Olympic Boxing Men’s Featherweight Final – Ragan vs Batyrgaziev
By Dylan Bowker in Boxing
Published:
- Ragan vs Batyrgaziev goes Thursday, August 5th, 2021 at 2:35 AM EST
- Who will secure a hold on the featherweight gold here?
- Check out the fight odds, analysis, and predictions below
Ragan vs Batyrgaziev is your Olympic Boxing Men’s Featherweight Final. Duke Ragan and Albert Batyrgaziev compete at Kokugikan Arena on Thursday, August 5th, 2021 at 2:35 AM EST, with the broadcast set to go on NBC.
That top podium spot is up for grabs here after a rough field of Olympic warriors have fallen by the wayside.
Ragan vs Batyrgaziev Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Â Albert Batyrgaziev (ROC) | -265 |
| Duke Ragan (USA) | +210 |
Odds as of August 4th at DraftKings
Duke Ragan’s Path to the Featherweight Finals
While still vying for amateur accomplishment, Duke Ragan has a pro boxing record of 4-0 with one stoppage victory. In fact, Ragan cemented himself from the onset of the games as being the first US pro boxer to win a fight in this history-making Olympics.
Duke Ragan vs Albert Batyrgaziev Recent Fights
| Samuel Takyi, wins via decision | Fight 1 | Lazaro Alvarez, wins via decision |
| Kurt Walker, wins via decision | Fight 2 | Tsendbaatar Erdenebat, wins via decision |
| Serik Temirzhanov, wins via decision | Fight 3 | Alexy De la Cruz, wins via decision |
| Samuel Kistohurry, wins via decision | Fight 4 | Samuel Kistohurry, wins via decision |
It has been 17 years since an American garnered a boxing gold medal at the Olympics, Andre Ward’s 2004 campaign, but Ragan can potentially sort of this near two-decade drought.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOEj8Df6Yg8
Ragan has won silver at the 2017 World Championships and 2019 Pan Am Games. Can third time be the charm in terms of high-level boxing tournaments, or will his neck again be adorned with silver once more?
Albert Batyrgaziev’s Gold Medal Quest
Albert Batyrgaziev is also an individual vying for amateur accomplishment while also having a pro record. He has a professional resume of 3-0 with a one hundred percent finishing rate so far.
Batyrgaziev bested a three-time Olympic medalist in his last outing to secure this spot in the finals.
Albert Batyrgaziev has gone unbeaten for the last couple of years. He is riding a 21 fight win streak that includes a blistering run through the European Olympic qualifiers.
Batyrgaziev has amazingly only been boxing since 2017 after a pugilistic pivot from his kickboxing endeavors to a purely sweet science-minded pursuit.
Those close to him foresee a gold medal for him and then a resuming of the professional competitions that will eventually lead him to world rankings and then invariably a world title thereafter.
Ragan stands in stark opposition to this storybook narrative and he’s likely emboldened by some of the nationalistic connotations of this event.
Where America has been devoid of gold for a while and this moment galvanizing him to secure a win. The kind that inspires comparisons to past historical efforts of Americans winning boxing gold ala Muhammad Ali, Floyd Patterson, George Foreman, etc.
Ragan vs Batyrgaziev Tale of the Tape
| 64-22 | Record | 51-3 |
| 2 | Knockouts | 6 |
| 5’5 | Height | 5’5.5 |
| Not available | Reach | Not available |
| Orthodox | Stance | Southpaw |
In summation, I’m favoring the latter over the former when Ragan vs Batyrgaziev transpires.
Batyrgaziev should be able to sustain a pressure-heavy style whereby he cuts off the ring and orients the fight to close quarters exchanges that he comes out on the better end of.
Pick: Â Albert Batyrgaziev (-265)
Sports Writer
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.
