Tszyu vs Inoue: Fight Predictions

How would you bet Tszyu vs Inoue on the Betfair Exchange?

TSZYU VS INOUE

Live from the Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park in Australia, Tim Tszyu, one of the biggest draws down under returns to action once again, this time staying active against Takeshi Inoue, an unheralded Japanese native worthy of respect.

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TIM TSZYU: FIGHTER PROFILE

With the odds naturally heavily favoring the current champion Tszyu, bettors may have to look elsewhere for value if they think Tszyu takes home a victory, but aren’t sure how. Tim has had a busy 2021, with his being his third outing in the year, and Tszyu has been coming into own as a professional, stopping both Dennis Hogan and Steve Spark in the last nine months ago.

The surging middleweight has his eyes set on bigger fights in the division with the likes of Brian Castano and Jermell Charlo, both of whom have seemingly been trying to cut Tszyu out of the elite fights in the division. It remains to be seen if either man will square off with Tsyzu, but it is worth noting that Tim has plans extending well beyond this fight with Takeshi Inoue.

Style and Strengths

Although he is still developing as a fighter, Tim Tszyu is quickly becoming a powerful talent in the light middleweight division. A refined jab leads the charge while his precise left hook and diligent body work round out his offense. But, much like his famous father Kostya, he isn’t all offense, either. Surprisingly difficult to hit cleanly, Tszyu has excellent spacial management and coupled with some subtle, but effectively smooth foot work. Tszyu is turning out to be a well rounded, refined boxer-puncher inside the ring, capable of pushing his opponents back and breaking them down or hanging back and picking them apart with jabs and precise straights.

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TAKESHI INOUE: FIGHTER PROFILE

Takeshi Inoue may not be coming into this match up with a big name, but he’s got a monumental opportunity in front of him here and he knows it fully. Even going so far as to get involved in a beef with Aussie veteran (and former Tim Tszyu victim) Michael Zerafa, where both men claimed to get the better of the other in newly-released sparring footage several years ago.

As irrelevant as that may seem, it does indicate that Inoue is unafraid of making his mark on boxing starting with Australia’s local stars, whether it is Zerafa years ago or Tim Tszyu this week. This will be only the second time that Inoue fights outside of Asia, and his last overseas trip didn’t go so well, as he was shut out over 12 rounds by Jaime Munguia in 2019.

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SUMMARY

I think it is worth being honest with the readers here, who likely already know Tim Tszyu is likely to win this contest. If he wins this bout, big money shows against Brian Casano and a Charlo brother sit on the horizon, as does a potential fight in Russia to help honor the legacy of Kosya Tszyu. If Takeshi Inoue wants to win this bout, he may very well have to put on the performance of his life and look better than I have ever seen him look before.

While I do respect the right hand of Inoue, in addition to his dogged toughness, I am doubtful he has the well rounded skills or footwork necessary to keep Tim Tszyu from imposing his will in this contest.

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VERDICT

In a given match up, the stronger, faster, more skilled fighter is the one that is supposed to win, and I don’t expect that trend to change this week.

The only question for me while looking at the bout was whether or not Inoue will survive the distance, and given his history of toughness, decent size for the division – and the fact that Tszyu is not a monumental single-dose puncher – there is quite a bit of value in trusting Inoue to hobble to the finish line here.

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BETTING STRATEGY

BACK (WIN) — Tim Tszyu by Points Decision