Vladimir Shishkin vs Oscar Riojas Odds and Pick

• Vladimir Shishkin vs Oscar Riojas goes Thursday, August 20th at 7 PM ET
• Will Shishkin add another one to the highlight reel or does Riojas claim his most significant scalp to date?
• Check out the fight odds, my sweet science analysis, and my prediction below
  

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Vladimir Shishkin and Oscar Riojas will throw down at Kronk’s Gym in Detroit, Michigan. Shishkin vs Riojas will broadcast on UFC Fight Pass. The ten-round main event bout is one where Shishkin will be quite comfortable in. The fight venue is a gym he has avidly trained out of under the guidance of SugarHill Steward. Shishkin will have to defend his pseudo-home base (Detroit fighter by way of Russia) against the challenge of the battle-tested warrior Riojas.

Shishkin vs Riojas Odds

Odds taken August 19

Vladimir Shishkin’s Quest for 11-0

This is quite the fun week for fans and pundits of Queensberry Rules competition. Shishkin is unbeaten as a professional and is ranked #10 at super middleweight by the WBC. His last outing saw him best previously unbeaten Ulises Sierra by unanimous decision in January of this year. Shishkin also managed to win by a large margin while nursing an injury to his left bicep during the bout.

Undefeated rising star Vladimir Shishkin will be in action this Thursday night against Oscar Riojas (10 KOs).

Thanks @DaniboGizmo for reminding me.https://t.co/P70wVxRARm

— Cerebral Vigilante (@Delisketo) August 18, 2020

Shishkin is one of the more intriguing, rising prospects within the 168 lb ranks. He is rising up the divisional hierarchy quite quickly and this one reads as a stay busy fight. I think the handlers for Shishkin are trying to stave off ring rust and keep him busy with winnable fights to lead to blockbuster attractions at a later juncture. Those in Shishkin’s camp are prognosticating that their young charge has the capabilities to hand Canelo Alvarez his second “official” pro loss (official *cough* first Golovkin fight *cough*). Those possible bouts go up in smoke if Shishkin overlooks Riojas.

Oscar Riojas’ Path to Kronk’s Gym

Riojas has 35 pro fights under his belt. Oscar Riojas’ last contest was a unanimous decision loss to Diego Pachecho in February of this year. Riojas is a veteran southpaw who can utilize that stance and the associated angles with it to puzzle several opponents. Riojas is also quite durable and has only been stopped three times across his thirteen defeats. That being said, it’s hard to see a path to victory for Riojas in this particular bout. His sub-fifty percent KO rate and subpar career competition does little to inspire hope for an upset here.

https://twitter.com/boxnationtv/status/1166772432784355328

While Riojas opened up his career with an eleven fight win streak, he has struggled to maintain consistency since then. He’s a journeyman fighter and his record reflects that. Riojas will put together a couple of wins, lose the next two, get back to the win column only to lose right after, etc. Also, Oscar Riojas does not have a single reputable win to his credit. The wins he has logged on his record are against, with all due respect, tomato cans on the club circuit level.

Shishkin vs Riojas Tale of the Tape

Prior to his last outing, Shishkin compiled a four-fight stoppage streak. The injury in his last bout I think played some degree of a role in him not securing the finish. Ultimately I see Shishkin returning back to his pattern of separating people from consciousness this Thursday night. I predict that Vladimir Shishkin secures the TKO victory inside of eight rounds when Shishkin vs Riojas goes down.

Pick: Vladimir Shishkin (-10000)