I just want to reiterate that my character name, ?The Boxing Bookie? was something given to me by my esteemed colleague Ricardo Lois. It?s not the type of thing were I labeled myself or came up with my own gimmick. It?s just a name that stuck along with a lot more rather, unprofessional and vulgar names Ricardo likes to use when referring to me. Yes a lot of our time is spent berating each other and seeing how much mental torture the other party can endure. It?s a constant party here at Boxingconfidential.
So back in January when I first joined the team here and adopted the ?bookie? nickname I decided to attempt to get a hold of Joey Oddessa. Who is this Oddessa guy you might ask? Google him up, I?m not going to explain it to you.
Ok, stop crying and I?ll give you a short description of the man and what he does. He?s considered to be the best in the business when it comes to making lines for boxing and mixed-martial arts. What I mean by ?lines? is the business of creating the odds for some of the biggest online sportsbooks in the world. While I can?t go into detail as to exactly who he?s worked with as of late, all I have to say is Google him.
As we all know the online world of sports gambling has been undergoing some serious changes as of late. With the problems involving Pinnacle and Neteller, a lot of gamblers have been shaken up and worried about what might happen within the industry next. But as the saying goes, ?Controversy Sells? and Joey has been a relatively busy man as of late.
So as I?m enjoying an afternoon margarita this past Saturday I get a call from none other than the man I?d been hounding since January. I get a call from a blocked number which says, ?Can I speak to John? This is Joey Oddessa.?
I almost spit out my tequila splashed with lime juice. I say, ?Oh Shit, man I thought you died!?
Oddessa chuckles, ?Nah man, I just been real busy, I?ve been meaning to sit down and get this interview worked out but a lot of ?things? have been happening as of late if you know what I mean.?
I respond, ?Yeah I can only imagine man, thanks for hitting me up though, so any thoughts on the Oscar-Floyd fight, I swear that line is off man.?
Oddessa states, ?Yeah I agree, Floyd should not be that heavy of a favorite at all.?
I ask, ?So you think Oscar should be the favorite??
Oddessa responds, ?Nah, I don?t think that, I just think it should be a relatively even money fight with Floyd maybe opening up at -120. I don?t know what?s going on with these sportsbooks man. Floyd has only one option to win the fight and that?s by decision. Oscar on the other hand has two and they are both just as likely to happen in my opinion.?
I say, ?I completely agree man, we?ll see what happens May 5th, I just have a feeling the action is gonna be so one-sided at the books by fight time.?
So we continue to chat about some aspects of the industry and maybe doing a follow-up interview when I?m less intoxicated. ?The Professor? as the industry refers to him as, definitely knows his boxing and has a sharp eye for the fights. I mean, he?s made a living out of making the lines so I hope to all hell that he?s good at what he does. According to his peers he?s not just good, he?s the best in the business.
The scary thing for all you readers is that there are some similarities to Joey ?The Professor? Oddessa and John ?The Boxing Bookie? Chavez. We both like to enjoy a nice, stiff beverage mid-afternoon and follow it up with a nicotine rush. We both really have a love for the sweet science and enjoy all aspects of the sport. We also are intrigued by the way lines are created for the events and like to prognosticate the future movement of those lines. The similarities pretty much end there.
What? You wanted to say that I think I?m as good as ?The Professor? or that we think alike when it comes to boxing? Are you out of your freakin mind? Joey is a man that has done well for himself making a living out of this crazy sportsbook game. I on the other hand have managed to lose my entire thousand dollar bankroll in the last four months. Yes I suck but it feels good when some actually respected figures within the industry agree with this internet hack from time to time.
So in not so many words, Oscar is a solid play at the current odds my friends.
