Ruslan Chagaev vs Lucas Browne Preview March 5th
The regular WBA Heavyweight Title will be on the line this Saturday, March 5th when champion Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbekistan takes on undefeated Lucas Browne of Australia in Grozny, Russia. The bout can be seen in North America on AWE while fans in the UK can catch all of the action live on BoxNation. Browne is ranked number two by the WBA and will be going into the fight as the underdog. However, the hard-hitting Australian has a puncher’s chance of pulling off an upset on Saturday if he can connect on the button.
Chagaev vs Browne Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook 5dimes.eu
- Lucas Browne +180
- Ruslan Chagaev -220
My Pick
The 36-year-old Browne steps into the ring with a perfect record of 23-0 and has 20 big Kos to his name while the 37-year-old champion Chagaev is 34-2-1 with 21 Kos. This is Browne’s first shot at a world title since he turned pro back in 2009. He’s one of the bigger heavyweights around as he stands 6-feet-5-inches tall, has a 77-inch reach and usually weighs in around 255 lbs. Chagaev is small for a heavyweight at 5-foot-11 with a 74-inch reach. Browne’s hoping to lure the southpaw Chagaev into a slugfest since it’s unlikely he’ll be able to outbox the champ his own backyard.
Chagaev also has good power and it was on display last July when he stopped Italy’s Francesco Pianeta in the very first round and dropped him several times along the way. The champ enters this fight with a current knockout ratio of 57 per cent while Browne’s stands at 87. The challenger has also stopped 10 of his past 12 foes since 2012. As far as experience goes, Chagaev has a big advantage here. He’s fought 212 rounds since turning pro back in 1997 while Browne has 105 rounds under his belt.
Chagaev has taken on the likes of Fres Oquendo, Alexander Povetkin, Kali Meehan, Travis Walker, Nikolay Valuev and John Ruiz while Browne’s last five fights have been against Chauncy Welliver, Julius Long, Eric Martel, Andriy Rudenko and Clarence Tillman. He’ll definitely be taking a step up in class against Chagaev, although he did beat former champ James Toney when he was far past his prime. Browne and Chagaev both have good chins, but the champion should try to use his boxing skills and mobility on Saturday night rather than proving he can take a good shot.
Chagaev has been stopped just once, which was against Wladimir Klitschko in the ninth round in 2009 and he dropped a decision to Povetkin in his only other loss. He’s taken on a steady diet of top-10 boxers, but it’s safe to say that he hasn’t really fought any elite boxers other than Klitschko and Povetkin and he was beaten by both of those champions.
Prediction……
Browne has a big size advantage, but lacks in experience against top-class opponents. However, it won’t really matter if he’s able to land the perfect shot against the champion’s chin. Chagaev is a solid heavyweight though with a good chin and better boxing skills. He should be able to use to his experience to stay out of trouble and retain his title as long as he can handle Browne’s power.
This fight could be closer than most fans think if Browne can land some clean power shots.
Play: Chagaev -220 @ 5dimes.eu
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Lucas Browne betting • Ruslan Chagaev betting