Crawford backed by punters ahead of Canelo clash despite underdog tag

Despite being priced as the underdog, Terence Crawford is proving the popular pick with punters in his upcoming super middleweight showdown with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, according to William Hill.

Almost half of all bets placed on the bout have gone the way of the American, whose odds have been clipped into 7/5 (from 7/4), while even the 12/1 draw has attracted more action than backing the Mexican favourite.

Canelo remains the market leader at 4/6, though support for him has been comparatively quiet, with bettors showing more interest in opposing the superstar.

William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said: “In what looks an intriguing super middleweight bout between Saul Alvarez and Terence Crawford, punters are opting for the underdog. With just under 50% of bets taken going Crawford’s way, he’s proving more popular than Canelo despite the Mexican being the 4/6 favourite. Remarkably, even the draw has seen more action than a Canelo win so far.”

Boxing journalist and William Hill Ambassador Gareth A Davies added his take: “I think Canelo Alvarez is going to be too good for Terence Crawford. I can see a very close chess match over 12 rounds. My pick is a narrow Canelo decision – but I expect many will argue Crawford deserved it. And with Vegas, you can never rule out the possibility of a draw setting up a rematch.”

William Hill – Boxing – Alvarez vs Crawford Odds

Bout Winner:

• Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez – 4/6
• Terence Crawford – 7/5
• Draw – 12/1

With punters backing Crawford and pundits leaning towards Canelo, the fight is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing contests of the year – and betting patterns suggest plenty believe an upset could be on the cards.

Check out more boxing and sports betting news from William Hill.