Boxing odds: Frampton, Garcia, Vargas all slight betting favorites this Saturday

For boxing fans, this is a great weekend of action with dueling shows on HBO and Showtime Saturday night. Showtime has the bigger fights perhaps, with fighters at the very top of their respective divisions fighting for supremacy, but HBO has an all-action card that is guaranteed to entertain. Let’s take a look at the odds on the weekend courtesy of Bovada, starting with Showtime

Carl Frampton -160
Leo Santa Cruz +130

Mikey Garcia -240
Dejan Zlaticanin +190

Not a surprise that Frampton is the favorite as this is an immediate rematch and Frampton won their first encounter. It was a very close fight, with one judge and a number of boxing analysts scoring it a draw, though certainly a Frampton win can’t be called a robbery by any means. I like Frampton to win the rematch, and at these odds, he’s a good pick in my eyes, but your mileage may vary.

Garcia has just his second fight at Lightweight, moving up after a two and a half year absence. He’s facing a very tough opponent here, but during his previous run, Garcia established himself as a true elite talent and pound for pound contender. I like him to win here, and these are pretty good odds, but there are enough variables at play to give me pause.

Also on the card, though not televsied for Showtime, is Lee Selby vs. Jonathan Victor Barnes. Selby is the prohibitive favorite at -2000 with Barnes at +900. Stay away from that one.

Here’s what happening for HBO:

Francisco Vargas -140
Miguel Berchelt +110

These are the most surprising odds on the night. Vargas is probably the #2 fighter in the division, while the largely untested Berchelt is unranked. It’s been awhile since Berchelt was in there against an opponent even close to Vargas’s level. He’s an action fighter, so should make for a fun fight, but I anticipated Vargas being a much more heavy favorite. Really the only reason to pick against him here is if you think his last two fights (a pair of absolute wars against Miura and Salido) wore him down to the point that he is severely diminished. I’m not ready to write him off yet, so at these odds, I see him as a great pick.