Mairis Briedis vs Krzysztof Glowacki Preview June 15th
There’s more cruiserweight action in the World Boxing Super Series as Krzysztof Glowacki of Poland will be meeting Mairis Briedis of Riga, Latvia in Briedis’ hometown this Saturday, June 15th. The semifinal bout is also for the vacant WBC Cruiserweight Crown and Glowacki’s WBO World Title. The fight can be seen live in North America on DAZN while those in the UK can catch the action on Sky Sports. Glowacki last fought in November when he beat Maksim Vlasov by a 12-round unanimous decision. Briedis also fought in November with a 12-round unanimous nod over Noel Gevor who’s also known as Noel Mikaelian.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Briedis vs Glowacki Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Krzysztof Glowacki +177
- Mairis Briedis -207
My Pick
The 34-year-old Briedis is a heavy hitter with plenty of skills and Glowacki may be be better off to try and box him in the early going rather than slug it out. The former WBC and IBO World Champ has a fine record of 25-1 along with 18 Kos but has stopped just seven of his last 12 opponents and has gone the distance in his last five outings. His last stoppage win came in October of 2016 when he beat Simon Vallily in the third round. Briedis, who enjoyed a fine amateur career and also fought as a kick boxer over 70 times, stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 75-inch reach.
Briedis’ biggest wins have been decisions against Marco Huck and Mike Perez as well as Olanrewaju Durodola by ninth-round stoppage in 2016 and a fifth-round stoppage of heavyweight Manuel Charr back in 2015. His only loss came via a majority decision at the hands Oleksandr Usyk in January of last year when Usyk was the WBO boss at the time. Briedis had won the vacant WBC crown and IBO Title a year earlier when he beat Huck by unanimous decision. However, he gave up the IBO strap as he refused to pay the sanctioning fees. He then defended his WBC belt against Perez.
Briedis turned pro in 2009 and has now fought 125 rounds since then. As his record shows, he’s got quite a bit of power with a current knockout ratio of 69 per cent and he also possesses good boxing skills. Other than meeting a few recognizable names though such as Usyk, Perez and Huck, Briedis may lack a little experience in fighting against a steady stream top-ranked opponents up to now. He’s not the quickest cruiserweight out there and can be a bit of a dull and predictable if he can’t stop his opponent.
The 32-year-old Glowacki was recently instated as the WBO Cruiserweight titlist and the southpaw who will enter the bout with an impressive record of 31-1 along with 19 Kos. He first won the WBO crown by getting up from the canvas to stop former champion Marco Huck in the 11th round in August of 2015 in a highly-entertaining slugfest. He defended the belt in April 2016 when he beat former two-time cruiserweight champ Steve Cunningham by unanimous decision. However, he lost the strap in his second defence when Oleksandr Usyk beat him by unanimous decision.
After a fine amateur career he turned pro in 2008 and has boxed 190 rounds since but lacks experience against big-name fighters other than taking on Huck, Cunningham and Usyk. He has beaten a few decent opponents in Nuri Seferi, Matty Askin and Thierry Karl as well but most of his other foes have been unrecognizable. Glowacki stands 6-feet tall with a 75-inch reach so gives up an inch in height to Briedis. He has decent power with a 61 per cent knockout ratio. He’s mostly been fighting exclusively in Europe against European opposition but his power and solid chin make him a fan-friendly boxer to watch.
Prediction…
Briedis has more power but it’s gone missing in action with five straight fights going the distance. He’s not naturally as aggressive as Glowacki either and often looks pedestrian in the ring. Still, he’s the better boxer of the two and will be fighting in his home town. Glowacki could make the mistake of relying too much on his power and could find himself in trouble if he isn’t able to land on and hurt Briedis with his big shots and its’ unlikely he’ll win a decision. Glowacki has a lot of heart but I think he’ll fall just short and Briedis will advance to the final to meet the winner of the Yunier Dorticos vs Andrew Tabiti tilt.
This is a tossup really, but Briedis is fighting at home.
Play: Briedis -207 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Krzystof Glowacki betting • Mairis Briedis betting