Naoya Inoue vs Emmanuel Rodriguez Betting Odds and Prediction

Naoya Inoue vs Emmanuel Rodriguez Preview May 18th

The World Boxing Super Series continues this Saturday, May 18^th in Glasgow, Scotland in the bantamweight division with unbeaten WBA Bantamweight Champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue of Japan unifying his belt against undefeated IBF Champion Emmanuel Rodriguez of Puerto Rico. Inoue was last in the ring in October when he blew out Juan Carlos Payano in the first round. Rodriguez last fought in October as well and beat Jason Moloney by split decision. This Super Series semifinal can 12-round bout can be seen in North America on DAZN and fans in the UK can catch the action on Sky Sports. The winner will take on Nonito Donaire in the final of the tournament.

**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday.  Your first month is free.

Inoue vs Rodriguez Betting Odds

Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).

• Emmanuel Rodriguez +569
• Naoya Inoue -769

My Pick

The 26-year-old Inoue is a former WBO Jr. Bantamweight and WBC Junior Flyweight titleholder who has all the tools to be one of the world’s elite boxers. Inoue defended his junior bantamweight crown seven times before moving up in weight and quickly taking care of business against Jamie McDonnell in the first round to win his bantamweight crown last May. The Japanese star became a world champion in his sixth pro fight when he stopped Adrian Hernandez in the sixth round for his junior flyweight belt in May, 2014. He defended it once then moved up to super flyweight and took the title from Omar Narvaez by second-round KO in December, 2014.

Inoue has been a sensation in his homeland since turning pro in 2012. He’s a hard hitter with good boxing skills and stands at 17-0 along with 15 Kos. He’s boxed 93 rounds as a pro and has owns an impressive 88 per cent knockout ratio. He stands 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 67.5-inch reach. Inoue enjoyed a fine amateur career and is 12-0 with 11 Kos in world title fights and has also beaten the likes of Ryoichi Taguchi, Kohei Kono, David Carmona and Ricardo Rodriguez. He’s also 6-0 with 5 Kos against current or former world champions in Taguchi, Hernandez, Narvaez, Kono, McDonnell and Payano.

The 26-year-old Rodriguez boasts a perfect record of 19-0 with 12 Kos and has boxed 101 rounds since turning pro in 2012. The native of Manati has pretty good power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 63 per cent. Since turning pro he’s also captured various regional titles along the way such as the WBO Latino, WBA Fedelatin and WBC Latino Bantamweight Championships. He enjoyed a fine amateur career with a solid record of 171-11 and won a gold medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore.

Rodriguez stands 5-feet-6-inches tall and has a wingspan of 66.5 inches. He’s an inch taller than Inoue but has an inch disadvantage in reach. His biggest victories have come over the likes of Moloney, Luis Hinojosa, Alex Rangel, Miguel Cartagena, Elicier Aqueno, Alberto Guevara and Giovanni Delgado. He hasn’t taken on the top names of the division as of yet, but at the age of 26 still has plenty of time to do so. He’ll also get the chance if he advances in the World Boxing Super Series.

Prediction…

So far, Inoue has lived up to his nickname of Monster and he’s knocked out his last three opponents in under five rounds combined. He may simply overpower Rodriguez or he could be forced into a boxing match and go the distance. It’ll be interesting to see how the speedy Inoue handles Rodriguez’s skills but I’m expecting Inoue to leave the ring with both belts around his waist.

Inoue’s speed and power should see him through.

Play: Inoue -769 @ BetOnline.ag

Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.

Emmanuel Rodriguez betting • Naoya Inoue betting