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Info on the Paul-Joshua fight, NFL Week 16 and CFP race on a busy weekend at sportsbooks

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As someone who deals with gambling (though admittedly I’m bad at it), I’m hesitant to give much betting advice. But since it’s the holiday season, I’d like to offer one amiable suggestion to American bettors: the next time a social media influencer-turned-boxer faces an busy two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist, don’t bet on the YouTube guy.

At DraftKings, 90% of the bets placed and 90% of the money placed on the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight were on the underdog Paul. The bookmaker said he could have lost nearly $100 million if Paul, who finished 10-1 as an underdog on DraftKings, got upset. Instead, Joshua, a -1600 favorite, knocked him out in the sixth round and gave the American players another robust breakthrough.

“We were pleased with the outcome – the book did well and it was great to see so much interest in boxing,” Johnny Avello, director of sports operations, told ESPN on Sunday.

Seven years ago, when undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather faced the UFC’s Conor McGregor, professional bettors bet on Mayweather, calling it the best betting opportunity of their lives. Meanwhile, the betting public sided with McGregor, even though he had never boxed professionally. Mayweather wore down McGregor and eventually knocked him out.

Eight years later, betting observers clearly haven’t learned their lesson after Friday’s Paul-Joshua fight. Kalshi’s forecasting market had volume in excess of $74 million in this fight, including a reportedly $183,954 position on Paul taken by one unfortunate client.

At Caesars Sportsbook, the fight returned only 20% of the amount wagered on the College Football Playoff opener between Alabama and Oklahoma.

“The fighting method was comparable to that of North Carolina State and Memphis the previous day,” said Joey Feazel of Caesars Sportsbook. “Some solid bets [on Joshua] He came in through the edged guys who knew how huge of a mismatch the fight should have been on paper.”

While most bettors took a long shot on Paul, there were a select few who were willing to risk a lot to win at least a little on Joshua. High-stakes bettor Christopher Dierkes called the fight “probably one of the biggest upsets in any big-stage sport.” He made the fight hard and believed that Joshua’s price, even this high, was still a bargain. He risked $1,077,044 that Paul would not win the fight and earned $157,549. He said he had basically only one fear before the fight.

“The real risk in my opinion was the hardware factor, which I thought was possible – obviously it’s boxing, crazier things have happened,” Dierkes, chief trading officer at sports prediction exchange Novig, told ESPN. “But I didn’t put too much stock in it, considering Joshua was very popular, already very wealthy, and unlikely to ruin his Jake Paul reputation.”

NFL odds and endings

  • On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Tennessee Titans as 3-point favorites. It was the Chiefs’ eighth loss this season in games in which they were betting favorites, tied with the 2014 Recent Orleans Saints, 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 1983 Recent York Jets for the most losses as a favorite in a single season in the Super Bowl era. The Chiefs have failed to overcome the spread in seven straight games, tied with the Buccaneers for the longest such busy streak.

  • The Carolina Panthers, who upset the Buccaneers as a compact underdog, picked up their eighth outright win of the season as an underdog, tying Washington in 2015 as the team with the most wins in a season as an underdog.

  • According to Feazel, the Seattle Seahawks’ Thursday victory over the Los Angeles Rams was the second-biggest win of the season for Caesars Sportsbook bettors. The biggest win for Caesars bettors was the Buffalo Bills’ 41-40 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1.

College football odds

  • Alabama will start the week as a 7-point underdog against No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The Crimson Tide hasn’t finished a game with a lead of at least six points since the 2008 SEC Championship Game against Florida.

  • According to ESPN research, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has won 10 of his 14 games as an underdog in his coaching career, the best winning percentage of any coach who has been an underdog in at least 10 games since the 1978 FBS/FCS split.

College football quarterfinal lines

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Boxing

Lennox Lewis gives an truthful assessment of the Vitali Klitschko fight and the reasons he retired

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Lennox Lewis gives honest assessment of Vitali Klitschko fight and why he subsequently retired

Lennox Lewis surrendered on his own terms shortly after defeating Vitali Klitschko, but he still found it extremely arduous to hang up his gloves.

Before retiring, Lewis had firmly established himself as the all-time heavyweight champion, especially after he overtook Evander Holyfield for the undisputed crown in 1999.

Then “The Lion” would do it lost to Hasim Rahman in a shocker in 2001, then took revenge for the defeat by reaching the fourth round in the same year.

At this point he had beaten every fighter in the opposite corner, and he only continued this pattern after securing an eighth-round berth over Mike Tyson in 2002.

