MTK Golden Contract Semifinals Odds and Picks for All 4 Bouts
- Golden Contract Semifinals takes place Friday, February 21st at 4:00 pm EST
- Which individual will advance to the Golden Contract Tournament finals?
- Check out the odds for all four fights, my bout breakdowns, and my predictions below
Golden Contract Semifinals hails from York Hall in London, England. The WBC silver super lightweight title is vacant and up for grabs during Mimoune vs McKenna. In Wood vs Dickens, the two men will be vying for the WBO European featherweight title and the Commonwealth featherweight title.
Also, the winners of these fights will advance in the Golden Contract Tournament and will proceed to the finals. These brackets pit four of Europe’s best pugilists against each other. Four men will be knocked out of the running while four men will be emboldened and golden.
Golden Contract Semifinals Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Mohamed Mimoune | -285 |
| Tyrone McKenna | +225 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Leigh Wood | -700 |
| James Dickens | +450 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Ohara Davies | -800 |
| Jeff Ofori | +500 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Ryan Walsh | -400 |
| Tyrone McCullagh | +300 |
Odds taken Feb. 19th
This is a fun fight stylistically on multiple levels. One aspect that I enjoy is that this is a rare southpaw versus southpaw bout. In a world dominated by orthodox strikers, to have even one southpaw in the ring is notable. Nevermind two in the ring.
Mimoune vs McKenna
McKenna is on the heels of defending his WBC international super-lightweight title over Mikey Sakyi via unanimous decision in late-November 2019. An effort where McKenna was hurt in the second round only to rally back and dominate the fight. Mimoune is no stranger to gold either, having won and successfully defended the IBO world super-lightweight title.
Mimoune had a similar performance in his last bout where he was hurt in the second, adjusted accordingly, and rallied back to secure the W via fifth-round TKO. The victory over Darren Surtees put the first blemish on his opponent’s pro record and Mimoune was able to advance to the bracket in the Golden Contract tourney.
⭐ @Tyronemck ? @MimouneMohamed1 ⭐
Super-lightweight semi-final 2! Who've you got?
? Watch the Golden Contract live on Sky Sports Action this Friday from 7.30pm! pic.twitter.com/6jY9sf1DuW
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) February 18, 2020
Mimoune’s three KO’s across 22 wins underscore the fact that he’s not necessarily the most exciting fighter. It’s not like McKenna has the biggest stopping power either with six knockouts across 20 pro wins. McKenna also has a three-inch height edge and though his reach is not disclosed, presumably he has a reach advantage as well. It’s matchups like this which make me appreciative of the Golden Contract tournament structure.
Ultimately McKenna has some impressive wins but I would edge it to Mimoune in terms of who has the superior resume. He also has a proficient sense of ringcraft, honed over nearly two hundred rounds of professional pugilism. I think these elements will be the deciding factors in this bout. In the end, I see Mimoune getting it done via unanimous decision when Mimoune vs McKenna goes down.
Pick: Mohamed Mimoune (-285)
Golden Contract Semifinals
This bout between Leigh Wood and James Dickens is an intriguing contest in its own right. Wood has collected Commonwealth and BBBofC championships at featherweight while Dickens was a BBBofC titlist at super-bantamweight.
Dickens is the IBF European featherweight champion and made his first successful title defense in his last bout. He defeated Carlos Ramos via unanimous decision in October 2019. Wood captured the WBO European featherweight title in his last outing after scoring a ninth-round TKO over David Oliver Joyce. Dickens is the crafty southpaw striker in his situation and Wood has the superior knockout rate.
Wood vs Dickens
Dickens enters this contest with a record of 28-3 with eleven knockouts to his credit. Wood boasts a pro boxing record of twenty-three wins opposite one defeat and he has recorded 13 stoppage wins. Ultimately I think Wood has the superior resume, the bigger KO rate, and I think he will be able to use his bigger frame to muscle around Dickens in this one. I see Wood getting it done in the Golden Contract Semifinals.
Pick: Leigh Wood (-700)
Jazza Dickens vs Leigh Wood gets lively at Golden Contract press conference https://t.co/tNba5ngus5 pic.twitter.com/l9yizwFlEB
— Sports news 247 (@footbal42267855) February 19, 2020
Walsh vs McCullagh pits orthodox striker against southpaw pugilist. Walsh will step into the ring for his 30th pro fight on Saturday and he has 25 wins, two defeats, and two draws. McCullagh boasts an undefeated pro record and is riding a 14 fight win streak with six stoppage victories. The edge in experience ad the physical advantages of Walsh will be the big deciding factor in this one, I feel.
Walsh vs McCullagh
McCullagh is the reigning WBO European super bantamweight champion and recently made the first successful defense of his crown via unanimous decision over Alvaro Rodriguez. Walsh has held the BBBofC British featherweight title for close to four and a half years now and is riding a three-fight win streak elding into fight night. Walsh has historically competed as the bigger competitor and will use his physical frame couple with his veteran savvy to give McCullagh the first blemish on his pro record.
Pick: Ryan Walsh (-400)
"WHEN I WAS JUST STARTING MY CAREER I WATCHED RYAN WALSH ON TV!"@WhiteChoc90 14-0 ?? on his @MTKGlobal #GoldenContract Featherweight Semi-Final opponent Ryan Walsh
FULL VID ➡️ https://t.co/8juhLOio1G
? @benallenfight #Boxing #MTKFightNight pic.twitter.com/qBJuLtbvA3
— Fight HQ (@FightHQTV) February 19, 2020
Davies vs Ofori is the final bout for the Golden Contract Semifinals. Davies has 20 wins and two losses with 15 KO victories to his credit. He held the WBC international super-lightweight title and the WBA international super-lightweight title. Ofori held the BBBofC southern area lightweight title but dropped it in his first defense. He lost the hardware to Alfie Price on points in what is still the lone loss on Ofofori’s record
Davies vs Ofori
Ofori has gone 1-1-1 across his last three fights and is assuredly looking for an emphatic victory here. Davies is coming into this bout on the heels of back to back wins, has the higher-level experience, and I think he will ultimately get the victory over Ofori. I think he will hand Ofori his first loss via stoppage and I could see Davies getting a TKO inside of eight rounds.
Pick: Ohara Davies (-800)
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.
