Pro bettors, public at odds over Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury fight

The Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder heavyweight title fight Saturday at T-Mobile Arena shapes up as a matchup of sharp bettors vs. the betting public at Las Vegas sportsbooks.

The big sharp bets are on Fury, as Caesars Sportsbook took a $265,000 wager to win $100,000 on the British boxer from a respected account, per Caesars vice president of trading Craig Mucklow.

“We are Wilder fans for sure now,” Mucklow said Friday.

Every other book needs Fury, a -280 favorite after opening at -265 at Circa Sports, as the vast majority of bets are on Wilder, a +240 underdog.

“We had some sharp action max bets come in on Fury as of late, but the ticket count is lopsided on Wilder,” Circa Sports combat sports oddsmaker Nick Kalikas said. “Early on, it was all Wilder. I think we’re going to need Fury when it’s all said and done.”

At BetMGM, the ticket count is 4½-1 in Wilder’s favor, and the money is 5-1.

“All small bets so far with the largest wager $8,500 at +230,” MGM Resorts director of trading Jeff Stoneback said. “We need Fury at this point.”

Fury (30-0-1) and Wilder (42-1-1) fought to a draw in their first fight in December 2018 in Los Angeles. Fury beat Wilder by seventh-round technical knockout in February 2020 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The Westgate SuperBook took a $10,000 wager on Wilder.

“The public is going to take the ’dog. We’re going to need Fury, and that’s OK by me,” SuperBook director John Murray said. “I think he’s going to win this fight unless Wilder lands a big shot. You can’t rule Wilder out because he’s got knockout power, but Tyson Fury is a much better boxer.”

Wilder to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification pays 3-1 at Caesars, and Fury by KO/TKO/DQ is -105. Fury by decision is +275, and Wilder by decision is 15-1. A draw pays 25-1.

“I like Fury, but it’s hard to bet him at that price,” Kalikas said. “You’ve got to respect Wilder’s knockout power. He can end the fight at any time. That being said, I think Fury is clearly the better fighter.

“He can win by knockout or he can win by scorecards. But Wilder can’t win on scorecards. It’s knockout or bust. I lean to Fury. He can outclass him.”

The fight was originally scheduled for July 24, but was postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak in Fury’s camp.

“It’s a good (betting) handle, but it would’ve been a better handle had they fought on the original date in July,” Murray said. “The second fight in February 2020 did unbelievable volume because it was the big game in town. This time, everybody is focused on football, so the public’s attention is split on this fight.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.