Paddy Gallagher odds on to defend title, but locals will gamble on Murray

When it was announced that Belfast boy Paddy Gallagher would be taking on undefeated Scot Gary Murray on 06 October, fans and bookmakers uttered a shared cry of “not again!” Gallagher has already stripped one boxer of his undefeated crown, when he made short work of Tony Dixon back in May, and now he will have to do it again.

 

Gallagher is sounding confident ahead of the bout, and already thinking about just how big a fight he can line up next if he is able to brush the Scotsman aside in similarly short time, but he would be wise to take nothing for granted and focus on one fight at a time.

 

Betting sites will call it close

 

Gallagher himself freely admits that the Murray’s home crowd in Edinburgh will fully expect the local man to remain undefeated and take the Celtic welterweight title, but what do the bookmakers think are the odds are that Gallagher will retain his crown?

 

The larger betting sites are yet to publish odds on the bout, but the beauty of the online gambling industry today is that there are so many places where you can view a wide variety of boxing betting odds that you can be certain to find some interesting form guides, even when the fight is not listed yet.

 

In the case of Gallagher, he and Dixon were almost at even money for the last bout, While Murray was the slight outsider in his last match up against Gergo Vari in July, a fight he won in impressive style. Of course, this is a step up for The Mint, and will be his first professional title fight. Yet the form suggests he will present a genuine challenge to Pat Man, and as the fight approaches, expect the bookmakers to call it close.

 

A deserving champion

 

There are some who feel Gallagher has yet to fully prove his credentials since winning the vacant title in victory over Tony Dixon, and his recent victory over Craig Kelly was seen as little challenge, with many suggesting the biggest surprise was that it took as long as three rounds.

 

Yet anyone who casts doubt on the Belfast pro is forgetting that this is the man who picked up a gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He has a wealth of experience behind him at both amateur and professional level, and should be seen as nothing less than a deserving champion.

 

The view from the corners

 

Gallagher knows he is up against a keen, fit fighter, but feels Murray does not have the firepower to genuinely trouble him. He said: “On paper, it doesn’t look like he hits hard whatsoever. I reckon I’m going to knock him out around the sixth round, if he gets as far as that.”

 

Murray responded to the prediction with a quiet smile, telling reporters: “That’s just his opinion but I’m quietly confident. I have always done enough to win against everybody I have fought and I’m undefeated for a reason.”
06th October cannot come around fast enough to see how this one plays out