The Opening Round: Adam Azim v Franck Petitjean
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Drawing comparisons to the legendary ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed, the supremely talented Adam Azim appears destined to become the next face of British boxing.
The 21-year-old’s rapid rise also draws parallels with Amir Khan’s ascent in the sport, with Azim determined to get his hands on a world title at an even younger age than the decorated Bolton fighter who became a world champion aged 22 in 2009.
Azim’s meeting with experienced French southpaw Franck Petitjean is the latest step towards his goal of becoming a world champion, with the European super-lightweight belt on the line at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton.
The undefeated Slough boxer will be keen to make a statement on Saturday night after a couple of points victories in recent outings against Santos Reyes and Aram Faniian, so don’t be surprised if Azim goes looking for the knockout.
Unsurprisingly, the youthful Azim is the overwhelming favourite in this bout at odds of 1/14, with the 35-year-old title holder Petitjean the underdog at 8/1.
Any chance for British fight fans to catch one of the country’s biggest prospects in action ought not to be missed, with bet365’s resident boxing expert Rob Tebbutt backing Azim to secure an emphatic victory in Wolverhampton this weekend.
“In recent times we haven’t seen those early explosive finishes from Azim, but I think he returns back to his prolific best this weekend against an opponent who, for me, isn’t the strongest European champion out there,” he told bet365’s Sports and Betting News site.
“I expect Azim to get the job done early, in good fashion and inside the first six rounds, which you can get at a very tasty 11/4.
“If you fancy even more value than that then you could look at the 13/2 on offer for the British fighter to win this fight ‘Between Rounds 1 – 4’.
“France’s Petitjean is a southpaw, but he isn’t all that tricky, and I just feel that Azim is going to be hitting that target regularly.”
Watch Rob Tebbutt’s bet365 tipping video HERE.
The showdown between Azim and Petitjean is not the only title fight on this exciting BOXXER card, with Black Country fighter Tyler Denny (3/10) taking on Italian veteran Matteo Signani (5/2) in front of his home crowd with the European belt on the line.
Rob Tebbutt is confident that English middleweight champion Denny has what it takes to ensure there are two British fighters crowned European champions in Wolverhampton this weekend.
“I actually really fancy Denny’s chances of capturing the coveted strap in Wolverhampton, and feel that he will end the evening as the new European middleweight champion,” he said.
“Signani is 44 years of age now let’s not forget, and he hasn’t boxed at the very highest level, despite having a long and successful career.
“I will be looking at Denny to get the job done via Decision, which is priced up at 4/6 – not the biggest price in the world admittedly.
“So if you are looking for a little more value then I also feel there is some in Denny getting to Signani during the second half of the fight, so ‘Between Rounds 7 – 12’ at 6/1.”
bet365 are also offering Bet Boosts for both of these title fights put on by BOXXER, meaning you can take advantage of even BIGGER prices and BOOSTED Bet Builders as British boxers Adam Azim and Tyler Denny aim to become European champions on home soil.
The Sports & Betting News team have also put together a comprehensive All You Need To Know guide for the main event between Azim and Petitjean, as well as a detailed Tale of the Tape article which houses all of the vital statistics of the two fighters.
View the latest Bet Boosts and odds for the full BOXXER card and all other upcoming boxing at bet365
Bet Boosts and odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
By James Wilson