 weeks. pic.twitter.com/Kq5Q4dF0Cb
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 30, 2021
Both fighters have been out of the ring for more than a year. So, it’s going to be interesting to see how they look after the long layoff.
Furthermore, I would expect the first half of the fight to be a feeling out process as they gauge their opponent’s stamina and ring shape as well as their own.
Diaz’s experience and potential game plan to go after Rakhimov’s body should pay off in the latter rounds as he pulls away on the score cards to win via unanimous decision.
With that said, Rakhimov to walk away with a knockout could be a good bet to place your favorite boxing betting app. Either way, this will be an entertaining bout on Saturday.
$100 Could Win You…$151.28
Full Diaz vs Rakhimov Boxing Card
- Joseph Diaz vs Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in a 12 round junior lightweight title fight
- Patrick Teixeira vs Brian Castano in a 12 round junior middleweight title contest
- Ronny Rios vs Oscar Negrete, TBA, junior featherweight clash
- Jason Quigley vs Shane Mosley Jr., TBA, middleweight bout
- Bektemir Melikuziev vs TBA in a 10 round super middleweight contest
- Azat Hovhannisyan vs TBA in a 10 round junior featherweight clash
- Victor Morales vs Jose Gonzalez in an 8 round featherweight fight
- Dalis Kaleiopu vs Eduardo Sanchez in a 4 round lightweight bout
Rick Rockwell
As a longtime freelance writer, avid sports fan, former athlete, and experienced sports bettor, Rick Rockwell has risen up the ranks at GamblingSites.org to become the self-professed “King of the Blog” in his first year with the site. …
