Shakiel Thompson vs River Wilson-Bent Preview
A huge British boxing match takes place this weekend. Shakiel Thompson takes on River Wilson-Bent at the Park Community Arena in Sheffield on Friday, September 27th. Thompson hopes to defend his belt against his experienced opponent.
It’s a battle between one of Britain’s most exciting prospects and a grizzled veteran. Thompson is the reigning IBF European and WBO Global middleweight champion. He believes that he is in a different stratosphere than Wilson-Bent.
But Wilson-Bent believes that his experience will count. He’s been vocal ahead of this fight and this makes the match-up even more exciting. ‘Dr. Steel’ is a massive favourite but Wilson-Bent is ready to cause an upset.
Shakiel Thompson vs River Wilson-Bent Key Stats and Head-to-Head
This is a fascinating match-up but an exciting one for the UK boxing scene. Thompson is emerging as one of the best young middleweights in the nation. The undefeated 27-year-old is riding a 12-fight win streak. He also has eight knockouts for a 67% KO percentage.
Wilson-Bent is Thompson’s senior by three years. Perhaps surprisingly, he made his professional debut in 2018, the same year as ‘Dr. Steel.’ Despite this, there’s a sense of him being a more seasoned veteran while Thompson maintains his up-and-comer tag.
That’s because Wilson-Bent has almost double the number of fights as Thompson. His record is currently 17-4-2. Wilson-Bent has been in some very fun battles but there’s a sense that this came at a cost. His team hasn’t always managed his career properly. Also, going to war isn’t always the best way to climb the rankings.
Thompson enters this fight off an impressive victory over Vladimir Georgiev. He knocked the tough Bulgarian out in the eighth round to claim the vacant titles. This is his first defence and he is determined to keep his belts. Wilson-Bent also enters this bout off a victory. He defeated Matt McCallum in his native Coventry by decision.
This is a battle between a southpaw and an orthodox fighter. It’s going to be interesting to see how Wilson-Bent handles Thompson’s powerful left hand. Thompson is also a massive middleweight at 6”2. He has a slight height and reach advantage over his older opponent.
ABOUT LAST WEEK⬅️
Shakiel Thompson was crowned WBO Global and IBF European Middleweight Champion.#gbmsports | Coming Of Age | Watch back on @talksport boxing YouTube pic.twitter.com/tqxWpyOfwM
— GBM Sports (@gbm_sports) April 27, 2024
Wilson-Bent has only won five of his past 10 fights. His last three matches include two victories and one draw. Notably, he suffered multiple cuts and this may present an issue against the hard-hitting Thompson. His KO percentage is also much lower than Thompson’s at 41%.
He has also endured two KO/TKO losses with the last one coming against Austin Williams. Wilson-Bent’s corner threw in the towel to end that bout. Ryan Kelly was the most recent man to beat him back in 2023 by decision.
Kevin Murray manages Shak Thompson while Wilson-Bent is under Mick Hennessy’s umbrella. Both Thompson and Wilson-Bent have big followings in their respective hometowns of Sheffield and Coventry. ‘Dr. Steel’ will hope for a finish in front of his local fans.
Shakiel Thompson vs River Wilson-Bent Predictions
This is a fascinating boxing match because there are several key narratives. The first is that Wilson-Bent has rattled Thompson by being disrespectful before the bout. We don’t think this will help the older man. We’re expecting to see Thompson put on a clinic and silence his foe.
That’s why our boxing prediction is that ‘Dr. Steel’ will win this fight by crushing knockout. He has three finishes in his past five bouts and six in his last 10. We think he’s entering his athletic prime and has too much skill for Wilson-Bent.
The other issue is that he’s the fresher fighter. They’ve been active professionals for the same number of years. But Wilson-Bent has many more miles on the clock. He’s been in some fierce wars over the past couple of years. Now he’s starting to pay a price.
We think that Thompson could target the scar tissue on his face. This could open the cuts and cause bleeding that affects his vision. His corner has thrown in the towel before, and we think they may rescue him again here. The signs aren’t good for Wilson-Bent.
✅ CONFIRMED: GBM Sports will stage their next show with 3 title fights on Friday, September 27 in Sheffield live on DAZN.