But instead of sailing off into the sunset, Lewis was convinced by his legendary trainer Emanuel Steward to fight Klitschko in 2003.

I’m talking to Heavenly sportsLewis said it was simply an opportunity to further cement his legacy by fighting the previous and potentially future heavyweight champion. He admitted that the performance was not pretty, but assured that he did his job.

“My coach Emanuel said, ‘Listen, you can beat the present and the future in this fight,’ and I said, ‘Well, I’ll take it.’ It wasn’t a pretty fight, but I still won.”

Indeed, it was a close fight between Lewis and Klitschko, who was ultimately stopped in the sixth round after suffering significant facial injuries.

However, Klitschko won the vacant WBC belt shortly thereafter and remained undefeated (defending the title 11 times) before retiring in 2012.

Meanwhile, Lewis was tempted to return several times, but was keenly aware of the focus and discipline he needed to compete at the highest level.

“There were many times I felt like jumping back into the ring, but stay focused [and] discipline kept me at bay.

“Let me tell you, it was difficult. I wanted to retire and say I wasn’t coming back and it was difficult to stay out of the ring. HBO gave me a job as a commentator and I was back there in front of boxing and trying to get away from boxing.

“I said I’ve done everything, I don’t have to prove anything anymore. So I stayed away from boxing.”

After retiring, Lewis became a widely respected pundit, analyst and commentator, largely due to his deep understanding of the sport.

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Sulaiman says Shakur has huge all-time potential

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Image: Derek 'Bozy' Ennis to Shakur Stevenson: "You Don't Have to Prove Anything to Anybody"

“He’s a great fighter. He has everything,” Sulaiman told Ring Champs. “He has all-time potential. He’s a great fighter.”

Sulaiman said Stevenson’s skills have already been proven in multiple leagues, adding that the latest move has only strengthened his standing in the sport.

The comments came when Sulaiman was asked whether Stevenson could finally become boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighter. His answer was direct.

“I think so,” Sulaiman said. “He looks very good and sturdy in this weight class.”

Stevenson’s rise also became a major topic of conversation after the Teofimo fight. Sulaiman said the up-to-date division seemed to suit him physically.

At 28 years elderly, Stevenson is currently at the point in his career where accolades become expectations. Talent alone no longer divides him. The question is whether his upcoming fights match the level people currently see in him.

All the while, Sugar Ray Robinson was moving up from welterweight to middleweight and fighting the toughest monsters of his era without asking them to suck him parched. When you request a hydration clause, as Shakur did with Conor Benn at welterweight, you are essentially saying that you want your opponent to be at his weakest while you are at his best.

Sugar Ray Robinson didn’t ask for a “rehydration clause” during his fight with Jake LaMotta. He just went out and fought a much bigger, stronger man. If Shakur wants to be mentioned in the same breath, he must finally fight a fight in which he will not be the one dictated by physical disabilities.

Robinson didn’t ask for a “rehydration clause” in his fight with Jake LaMotta. He just went out and fought a much bigger, stronger man. If Shakur wants to be mentioned in the same breath, he must finally fight a fight in which he will not be the one dictated by physical disabilities.

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Gervonta Davis called out by world champion for mega fight: “I need it”

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Gervonta Davis called out by world champion for mega fight: “I need it”

Gervonta Davis’ future is currently in doubt, but that’s not stopping one of the reigning world champions from calling out ‘Tank’ for a showdown.

It was over a year since Davis last saw action in March 2025 against Lamont Roach Jr. This fight ended in a controversial majority draw, but “Tank” still defended his WBA lightweight title.

Since then, however, the Baltimore man’s life has been extremely hard. A first-time exhibition with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, scheduled for November, was canceled after Davis found himself at the center of domestic violence allegations.

Further allegations led to “Tank” losing his WBA belt and being declared champion during his hiatus, but earlier this year reports surfaced that he could return against former foe and current WBC interim super lightweight champion Isaac Cruz.

After Ryan Garcia posted, it’s yet another former foe of Davis who is now calling for a rematch social media his intention to secure a second fight.

“I pray I get a tank rematch one day. I need it back on equal footing. I need it!!!”

Garcia suffered a seventh-round loss to Davis when they met in April 2023, but “King Ry” has repeatedly said since the fight that he was far from his best as it was a 136-pound catchweight fight with a 10-pound rehydration clause.

in February Garcia defeated Mario Barrios to win the WBC welterweight titleand if Davis decides to campaign at 147 pounds, the prospect of winning world titles in another weight class could tempt him into a rematch with “King Ry.”

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