Mairis Briedis defends his cruiserweight titles against former amateur standout Artur Mann this Saturday, Oct. 16 in Briedis’ native Latvia. We have the betting odds and preview you need ahead of fight night.

Briedis looked to shake off the rust

Not only is the Latvian champion coming home to make the first defense of his third title reign, but he's also ending a year-long layoff. Briedis turned away the stern challenge of the heavy-handed Yuniel Dorticos by way of majority decision in September 2020.

Even with the layoff and at an advanced age, Briedis is arguably the best fighter in the cruiserweight division after Oleksandr Usyk moved up to heavyweight. A strong puncher with excellent boxing technique, Briedis has been actively competing at the highest level of the division for the last four years.

Mann needs a great game plan

Germany’s Mann doesn’t have anything that particularly stands out, and has only fought outside of Germany three times. An accomplished amateur with over 100 bouts before turning pro, Mann has a good technical base with respectable power.

When one considers how deep the cruiserweight division has been historically, it’s not unusual for a fighter to take a loss coming up and being matched tough. Mann has won two straight after a knockout loss to Kevin Lerena in 2019, picking up workmanlike wins over pedestrian competition.

Briedis will deliver an explosive win

The level of skill between the champion and challenger is wide enough to fit a fleet of Peterbilt trucks, with almost every conceivable advantage in Briedis’ favor outside of speed. Mann still fights like an amateur with a busy style aimed to score points, and that simply doesn’t cut it when it comes to competing at the highest level against the division’s main man.

It would take a small miracle for Mann to go the distance from what we’ve seen of him. Mann might have the defensive chops to stay upright for a bit, but his offense is lacking. We’ve seen Briedis handily beat the division’s best fighters, only falling short against Usyk, while giving him all he could handle.

From where Briedis has been, Mann is a big step back and presents practically no danger to the champion. Expect Briedis to act with intent, laying down the big shots and drawing a stoppage by no later than the fifth round.

Boxing pick: Briedis