Rematch of draw has one fighter heavily favored

By Jeff Haney

Friday, Aug. 21, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Indonesia’s Chris John has been installed as a solid betting favorite of minus 330 against Rocky Juarez in their Sept. 19 rematch, lending credence to the view held by boxing fans who believe Juarez was fortunate to escape with a draw in their first fight in February.

The fight, in which John puts his WBA featherweight world title on the line, tops a strong undercard leading to Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s comeback bout against Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand.

Bettors must risk $3.30 to net $1 on John and can invest $1 to net $2.70 on Juarez. The fight is projected to go the distance, with the round proposition of over/under 11 1/2 carrying a heavy premium on the “over.”

John, who has competed primarily in his homeland but fought Juarez (28-4-1, 20 knockouts) in Juarez’s hometown of Houston, controlled the middle rounds of their first fight before Juarez rallied to win the 11th and 12th. By their nature, virtually all draws are disputed, although in this one all three judges scored it 114-114.

“It has always been my desire to fight in Las Vegas and on the big fight cards,” John (42-0-2, 22 KOs) said. “Sept. 19 I will be able to do this and show the whole world that I am one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today.”

In another attractive match on the undercard, Australia’s Michael Katsidis (25-2, 21 KOs) and 2004 U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo (21-1, 13 KOs) will clash at lightweight.

In a third undercard fight announced this week, Zab Judah (37-6, 25 KOs) will face Antonio Diaz (45-5-1, 27 KOs) in a welterweight 10-rounder. Judah, a former two-division world champ, dropped a decision to Mayweather in 2006 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Tony Weeks will serve as the referee for the main event between Mayweather and Marquez, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The judges will be Burt Clements and Dave Moretti of Nevada and William Lerch of Illinois.

Tickets are priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300 and $150 (mgmgrand.com). Tickets purchased for the fight’s originally scheduled date of July 18 will be honored. HBO pay per view will televise the card ($49.95 suggested retail price).

Big ‘dog’

Former junior welterweight world champion Paulie Malignaggi has a tough assignment in the headliner of Saturday’s “Boxing After Dark” card on HBO (Cox cable channel 200, 9:45 p.m.).

Malignaggi (26-2, 5 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., fights former lightweight world champ Juan Diaz in Diaz’s hometown of Houston. (Shades of John-Juarez?)

The fight takes place at a “catch weight” of 138 1/2 pounds, a limit that figures to favor Diaz. The show is a production of Golden Boy Promotions, and Diaz is one of the stars of the Golden Boy stable.

The challenges are reflected in the betting line on the fight, which has Diaz favored by a little better than 5-1. Bettors who think Malignaggi can recapture his old magic could be rewarded with a price of better than 4-1 on the underdog. The round proposition has been set at over/under 9 1/2 rounds, with a heavy premium on the “over,” based largely on Malignaggi’s propensity to go the distance.

Each man has recently lost a major fight. Diaz is coming off a technical knockout at the hands of Marquez. Malignaggi was stopped by Ricky Hatton in November at the MGM Grand before returning to win an 8-rounder against Christopher Fernandez in April.

Bob Papa, Lennox Lewis and Max Kellerman will announce Saturday’s fight for HBO.

Ticket update

Fewer than 1,000 tickets remain for the Nov. 14 showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand, according to Top Rank.

The Grand Garden Arena has been configured for 16,200 seats for the fight, which is shaping up as potentially the biggest boxing match of the year.

The 9,000 seats priced at $150, $350 and $500 are sold out, according to Top Rank. The remaining seats are priced at $1,000 and $750.

HBO pay per view will televise the card ($49.95), which has been titled “FirePower.”

Pacquiao is a betting favorite of about minus 270 in Las Vegas, with a takeback of plus 220 on Cotto and an over/under of 9 1/2 rounds, minus 150 on the “under.”