Tsutsumi vs Martinez Predictions: Expectations are everything for The Ring’s Reito

Top amateur Reito Tsutsumi continues his professional education this Saturday, September 13 as he takes on Javier Martinez. The Japanese star’s third pro outing takes place on the undercard of Saul Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford. The preliminary fights will air on YouTube before the main card is screened live on Netflix. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada plays host to a mammoth night of boxing.

Here are my Tsutsumi vs Martinez predictions.

Tsutsumi vs Martinez Odds

Martinez has a job on here, with his 14/1 odds only being good for 6.7% in implied probability terms. Tsutsumi is 1/50 owing to the mountainous expectations surrounding him. The draw is priced at 22/1, towards the top end of the stalemate odds we’re used to.

Tsutsumi vs Martinez Fight Preview

It is early days for Tsutsumi but there is a lot expected of the Japanese boxer. Plying his trade in America is a point of difference, with The Ring giving him a big push as one of their ‘ambassadors’. His brother Hayato, already a world-ranked super feather, is also part of the magazine’s programme. With the longstanding publication currently owned by Saudi boxing tsar Turki Alalshikh, it is the sort of association that can open doors.

Hayato also offers a proof of concept for how his younger brother’s career may go. Hayato is 8-0 currently and has already beaten two former world champions and thrashed British Olympian Qais Ashfaq. 

For his third fight, the younger Tsutsumi is not fighting anyone that exalted. The highly-rated prospect takes on 7-2 Javier Martinez, a Texan puncher on a bad run of form. The 29-year-old was unbeaten in seven fights until unheralded Mexican Jose Daniel Dzul Hoil stopped him in four. A split loss to ‘Pretty Boy Bam Bam’ himself, Wayne Lawrence, was another setback.

If promoters have seen you lose, they assume you’ll do it again. So here is Martinez playing the firm role of ‘opponent’ against a whirlwind expected to sweep all before it. It is hard to judge Tsutsumi’s ability to match such destructive hype, but the amateur signs are good.

The Japanese boxer reportedly lost just twice in the unpaid ranks, while picking up a World Youth Championship. As a teenager, Tsutsumi even cleared the first round of the men’s Worlds, before losing against eventual silver medalist Serik Temirzhanov in the second round. 

But with Japanese boxing booming, Tsutsumi did not linger in the amateur ranks. Instead, he is in America to try and capitalise on the Naoya Inoue-led gold rush. He talks big but will be keenly aware he needs to fight bigger if his pound-for-pound ambitions are to be realised.

A decision win over lowly 1-2-1 Levale Whittington on Tsutsumi’s debut was an underperformance. The spotlight was bright on The Ring’s Times Square card, with the likes of Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney also on the bill. Whittington did not fight like a man with that sort of record. But Tsutsumi did not perform like someone with his extensive amateur pedigree.

A composed and ruthless fourth-round stoppage of Michael Ruiz followed. Tsutsumi hunted his man down and executed his work to perfection. A debut is always a difficult thing to get right. But the 23-year-old addressed his mistakes and avoided that difficult second album.

Now it is time for a third fight that involves a slight step-up in class. Not a monumental one, with there being a sense that Reito is being moved a touch slower than Hayato. But if the Japanese boxer scores another knockout victory here, the sort of big names his brother has been beating will soon come.

Tsutsumi vs Martinez Full Card

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford

Callum Walsh vs Fernando Vargas Jr.

Christian Mbilli vs Lester Martinez

Mohammed Alakel vs John Ornelas

Serhii Bohachuk vs Brandon Adams

Ivan Dychko vs Jermaine Franklin Jr.

Reito Tsutsumi vs Javier Martinez

Sultan Almohamed vs Martin Caraballo

Steven Nelson vs Raiko Santana

Marco Verde vs Marcos Osorio-Betancourt

Tsutsumi vs Martinez Prediction

Tsutsumi is winning this barring an utter miracle. The amateur starlet’s main concern will be how he wins and how good he looks doing do. Tsutsumi to win at 1/50.

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