Are you ready for some Super Bowl boxing? That’s right, there’s a big boxing title fight in the middle of Super Bowl week happening in Las Vegas. It’s one more opportunity to make money off this wild week of sports events. Keep on reading to get our expert picks on Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz!
- What: Teofimo Lopez vs. Jamaine Ortiz
- Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
- When: Thursday, February 8
Teofimo Lopez Vs. Jamaine Ortiz Preview
Despite being only 26 years of age, Lopez has had the highest of highs in the sport, but also the lowest of lowest. He’s won world championships at both 135 pounds and now 140, where this fight will be contested at. He’s also lost in stunning fashion (to George Kambosos Jr.), retired, and gone through a bitter divorce and custody battle. Through it all, Lopez is here to defend his newly won WBO junior welterweight title against Ortiz.
The last time we saw Lopez, he upset Josh Taylor to capture the WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight titles. Oddsmakers and bettors were wholly against him betting-wise, but he gutted out a unanimous decision regardless. Now the best boxing betting sites have Lopez as an overwhelming favorite over Ortiz. Just take a look at the current moneyline odds:
We can’t help but feel the betting line is a little off. Ortiz is being disrespected more than he should be. He’s 17-1, and actually fights strikingly similar to Lopez, which we’ll get into when making betting picks. Ortiz has won two of his last three, including once over former world champion Jamel Herring. The only career defeat for Ortiz? A decision to Vasiliy Lomachenko that many thought was too close to call. Fight fans know Lomachenko is still a premier fighter so Ortiz going blow to blow with him is a high compliment.
Plus, as we mentioned, Lopez’s career is a story of ups and downs. Some nights in the ring, he looks unbeatable. Other nights, he underwhelms massively. The Sandor Martin fight is one to remember as Lopez barely eeked out a win against a fighter most thought he’d cakewalk through. You just never know which Lopez will step into the ring so him being a -745 favorite is a little suspect in our book.
Best Bets For Lopez vs. Ortiz
We will be laying down two different bets for Lopez vs. Ortiz. Each will be single bets, though, we’re not against a two-leg parlay involving each bet. If you’re feeling risky, that’s certainly an option worth exploring to increase the possible payout.
Over/Under Rounds
Oddsmakers have set the fight’s over/under at 10.5 rounds. Of those options, one is the bigger favorite to hit. Here are the current over/under odds:
Remember earlier when we said the two fighters are similar? Well, they are. You see, each boxer has an attack-first style. Ortiz and Lopez commonly lunge forward with their punches. Moreover, they tend to drop their hands to go on the offensive. Typically, this style of fighting is vulnerable to being caught off guard and dropped. So tell me again why the over is the betting favorite?
Here’s one major reason: Lopez has lost some power since moving up to 140 pounds. Sure, he knocked out Pedro Campa, but Lopez's power was lacking vs. Martin and Taylor. Believe us, he’s not nearly as dangerous at welterweight as he was at lightweight.
Then there’s Lopez. While he’s a pressure-based fighter, that pressure rarely leads to knockdowns. In 17 career wins, only eight have been way of KO for Lopez. Matter of fact, Lopez hasn’t KO’d anybody since late 2020.
We feel quite confident in taking the over 10.5 rounds. This bout should be more of a chess match given the overlapping fight qualities, but without a stunning knockout.
Fight Outcome
There’s zero reason to take the regular moneyline unless you think Ortiz is scoring the upset. We do not believe that to be the case, but his moneyline odds (+495) are so mispriced that we’re not completely against putting a smaller wager on him. Still, we think this is Lopez’s fight to win, and picking how exactly he wins is a perfect prop bet. Check out the list of betting options:
| Outcome |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortiz by KO | +975 | +975 | +975 |
| Ortiz by Decision | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Lopez by KO | +140 | +140 | +140 |
| Lopez by Decision | -120 | -120 | -120 |
| Draw | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
You should know our pick based on the over/under — Lopez by decision. As we said, Lopez can underestimate opponents at times. Throw in the distraction of Super Bowl week and the random Thursday bell time, and we say Lopez earns a less-than-impressive decision victory.
How To Bet On Lopez vs. Ortiz
Get your Lopez-Ortiz bets in at one of the below betting sites. Per our unbiased sportsbook reviews, these sites lead the way in their boxing betting options. Not only will you find the two bets we covered above available, but also a host of other prop wagers.
The best part? There are big-money sign-up bonuses on the table at each listed site. Bonuses can pay out upwards of $2500 in free play at some sites — more than enough to fund your Lopez-Ortiz betting picks. See the table for a list of our favorite promotions running right now. Pick anyone to bet this week for free (including the Super Bowl).
