Coming up this weekend, we have a card full of UK boxers battling it out in front of a London crowd. With a good mix of influencers and real professionals, this will be a good event for that niche audience in London. The fight we are breaking down is a cruiserweight bout between Viddal Riley and Anees Taj.
Read further for a more in-depth look at what’s next on the Top Rank boxing schedule and for a complete Riley vs Taj betting analysis and prediction ahead of their fight this weekend.
Viddal Riley vs. Anees Taj Information
Viddal Riley vs Anees Taj
Location: OVO Wembley Arena, London, England.
Date and Time: Saturday, February 11. 2:00 PM ET.
How to Watch: Fubo TV
Viddal Riley vs. Anees Taj Recent Fights
Riley is coming off a TKO victory over Ross McGuigan in November of 2022.
Taj also fought in November, where he won on points against Erik Nazaryan.
Viddal Riley vs. Anees Taj Betting Analysis
Viddal Riley Facts to Know
Riley falls under the category of “influencer boxer” because of his social media following, but that does not take away from the work he puts in as a professional fighter. It is clear to see that he has made the transition into doing this as a career.
He is 7-0 in his professional career, as well as having a pretty extensive amateur career. Riley has proven that he has some solid potential in this boxing odds space and will continue to get better as he ages and clocks in more hours in the gym and in the ring against professional opponents.
It isn’t a secret that Riley hasn’t fought anybody with much skill. This is potentially the first fight he will fight against someone that has as much confidence as Taj. But the skill gap is still there. There isn’t much analytics to sift through for this matchup since they are both at the beginning of their careers.
Anees Taj Facts to Know
Taj seems to be the unknown half of this fight. He surely doesn’t have the fan base or following that Riley does, but the confidence he shows would tell you different. From watching footage of his past fights, it is going to be interesting seeing this guy in an arena with the bright lights on him for the first time.
The man who calls himself ‘Braveheart” will be looking to play spoiler this weekend in front of a pro-Riley crowd. He only has experience against pretty low-level athletes that he fights in, what looks to be, a community center of some sort.
Updates
Both fighters seem to be fully healthy heading into fight week.
Anees Taj believes that he is the toughest test of Riley’s career thus far.
Viddal Riley vs. Anees Taj Betting Preview
This is the kind of fight that makes betting boxing outcomes seem pretty impossible nowadays. How can a feature spot on a professional card have a betting favorite of -3500?
Riley is the -3500 favorite over the +1100 Anees Taj. This is a fight you usually stay away from at the sportsbooks, but let’s look further into it just in case. There seem to be no prop bets available yet, but keep a lookout for those as fight week progresses, especially if you are in the UK.
This might not be one of the upcoming boxing fights that you have your eye on, but it is an interesting matchup in the new world of this influencer-driven boxing. If Riley can get the job done this weekend, it is time to start moving up levels of opponents and try to get him in line for a Jake Paul fight or something of that nature someday.
There isn’t much to go over for a proper Riley vs Taj betting preview because of the ridiculous odds. Even if you don’t have much knowledge of these two fighters, you know that Riley is basically a lock to win.
Viddal Riley vs. Anees Taj Betting Prediction
Even though making boxing picks with these odds is ridiculous, let’s take a look at what the official Riley vs Taj betting prediction should be.
Viddal Riley, from going over the film, looks to be the sharper, tighter, and all-around better puncher. His Defense still have holes, but his timing and creativity in the ring seem to be at a very solid level for his experience.
Anees Taj looks like he hasn’t fought anybody that is an actual professional. All his fights look like they are taking place at the local recreation center and against plumbers. In fact, his two losses have come from the only people with more than ten or so fights in their career.
If Riley doesn’t knock Taj out, he will cruise to a pretty easy decision victory. I could see the corner of Taj eventually throwing the towel in if he starts taking too many shots. Taj seems like a tough guy, and he has decent hand speed, but this should be a relatively easy night at the office for Riley.
Keep an eye out for prop bets at your local sportsbook for better odds. If you see a decent line for a Riley TKO/KO, hammer that bet and collect your winnings.
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