Michael Conlan vs Sofiane Takoucht Odds & Pick
- Michael Conlan vs Sofiane Takoucht goes Saturday, August 15th, at 2:00 PM ET
- Does Conlan maintain his spotless pro record or will Takoucht earn a statement win?
- Check out the odds for this fight and Dylan Bowker’s bout prediction below
Michael Conlan and Sofiane Takoucht will throw down at BT Sport Studio in Stratford, London, on Saturday, Aug. 15th (2:00 PM ET). The event will broadcast in the UK on the titular network (BT Sport) and will in North America on ESPN +.
Conlan enters the ring for his first bout of 2020 after an impressive 3-0 campaign last year in championship outings. Takoucht is looking to return to the win column and get back to the form that made him the IBF international featherweight king.
This fight has high stakes with a potential title contender emerging from the ring this weekend.
Conlan vs Takoucht Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Michael Conlan | -5000 |
| Sofiane Takoucht | +1400 |
Odds as of August 12th.
Michael Conlan’s Journey Towards WBO Gold
Conlan is ranked number one by the WBO for his weight class. The Olympic medalist has close to 300 bouts across his amateur and pro outings. He has targeted the WBO featherweight title fight some time in March 2021.
Prior to that St Patrick’s Day title bid, though, Conlan will be looking to compete so as to stay as fresh and ready as possible for the championship bout. Though he is a sizeable favorite here, Conlan cannot overlook his opponent otherwise all of these future plans go up in smoke.
Conlan has the kind of physical frame that affords him options in multiple weight classes. There are certainly bountiful opportunities at 126 pounds (notably a bout with former super bantamweight champion and current featherweight Emanuel Navarrete). But there are rumblings of Conlan dropping to 122 pounds and pursuing a world title there. Recently minted WBO titlist Angelo Leo is someone Conlan wants a crack at but first Leo must make his mandatory defense against Stephen Fulton.
Sofiane Takoucht’s Chances Against Conlan
Takoucht is a former world championship contender. He fought for the IBF featherweight title in October of last year where he was TKOed early on by Josh Warrington. Prior to that, he had been on an eight-fight win streak and had never been finished.
It will be curious to see how he rebounds on fight night. Some pundits and fans see Takoucht as a cupcake opponent for Conlan, which would be apropos considering Conlan’s quarantine diet.
.@mickconlan11 wasn’t lying on April 1 🤭
That 🍰➡️💪 life is very real, apparently.#ConlanTakoucht | SATURDAY | ESPN pic.twitter.com/HAO67oON4F
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) August 10, 2020
On paper, Takoucht doesn’t present any stylistic advantages heading into this one. The elite-level amateur experience of Conlan makes it incredibly difficult for me to imagine a situation where Takoucht uses savvy ringcraft to tactfully outbox the former Olympian. Also, Takoucht’s sub-50% knockout rate doesn’t inspire much confidence with the whole “puncher’s chance” narrative.
Conlan vs Takoucht Tale of the Tape
| 13-0 | Record | 35-4-1 |
| 7 | Knockouts | 13 |
| 5’8 | Height | N/A |
| 69″ | Reach | N/A |
| Vladimir Nikitin, Diego Alberto Ruiz, Ruben Garcia Hernandez | Significant Wins | Davide Dieli, Oleg Yefimovych, Alexander Cazares |
| Orthodox | Stance | Southpaw |
In the end, I see Conlan using his range well, being defensively savvy, and using offensive cleverness to pick his opponent apart. Conlan will pick up a TKO victory inside of nine rounds.
Pick: Michael Conlan (-5000)
A part-time writer and full-time broadcaster, Dylan has hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, and covered some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage.