Shakiel Thompson vs River Wilson-Bent at the top of the bill with Reece Mould vs Ryan Walsh and Tysie Gallagher vs Tori-Ellis Willetts on the undercard. pic.twitter.com/Pn611OM9bo
— EverythingBoxing (@EverythingBoxi2) July 27, 2024
Thompson also has a clear power advantage over Wilson-Bent. People go down after he connects with their skulls. Wilson-Bent has finishes but he’s not the cleanest puncher in the world. We think Thompson has a higher ceiling and is only showing glimpses of his full potential.
Meanwhile, we’re not convinced that Wilson-Bent is much better than Thompson’s last few opponents. This feels like more of the same for the Steel City native. If this fight had taken place a couple of years ago, we might have predicted a different result. However, it’s very difficult to see where a result for Wilson-Bent will come from.
Thompson has outstanding discipline and has a focused rise toward the top of the division. He’s picking the right opponents at the appropriate time. The Manor Boxing Academy product has visions of reaching the highest level. Wilson-Bent’s destiny is to remain a fun regional contender.
But this is boxing and anything can happen. That’s why it’s important to check the live betting odds. If Wilson-Bent starts fast the odds might fluctuate. He could secure a shock result. We saw what happened when Daniel Dubois fought Anthony Joshua. Even the best-laid plans fall apart.
Shakiel Thompson vs River Wilson-Bent Betting Tips
Shakiel Thompson is a massive favourite to beat Wilson-Bent on the sports betting platform. Betting on Thompson isn’t very profitable at 1/20. A €10 stake will only make €1.43 if he meets expectations and defeats Wilson-Bent.
It’s better to check out the other boxing markets. Luckily, there are plenty of them to choose from. Why not pick the method of victory? We recommend picking him to win by knockout because of his excellent finishing percentage.
Wilson-Bent has two KO/TKO losses on his record, so history isn’t kind to him. Meanwhile, he’s wearing the damage of his past few fights on his face. His tough wars against opponents like Hamzah Sheeraz and Tyler Denny could come back to haunt him. He’ll attempt to fight fire with fire but this won’t be a smart decision.
If you want to go even deeper, you could opt for group-round betting. History suggests that Thompson may secure the knockout in rounds four to six. We think his power will overwhelm Wilson-Bent who may be in trouble early.
The Coventry boxer talks a big game but we don’t think he’ll be able to back it up. Some players may even be more specific by selecting the individual round ‘Dr. Steel’ knocks him out. An over-under bet on the number of rounds may be a good option. We don’t think this fight will go past seven rounds.
Wilson-Bent’s best chance of winning this fight is to make it ugly. He must try to get close to Thompson and force him to fight a dirty, gruelling match. The Coventry native can’t afford to give ‘Dr. Steel’ the space to land clinical, clean shots. Disrupting Thompson’s rhythm by staying tight and landing combinations is crucial to his hopes of victory.
He must also stay defensively responsible. However, it’s very difficult to imagine him surviving this bout unscathed. There’s a good reason why he’s a 9/2 underdog. A €10 stake would make €45 if successful. This may be tempting for players who activate the welcome bonus without any extra risk. We will match your first deposit up to €500 so you can wager bonus funds.
That’s why we don’t think Wilson-Bent will take this to a decision. It’s going to be a tough task for him to survive. He’s going to give a good account of himself and we expect him to be brave. But we don’t give him much hope of securing a victory against a younger, more physical opponent. We envisage his corner stopping this bout to protect him against himself.
There’s plenty more boxing action this weekend. Hughie Fury is on the undercard of this bout. Meanwhile, there’s a massive women’s bout between Delfine Persoon and Alycia Baumgardner. Try creating a boxing parlay to maximise your returns.
Shakiel Thompson vs River Wilson-Bent Outcome
Thompson and his team believe that he has a high ceiling. He expects to walk through Wilson-Bent before looking up the rankings. We expect him to have another fight on the regional scene this year before potentially looking toward the U.S. market.
If Wilson-Bent wins, it would be a massive shock and a catastrophe for Thompson. The Coventry star may look to avenge one of his previous losses. Expect the middleweight division to sit up and take notice if Thompson wins this one quickly.
