Boxing odds: Billy Joe Saunders and David Lemieux dead even before Saturday’s title fight

The Middleweight title is up for grabs Saturday night, and the latest odds have the two fighters dead even.

2017 has been a good year to be a boxing fan. From Joshua vs. Klitschko to GGG vs. Canelo to last weekend’s Lomachenko vs. Rigondeaux fight, this has been a year filled with exciting, meaningful match-ups. This weekend, we wrap up the year with a big Middleweight title fight on HBO when Billy Joe Saunders defends his WBO belt against heavy-hitting David Lemieux. Here are the latest odds, courtesy of Bovada:

Billy Joe Saunders -115
David Lemieux -115

Yep, the two men are dead even, which shows what an interesting fight this is. Saunders is the champion and undefeated, with some very good names on his resume including Chris Eubank, Jr., Andy Lee, and Willie Monroe, Jr. But he’s in deep here, as he’s taking on a very real threat in Lemieux. The Canadian fighter is a serious power puncher who is undefeated since a 2015 loss to GGG. He started 2017 with one of the best KO’s of the year over Curtis Stevens, and he has a solid resume as well, though it doesn’t quite stack up to that of the champ. Adding to Lemieux’s positives here is the arena - the fight is in Quebec, and will surely feature a vocal pro-Lemieux crowd.

At even odds, if you’re feeling confident in either fighter, go ahead and take a swing here. If you’re going Lemieux, I would add to your odds by predicting a KO finish. It should be a good fight, and a good end to 2017.

We’ll have live coverage of Saunders vs. Lemieux, Saturday night here on Bloody Elbow.

Finally, since we’re talking boxing odds, for those interested:

Oscar De La Hoya -150
Conor McGregor +125