Boxing Betting Guide – Learn How to Bet on Boxers

Boxing, over the years, has grown into one of the most widely followed sports worldwide. Every year, thousands of fans travel worldwide to watch boxing matches and their favourite prize fighters in person.

It is also one of the most exciting games to place bets on, with modern technology offering countless new options for people to explore.

Whether you’re new to boxing or a long-time fan, we’ll walk you through the basics of betting on boxers in this betting guide.

How Does Boxing Betting Work?

Like any type of betting, bettors should only wager on sports they know, and if you want to bet on boxing, you need to stay updated with the latest news and analysis surrounding fights and learn as much as you can about both boxers’ past performances. This means looking at their previous fights, wins, losses, and overall career.

During a boxing match, there are five possible outcomes you can expect.

Fighter A can win by stoppage (such as a knockout, technical knockout, or disqualification), or Fighter B can win by stoppage. Alternatively, Fighter A can win by decision (which could be unanimous, split, or technical), or Fighter B can win by decision. The match could also end in a draw, and you can place bets on any of these five outcomes.

Common Boxing Bet Types

Boxing offers many ways to bet, each giving different opportunities for bettors who understand the game.

A. Moneyline

Moneyline is the simplest way to bet on boxing and it uses the American format, with favourites shown as negative numbers (-200) and underdogs as positive (+200).

The minus sign represents how much you need to bet to win $100 on the result, while the plus sign means how much you’d win if you bet $100 on the fight. To win this bet, you just need to pick the right winner, and the moneyline tells you how much you can win for getting it right.

For example, in a most anticipated match between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, you might see Bivol at -140 and Beterbiev at +110. This means you’d need to bet $140 on Bivol to win $100, while a $100 bet on Beterbiev would yield $110 if he wins.

Unlike in some other sports, it’s rare to see completely even odds in boxing, and even in a fight generally considered to be a close match might have odds like -300 and +225.

While this bet is very easy to understand and win, there is one area that can be confusing for people and you need to pay attention to it. Not every to-win bet is going to pay out the same amount of money and payouts will be adjusted based on the likelihood of each fighter winning the bout.

If a fighter is more likely to win, the less you will be paid for a correct pick. If a fighter is less likely to win (the underdog), the more you will be paid for a correct pick.

B. Over/Under Rounds

Over/under bets are a popular wagering option that involves predicting whether a fight will last more or less than a specific number of rounds, which is adjusted depending on the likelihood of knockout. The number of rounds is set by the sportsbook and can vary depending on the fighters’ styles, records, and the overall expected intensity of the bout.

For Example:

Canelo Alvarez vs.David Benavidez

Betting Over/Under: 10.5 rounds

Here, you’re betting on whether the fight will last longer or shorter than 10.5 rounds. If you bet over 10.5 rounds, you’re predicting that the fight will go the distance or beyond the 10th round.

If you bet under 10.5 rounds, you’re predicting that the fight will be stopped before the 11th round begins, whether it’s due to a knockout, technical knockout, or other factors.

Factors influencing the over/under:

Fighters’ styles: Aggressive fighters with a high knockout rate might have a lower over/under.

Records: Fighters with a history of going the distance might have a higher over/under.

Weight class: Heavier weight classes often have shorter fights due to the increased power.

Recent form: Fighters in prime and peak conditions might be more likely to finish fights early.

C. Method of Victory

The method of victory betting involves predicting how the fight will end. You need to consider the fighters’ strengths and weaknesses to make your prediction. The possible outcomes include winning by:

• Knockout (KO)
• Technical knockout (TKO)
• Decision by the judges (which can be Unanimous or Split)

Example:

Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin III

• Method of Victory: Knockout (KO)
• Odds: +250

In this example, you are betting that Canelo Alvarez will win the fight by knockout. If you wager $100 on this outcome, and Canelo wins by KO, you will receive a total payout of $350. This payout is made up of your $100 original stake, plus $250 profit.

D. Round Betting

If you couldn’t guess by the name, round betting is simply picking the round in which a fight will be stopped by the referee or corner. This could be due to a knockout (KO), technical knockout (TKO), or disqualification (DQ).

Let’s say you’re betting on a fight between Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2. You believe that Usyk’s relentless pressure will wear Fury down and lead to a knockout in the 7th round. If you place a round bet on Usyk to win in the 7th round and your prediction is correct, you’ll receive a payout based on the odds set by the bookmaker.

Round betting can be risky, as you can tell, it is unlikely for most fighters that they will win in the first or last couple of rounds, with the odds often tightening towards the middle when fighters are getting a little tired.

E. Prop Bets

Prop bets are specific bets where you choose more detailed outcomes than just who will win or how long the fight will last. These bets let you wager on various aspects of the fight, and the bigger the fight, the more of these bets are available.

Here are some common examples:

• Will there be a knockdown? You bet on whether one of the fighters will be officially knocked down during the fight.
• Will the fight go the full distance? In this wager, you are betting if the fight lasts for the scheduled duration of the bout.
• Will the fight go to a decision? This is different from the prop bet of whether a fight goes the distance.
• Will someone get knocked out? You bet whether the fight will end with someone getting knocked out
• Will the fight end in a draw? You bet that the fight will be a draw.

Winning Big in Boxing Requires Strategy and Smart Odds Comparison

Boxing can be a lucrative sport to bet on, but you need to be smart about it. A lot of fights have a clear winner, which makes it hard to win money if you bet on the favourite.

But there are ways to bet that can help you win more, and you don’t always have to pick who will win the fight. There are other ways to bet that can give you a better chance of winning as we already explained above.

Moreover, different online betting websites don’t always agree on the odds for a fight. For example, one website might say that Fury is a +300 underdog against Usyk, while another might say he’s +325, and another might say he’s +290. If you think Fury will win, you should bet on him at the website with the highest odds (+325 in this case) because you’ll win more money if he does.

It’s worth spending a little extra time browsing a few different betting sites to find the best potential payout for the outcome you think will happen.