World Boxing Organization (WB0) minimumweight champion Oscar Collazo will defend his title against challenger Gerardo Zapata as part of the annual Boxing Hall of Fame weekend. The 12-round championship fight will take place on Friday, June 7, at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
Collazo (9-0-0, 7 KOs) will make his third title defense since stopping Melvin Jerusalem a year ago to capture the belt. The Puerto Rican earned an impressive third-round TKO over Reyneris Gutierrez four months ago in his last outing.
Zapata (14-1-1, 5 KOs) will return to the ring after fighting Azael Villar to a split draw 10 months ago in Panama. The Nicaraguan tasted defeat for the first time in late 2022 via a second-round disqualification against Rene Santiago.
In the co-main event, Eric Tudor (10-1, 6 KOs) and Quinton Randall (13-2-1, 3 KOs) will battle in a highly-anticipated super welterweight showdown.
While the betting odds for this title fight have yet to be posted, Collazo is a huge favorite to retain his belt against Zapata. Boxing enthusiasts looking to place wagers can explore various popular boxing sportsbooks such as BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel, which will provide comprehensive betting odds and options for this fight closer to the event
Collazo is an ultra-talented fighter who rewrote history by winning a world title faster than anyone from Puerto Rico. The southpaw favors an aggressive approach and utilizes jabs to set up his inside hooks. His consistent pressure and unrelenting pace have helped him overwhelm defensive-minded opponents and their counterpunching.
The champion has a significant power advantage over Zapata, boasting a 78% knockout percentage compared to Zapata's 36%. Collazo has won seven of his nine fights via knockout, including his last four contests.
Zapata has won five of his 16 professional fights via knockout and will be making his U.S. debut. The Nicaraguan tasted defeat for the first time via a controversial second-round disqualification against Rene Santiago in late 2022.
Collazo is excited to fight during one of boxing's biggest weekends and encourages his fans in the Big Apple to turn out for his upcoming title defense.
"I feel honored to fight in New York where the boxing world has its eye and in a great week for Puerto Ricans, I will be in anticipation of the induction of Diego Corlares, Ricky Hatton, and especially Ivan Calderon," Collazo said. "It is an honor and I will continue working to one day be able to be together with great immortals like Miguel Cotto, Felix Trinidad, and the great Muhammed Ali.
"I feel very good but we will make our third defense against Zapata, a good fighter who will bring out the best in me. Very well prepared as usual, focused on proving once again that we are the best in my category. We hope you meet at the Turning Stone, Verona. My fans from upstate New York and all my New York City come together for a great night."
Zapata will be fighting for a world title for the first time in his career and is confident he can give Collazo a good test.
"I am very happy and excited about the new opportunity to fight for a world championship," Zapata said. "I haven't stopped training after the fight that was scheduled to face WBO 108 lbs champion Jonathan 'Bomba' Gonzalez.
"Making the weight of 105 lbs is not a threat for me. I am always ready to perform. I could fight any style and make the adjustments. There will be a war on June 7 in New York."
Betting Pick: Collazo
Betting odds for this exciting championship fight have yet to be posted on BetMGM, one of New York's most popular sportsbooks.
The most prevalent bet type for boxing matches is the moneyline, betting on who will win the fight outright.
Because of his dominant amateur record and impressive minimumweight title defenses, Collazo is our pick to win this fight.
The Over/Under bet is another popular type, where bettors wager on the number of rounds the fight will last. Given Collazo's elite punching power, this fight could end in the early rounds.
If we consider the lack of punching power of Zapata and Collazo's superior ring skills, we do not expect the fight to last 12 complete rounds. Thus, betting Under 10.0 rounds could be a winning pick.
The 12-round minimumweight championship fight will occur on Friday, June 7, at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. Boxing fans in New York can watch the fight live on DAZN pay-per-view.
Although the odds for this must-see title fight have yet to be posted online, the undefeated champion is a betting favorite to retain his belt against Zapata.
Super welterweights Eric Tudor (10-1, 6 KOs) and Quinton Randall (13-2-1, 3 KOs) will clash in the co-main event. Other fights on the undercard include a super lightweight matchup featuring Mykquan "Marvelous" Williams (20-0-2, 9 KOs) and Willman Brito (12-5-2, 10 KOs), a super middleweight fight pitting David "Dynamite" Stevens (13-1, 9 KOs) against Sergio "Checho" Lopez (14-5, 10 KOs), and a light heavyweight bout with Yair Lozano (7-0, 6 KOs) squaring off against Michael "Hitman" Portalatin (7-2, 5 KOs).
Live betting is available for boxing during the fight, however, you can only place bets between rounds when the in-play betting odds are updated. Moneyline wagers representing the odds for who will win the fight outright are the most popular type of betting for boxing. Other live betting types include "three-way" moneyline wagers and prop bets such as the method of victory, total rounds (how long a fight will last), points betting, and parlays.
Boxing fans can place various bets on this WBO world minimumweight title fight at BetMGM, a well-known and trusted sportsbook in New York.
