Picasso vs Hovhannisyan Predictions: Picasso can deliver a masterpiece

Alan David Picasso faces Azat Hovhannisyan on Saturday, August 24. This super bantamweight battle takes place at Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City. DAZN PPV will televise the match-up as part of their Floyd Mayweather vs John Gotti III event.

Here are my Picasso vs Hovhannisyan predictions ahead of this high-class bout.

This Saturday’s card is sure to hit the headlines. The last time Mayweather and Gotti shared a ring, the event ended with a mass brawl between each man’s corners. But buried on the undercard of the 47-year-old ring legend and the crime boss’ grandson is a fight with tremendous fistic worth.

Mayweather’s exhibition will dominate newsfeeds, while ex-world champion Victor Ortiz returns in the co-main event in another unofficial bout. But the contest that will stand out to more discerning fight fans is Picasso vs Hovhannisyan.

This match-up will have huge implications and offers an intriguing chance to get an early look at a future Naoya Inoue opponent. The WBC silver super bantamweight title is on the line in Mexico City, with the winner netting a shot at Inoue’s full championship.

Picasso has been circling such a chance for a while. The current WBC number-one contender had been scheduled for an eliminator against Ra’eese Aleem, but ‘The Beast’ instead chose to face Sam Goodman in an IBF eliminator. Aleem would lose to the Australian and Picasso moves on to face Hovhannisyan.

Picasso has fortified his claim to a world title fight with some excellent recent performances. The 24-year-old battled through a rib injury to secure a unanimous decision victory over Erik Ruiz in January. Then in May, ‘Rey’ knocked out Damien Vasquez in five rounds. Now Picasso prepares to step up in class against arguably the best opponent he has ever faced.

Hovhannisyan provided an instant classic last year, winning the 2023 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year award for his thriller with Luis Nery. Hovhannisyan may not look back on that scintillating scrap too fondly, considering the fact he lost by 11th round knockout. But anyone who witnessed that furious fight will know what a challenge awaits Picasso here.

Hovhannisyan also holds an impressive win over Ronny Rios, who challenges Liverpool’s Nick Ball for the WBA featherweight title in October. The 36-year-old has had a world title shot of his own too, hurting then-WBC champion Rey Vargas on the way to losing on the cards.

It will be fascinating to see how Picasso deals with Hovhannisyan. While he has won 28 fights so far, none have come against a fighter of genuine world class. Hovhannisyan is ageing and will have had a lot taken out of him by Nery. He has also not fought since that bout, in February 2023. But Hovhannisyan was unbeaten in seven fights going into that scrap, with six knockout victories. 

Will Hovhannisyan have enough left in the tank to excel on the big stage once again? Or is Picasso’s long-awaited masterpiece finally in the offing? We shall find out on Saturday night. The card may be littered with exhibitions, but this fight is as real as it gets.

Picasso vs Hovhannisyan Fight Odds

Picasso is a 1/4 favourite to prevail here. Hovhannisyan is 3/1 if you feel like ‘Crazy A’ has one more big win left in him. The draw is priced at 16/1.

Picasso vs Hovhannisyan Full Card

(* denotes an exhibition fight)

Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III*

Victor Ortiz vs. Rodrigo Damian Coria* 

Alan David Picasso vs. Azat Hovhannisyan

Curmel Tramayne Moton vs. Victor Vazquez 

Luis Rodriguez vs. Cesar Vaca

Aaron Silva vs. Alfonso Flores

Silvia Torres vs. Cecilia Rodriguez

Picasso vs Hovhannisyan Prediction

I think the Nery fight took a great deal out of Hovhannisyan. Add that grave toll to a year-and-a-half lay-off and I don’t think he can win this one. 

My pick is Picasso to triumph, though I do think he will be taken the full way. I believe the scores will be wide, but my belief is that Picasso will win by decision at 10/11.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.