Everyone’s favorite (or most-hated) “Instagram boxer” Ryan Garcia returns to the ring on July 16 to fight Javier Fortuna. Here’s a complete breakdown of the fight, plus how to bet Garcia vs. Fortuna to maximize your own profit.
First things first, the best online sportsbooks have posted betting lines for the looming fight, and to no one’s surprise, Garcia is a big betting favorite at one-to-nine odds. Here are the current betting lines:
Garcia Vs. Fortuna Moneyline Pick
Given the staggering moneyline odds in favor of Garcia, is there any reason to even look at Fortuna’s way betting-wise? Well, maybe. In our opinion, Fortuna is being discredited too much by bookmakers. He’s certainly not a complete pushover like Garcia’s last opponent, Emmanuel Tagoe.
For one, Fortuna is a former world champion. Two times, in fact. However, that was back in 2012 and 2015, plus it was at featherweight — not lightweight as this fight will be contested at. Fortuna definitely has the advantage in experience too. The soon-to-be 33-year-old (his birthday is one day before the fight) has a career mark of 37-3-3. And unlike Garcia, Fortuna has faced legit, championship-level competition throughout his career.
This is Garcia’s biggest test yet in his young career that’s a pristine 22-0, with 18 of those wins coming by knockout. The fight was originally scheduled for the year prior but “mental health issues” forced Garcia to pull out. Fortuna instead fought Jojo Diaz and lost convincingly by unanimous decision.
Both fighters are offensive-minded. Garcia’s speed and precision are apparent to everyone — even his millions of teenage female followers on social media. But Fortuna is no slouch either on offense. He possesses above-average power and is known for his left hook.
Garcia should win this fight and he’s the bet to make if you can only take one option. However, we wouldn’t be completely opposed to laying some money on Fortuna. The keyword in the last sentence is “some", which doesn’t mean your whole betting bankroll. He’s drastically undervalued here and even a few dollars his way is enough to score a nice profit. If you’re pinched for pennies, don’t take Fortuna. But at the same time, there’s not a whole lot of money to be made taking Garcia’s moneyline.
Garcia Vs. Fortuna Prop Pick
Alright, let’s head to the Garcia-Fortuna prop betting market, which should offer more value than the moneyline. A tried-and-true prop in boxing that’ll be available is the exact fight outcome — who wins and what method (stoppage, decision, or draw).
Being as it’s Garcia, most will expect a KO victory for him. Call Garcia what you want, but it’s hard to deny his offensive talents. And Garcia himself has hinted he’s going for the knockout win, saying “nothing is guaranteed, but I am 99 percent confident I will take Fortuna out early.”
Garcia failed to stop his previous foe, Tagoe, which only fanned the flame for his critics. However, anyone that watched that fight with two objective, not subjective, eyes knows Tagoe was running for his life all fight long. Tagoe fought that bout to not end up on Garcia’s highlight reel — not to actually win. Garcia is fast, but even for him, it’s tough to finish an opponent that’s running like a scalded dog bell-to-bell.
As we mentioned before, Fortuna is not afraid to go on the offensive. He moves forward a lot inside the ring and even switches boxing stances from time to time. Either this will frustrate an inexperienced Garcia or open up opportunities for Garcia to go for “the kill.” Your perspective on that will really determine how you should bet this prop.
Personally, we think this goes the full 12 rounds. Fortuna has the IQ to hold off Garcia. Plus, Fortuna has only lost by stoppage once in his career. If Garcia wins, it’ll be by decision. Take that prop to maximize betting value.
How To Watch Garcia Vs. Fortuna
If you’re in the United States (and most of the world for that matter), there’s only one place to watch Garcia vs. Fortuna and that’s DAZN. The streaming will live-air the fight Saturday night from inside the Crypto Arena located in downtown Los Angeles.
For those unfamiliar, DAZN can be accessed for the price of $20 per month. Or for the most hardcore fans, a yearly subscription costs $100.
How To Bet On Garcia Vs. Fortuna
Popular boxing betting sites exist by the dozens, however, we think the five bookmakers listed in the table below are the “cream of the crop.” You’ll be able to bet on Garcia vs. Fortuna at these bookmakers, plus future boxing bouts. Massive fights such as Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin and Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk are on the horizon later this summer so now is the time to sign up and wager.
Speaking of that, you could reap hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play if you leverage a sign-up bonus at the underneath sites. With that free money, you can gamble on the aforementioned boxing fights completely free of cost, and what’s not to like about that?
