Artem Dalakian vs David Jiminez Preview January 28th, 2023
Undefeated Artem Dalakian of Azerbaijan will be defending his WBA Flyweight Title against unbeaten David Jiminez of Costa Rica this Saturday, January 28th. The 12-round battle from Wembley Arena in London England can be seen live in America on ESPN+ while fans in the UK can see it on BT Sport 1. Dalakian last fought in November, 2021 when he stopped Luis Concepcion in the ninth round. Jiminez last boxed in July when he edged Ricardo Sandoval by 12-round majority decision. Sandoval was dropped in the 11th round and Jiminez had a point deducted in the seventh round for holding.
Dalakian vs Jiminez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- David Jiminez +130
- Artem Dalakian -160
My Pick
Dalakian is 35 years old now and his career has flown by under the radar but he’s one of the best flyweights out there. He enters the contest with a perfect mark of 21-0 with 15 Ko’s and has boxed 132 rounds since making his pro debut in 2012. He had a pretty good amateur career and fights out of Ukraine. Dalakian won the vacant WBA Flyweight Title via a unanimous decision over Brian Viloria in February, 2018 and has defended it five times.
Those defences came against Sirichai Thaiyen, Gregorio Lebron, Sarawut Thawornkham, Josber Perez and Concepcion. Before winning the world belt against Viloria, Dalakian captured the vacant WBA Continental Flyweight Crown via a unanimous decision over Angel Moreno in July 2015 and defended it four times. He also won the vacant WBA International Flyweight Title in 2013 and defended it once.
Dalakian stands just over 5-feet-4-inches tall with an unlisted reach and has plenty of power in his fists for a lighter boxer with a current knockout ratio of 71.4 per cent. He hasn’t really been that active over the past few years and hasn’t fought for over a year so may have some ring rust to battle through. While Dalakian hasn’t always taken on the elite of the division, he’s a solid pro with the power to stop anybody.
As for Jiminez, he’s 30 years old and will climb through the ropes with a perfect record of 12-0 with 9 Ko’s. He’s the same height as the champion and also has an unlisted reach. Jiminez made his pro debut in 2019 following an extensive amateur career and has 61 rounds of experience under his belt. He fought in the 2018 Pacific Cup as an amateur and lost to Yankiel Figueroa in the final. He also fought at the 2017 American Boxing Continental Championships.
So far Jiminez has faced limited opposition as a pro with his biggest wins coming against Jonathan Arias, Darwin Martinez, Daniel Mendoza and Ricardo Sandoval. He also beat Jerson Ortiz by 10-round unanimous decision in February, 2021 for the vacant WBC Latino Flyweight Title and Edwin Hernandez by third-round KO four months later for the vacant WBA Gold Flyweight Belt.
Prediction…
Dalakian is a solid veteran with plenty of power while Jiminez is more of a boxer/puncher. It should be an entertaining scrap and Jiminez could pose some problems for the champ but Dalakian should have enough left in the tank to hold onto his title. However, he may get off to a slow start due to inactivity.
Dalakian’s power and experience should be the difference makers.
Play Dalakian -160 @ BetOnline.ag
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Artem Dalakian betting • David Jiminez betting