Two championship fights happen on Saturday night when Jason Maloney takes on Vincent Astrolabio for the vacant WBO Bantamweight title and Zhanibek Alimkhanuly puts his WBO Middleweight strap on the line versus Steven Butler. Also on Saturday, Vince Paras battles Ayumu Hanada and Olajide Olatunji is back in the ring against Joe Fournier. Check out boxing odds, analysis, and free picks for six of Saturday’s top matchups.

Top Boxing Betting Picks of the Week (May 8th, 2023)

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Merhy vs. Lerena: The Eliminator – Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, Gauteng (FITE)

• When: Saturday, May 13, 2023. 1:00pm ET.

Ryad Merhy vs. Kevin Lerena

31-1 with 26 stoppage victories, it’s strange to see Ryad Merhy show up as an underdog. Merhy’s lone loss happened back in 2018. Since the loss, Ryad has won 7 straight, 4 via straight up knockout and 2 via technical knockout.

Kevin Lerena has a 28-2 record with 14 stoppage victories. Lerena lost his last via third round technical knockout to Daniel Dubois. This should be a step down in class for Lerena but it’s tough to come back from a knockout loss. Backing Merhy makes sense.

Boxing Betting Pick: Ryad Merhy +174

Nghitumbwa vs. Casimero – Okada Manila Hotel and Casino, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines (FITE)

• When: Saturday, May 13, 2023. 1:00am ET.

Vince Paras vs. Ayumu Hanada

Boxing events in the Philippines have come a long way, which is why Paras versus Hanada should be one of the weekend’s best bouts. Paras is 18-2-1 with 15 knockout or technical knockout wins.

Hanada is 10-1-1. The Japanese fighter beat Hector Robles via sixth round TKO in Monterrey, Mexico in the last. Hanada shows 4 straight victories versus Mexican fighters in Mexico. That’s not easy to accomplish.

Ayumu’s experience should be too much for Paras to handle. Even though this takes place in front of Paras’ countrymen, Hanada is the pick.

Boxing Betting Pick: Ayumu Hanada -192

MF & DAZN X Series 7: KSI vs Joe Fournier – OVO Arena, London, England (DAZN)

• When: Saturday, May 13, 2023. 2:00pm ET.

Olajide Olatunji vs. Joe Fournier

Olajide “KSI” Olatunji takes on Joe Fournier as the heavy favorite. The bout is an exhibition, which is why there’s almost zero discussion regarding it.

The whole celebrity exhibition boxing thing has taken a backseat to real boxing now that Jake Paul has a loss on his record. So which fighter gets it done on Saturday?

KSI should win, but the odds give Fournier zero shot, which isn’t true. We’re taking a stab on the underdog to send Olatunji out of the gym and back to doing YouTube videos.

Boxing Betting Pick: Joe Fournier +310

Alimkhanuly vs. Butler – Stockton Arena, Stockton, California (ESPN)

• When: Saturday, May 13, 2023. 6:00pm ET.

Jason Maloney vs. Vincent Astrolabio // WBO World Bantamweight Title

Maloney versus Astrolabio should be one of the weekend’s top bouts. Maloney brings a 25-2 record into the fight. Jason has won 4 straight since suffering a KO loss to the great Nayoa Inoue in 2020.

Vincent Astrolabio won’t be an easy bout for Maloney. Astrolabio hasn’t lost since 2018. One of the slight underdog’s victories was agianst Guillermo Rigondeaux via unanimous decision.

Astrolabio can box if he must. Also, Vincent has lost a single bout via stoppage. Give the dog a chance to bite.

Boxing Betting Pick: Vincent Astrolabio +108

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly vs. Steven Butler // WBO World Middleweight Title

Champ Zhanibek Alimkhanuly is undefeated with 13 victories. The massive favorite in this has 8 wins via knockout or technical knockout.

Steven Butler doesn’t appear to have much chance versus the titleholder. Bang Bang is 32-3-1 with 26 stoppage victories. But Butler hasn’t come close to fighting someone on Zhanibek’s level.

Alimkhanuly gets the victory. Since all 3 of Butler’s losses have come before the final round, play under the total rounds or look for a knockout prop before backing Zhanibek on the money line.

Boxing Betting Pick: Zhanibek Alimkhanuly -2500

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more boxing previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest boxing betting odds at our online crypto sportsbook.

*All stated odds are subject to change without prior notice.

READ MORE: Top Boxing Betting Picks of the Week – May 22nd, 2023