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How to Bet on Boxing

From day one, boxing and betting have been so intertwined, it’s impossible to imagine the sport without the punters.

Over the last while boxing betting has become more sophisticated, with a tremendous amount of markets to choose from. Pugilist punters can take advantage of fixed odds and betting exchanges for their fight bets, and a wider range of markets are becoming available all the time.

Additionally, you can generally wager on high-profile fights several months before the first punch is thrown.

How to Bet

While all major bookmakers offer betting on boxing matches, some bookies only cover the major fights. Lower profile fights can be found with plenty of bookies, and it’s just a matter of finding the right ones for you.

As a general rule of thumb, sites like Betfair, William Hill and Ladbrokes will have odds on pretty much every boxing match worth betting on.

Exchange wagering is popular for boxing, and if you’re looking to get onto the betting exchanges be sure to read our detailed guide to backing and laying odds on the exchanges.

What to Look For

One of the easiest ways to start doing your boxing homework is to look at how your fighter prefers to win, and how he’s most likely to lose. If your fighter is undefeated, you only have to do half as much work.

Rather than simply picking your favorite fighter, and dropping your bet, take the time to ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is your fighter proven at this weight?
  • How does he tend to win fights?
  • How does he tend to lose fights?
  • Does he have a proven ability to go the distance?
  • Is your fighter’s career on the way up or the way down?
  • Has your fighter beaten fighters who’ve beaten his current opponent?
  • Is there a title on the line?

A fighter will often bring an entirely different performance into the ring depending on who he’s fighting, and what he’s fighting for. Look at all of the variables, and get a detailed understanding of both contenders before taking a look at the bets being offered.

Type of Bets

To Win: This one is pretty basic as you’re simply wagering on your fighter to win. Some sites offer up betting on the draw, but draws are extremely rare and it’s usually worth avoiding.

This is also the highest-volume market and it’s important to get your bets in early on big favourites like the Klitschko’s or Manny Pacquiao. The prices for big name favorites are generally shortened considerably when you get closer to fight time; thanks to lots of late volume.

Method of Victory:This is a very popular wager in fights where there is a big favourite with a preferred fighting style. If a fighter is at 1/2 in the odds to win outright you’ll generally be able to back him at over even-money to win by his preferred method. You’ll be able to choose from either KO, TKO, DQ or a points victory for either fighter.

To Go The Distance:As straightforward as it sounds: you are wagering on whether the fight will go to the judges or not.

Over/under on Rounds:This is another straightforward bet where the bookmakers set a specific round where the fight will end and you wager on whether it will end before or after.

Round Betting:This is where you’re going to get your biggest payouts on boxing matches, with the highest prices awarded to the 1st and last rounds. You’re only going to want to delve into the round betting on fights where it’s unlikely that it’ll go the distance.

Just like betting on tennis, oftentimes the odds on outright winner can be too small to give the bet any semblance of value. When this is the case, the bettor must look towards the higher priced markets.

Regardless of what you end up betting on, your decisions will always begin with collecting as much information as possible on the fighters, and the match.

For the latest boxing news, odds and betting tips, head to our boxing betting page.

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