Boxing Betting

This is our definitive Guide to Betting on Boxing and was written to give bettors a complete understanding to betting on boxing matchess. It is very similar to MMA Betting.

How to Bet on Boxing Matches

Boxing and gambling have always enjoyed a close relationship; some say too close a relationship, with betting scandals being common at times during the last century. This sport has a somewhat cleaner image now. Big fights are hugely popular sports betting events – in fact they are some of the most gambled on sporting events of any type each year.

Here you’ll see an explanation of the variety of bets you’ll be able to have on every bout. First the basics of the money-line bets are explained. After that over / under bets on rounds and wagers on the overall outcome are covered. Round-betting and overall boxing betting strategy finish up the page.

Boxing Betting – The Money Line

There are three possible outcomes in any bout, and that is either boxer to win, or the fight to end in a draw. In the money line market, you’re betting on which one of the three will happen. Here is an example:

Floyd Mayweather Jr -500
Conor McGregor -400
Draw +3000

In this mythical match up, Mayweather is deemed the favorite. If you were to place $500 on him to win the fight, you’d make a profit of $100 if he won (You’d receive $600 total). A wager of $100 would see a profit of $400 if McGregor won (You’d receive $500 total). If you backed the draw for $100, and it came in, you’d pick up a cool $3,000.

Boxing Betting – Over / Under Rounds

As well as predicting the winner of a fight, you can also place a wager on the number of the rounds that the bout will last, predicting under or over the line given by the book. Here is an example:

Under 8.5 rounds -140
Over 8.5 rounds +120

If you think the bout might be over quickly, you’d back under and for $140 you would win $100. If you take the opposite view and back over 8.5 rounds, you’d win $120 for a $100 stake. In general, if you back under and the bout finishes in that exact round, the first minute and a half of the round will count as the first half of the round, the rest the second. As an example, if you backed under 8.5 rounds, and the bout was stopped after thirty seconds of round eight, your bet would be a winner.

Fight Outcome Bets in Boxing

In this market you have to predict both the winner and the method of victory. Here is an example:

Joe Frazier by KO, TKO or Disqualification +150
Joe Frazier by Decision or Technical Decision +200
Mike Tyson by KO, TKO or Disqualification +300
Mike Tyson by Decision or Technical Decision +450

Draw or Technical Draw +3300

Here by correctly backing the outcome for $100, you’ll win the amount listed.

In all of the above markets, the odds are listed relative to bets of $100 – this doesn’t mean you have to wager that amount, smaller or larger bets are paid out on a pro rata basis.

Round Betting on Boxing Matches

There are two types of round betting. The first is grouped round betting, where you have to predict which fighter will win, and in what group of rounds. Here is an example:

Sugar Ray Leonard in rounds 4-6 7/1

Here, you’ll receive $70 if you were to place a $10 stake on Leonard here and the fight finished in those rounds.

The other type of round betting is for boxers to win in specific rounds. Here you’ll receive better odds than in the other rounds market. Here is another example:

Sugar Ray Leonard to win in round Six 18/1

Here, for $10 you’ll win $180 if Leonard does indeed win in round six. On occasions a boxer may declare that they’ll win in a certain round, and this can be a popular bet, and a bet where the price doesn’t last very long. If you hear this, get in quick!

Boxing Betting – Strategy

Social media makes it easier to stay in touch with what is going on around a fight – maybe you’ve heard a boxer is sparring well, or they have sent out a very confident tweet. Maybe a fighter is nursing an injury or struggling to make a weight. Use all these factors in evaluating a fight, and you’ll be in a good position. Other questions you could ask are:

Which is the hungrier boxer?
Is the bout taking place in one of the boxer’s hometowns?
How did the boxers perform recently?
How do the two styles compare? Does one boxer struggle against the other’s style?