John Makdessi

He says outright he 'was this close to' picking Makdessi instead, that he doesn't 'want to' take Mullarkey, that he might change the pick later, and twice states he is 'not confident' in it. A named winner survives, but every qualifier here lands on the win itself, not just price or method -> coinflip.

A good striker with excellent kicks who mixes punches and kicks in combination and is built around countering -- he feints heavily and waits to draw a reaction before committing to strikes, which the analyst says keeps his own volume down. He is a very durable fighter. The analyst's clear concern is age and inactivity: he says Makdessi is getting too old and has been out of action for about a year, and was nearly picked as the underdog anyway.

The weakest-conviction pick on the card: he describes his own edge toward this winner as barely there, says he has flip-flopped on this bout repeatedly and might again, and openly says a first-round finish the other way would not shock him. He does commit to a named winner, so this is recorded as coinflip rather than a true non-pick.

4-1 in his last five with a notable split-decision win over a hot prospect, still competitive at 37 years old. Described as a crafty, veteran striker who can dictate pace and control the fight using experience. Given 'a big shot' in this fight despite being picked to lose.