BoxingIs there a sport more exciting than boxing? There’s action, high adrenaline, high stakes, impressive rounds, and shocking outcomes. It’s an all-around thrilling sport, and although I might be biased, I’m inclined to say that no, there isn’t really a sport more exciting than boxing. 

If you’re not the type to pick up boxing yourself, there are other ways to enjoy this sport. Yeah, you can simply watch it, but why not make it a little more interesting and try to make a profit from it?

Yeah, you’ve got it — I’m talking about boxing betting. It’s one of my all-time favorite pastimes, and who knows, it might just be the thing for you as well. After all, the sport was essentially designed with betting in mind.

If you’re hoping to make a profit from boxing betting, however, you’ll need to stay informed, so I’m here to help you. I’ll cover:

Let’s get to it.

Many people take betting very lightly simply because it’s easy to place a bet and move on — you either win or you lose. Seems straightforward.

It seems even easier to get into boxing betting because there are many matches between experienced boxers and clear underdogs, so you can pretty much guess who’s likely to win and place your bet.

However, if you want to avoid getting on a losing streak and wasting your money, you’ve got to do your research first and go slow.

There are many advanced boxing betting strategies, for example, that might grab your attention and draw you to give them a try. This is best avoided at first. Give yourself some time to learn about boxing itself, start with some simple bets, gain experience.

Only then should you graduate to more advanced levels of boxing betting.

With this in mind, let’s get into the basics of boxing, then I’ll get into some of your betting options.

Boxing Essentials

To know how to bet on boxing correctly, you’ll first need to know the rules of the game. Of course, you’re familiar with what boxing is — a combat sport. Two people face off in the ring, and there are many many rules they need to follow.

Some rules can differ depending on the type of match, so here I’ll cover just the professional matches.

Primarily, the boxers are divided into weight classes. Some of the most popular classes can include:

  • Featherweight (up to 126 pounds)
  • Lightweight (up to 135 pounds)
  • Welterweight (up to 147 pounds)
  • Middleweight (up to 160 pounds)
  • Heavyweight (over 200 pounds)

There are a few more weight classes that you can encounter in boxing, but these are some of the basics.

Boxing Rounds

Rounds in a professional boxing match last three minutes each, and there can be a maximum of 12 rounds. There is a referee inside the ring, and 3 judges by the ringside who are there to decide on the winner if the contest goes the distance.

Scoring System

The scoring system is based on a 10-point scale, and most rounds will end something like 10-9 (10 being awarded to the stronger opponent). Being knocked down will lose a boxer a point, and the referee can take away points for intentional fouls.

Of course, the same thing can happen for unintentional fouls, although the referees will often give a warning before taking away a point.

Winning the Match

There are a few ways that a boxer can win the match:

Knockout (KO)

The most popular thing to bet on is a knockout. This means that the boxer has knocked their opponent down so that they’re not able to continue the fight. The referee will count to 10, and if the opponent doesn’t get up, they lose.

Technical Knockout (TKO)

A technical knockout is when one of the boxers suffers an injury that renders them unable to continue the fight. An example of this would be a dislocated shoulder.

Points

If no one wins by a knockout, the match can be decided based on the points. The boxer with a higher total score at the end of the 12th round wins.

Throwing in the towel

When the coach of one of the boxers decides that their boxer cannot continue the fight, they can throw in the towel and call it quits.

Disqualification

Lastly, one of the boxers can be disqualified if they disregard the rules of the game (such as frequently punching below the belt, biting, or kicking).

The referee will give out a warning, but the boxer who continues breaking the rules despite the warnings will be disqualified, effectively giving their opponent the win.

Boxing Betting: The Odds

So, when you get into boxing betting for the first time, you might be confused when you see some seemingly random numbers next to the boxers’ names. You’ll typically encounter something like this:

  • Boxer 1: +300
  • Boxer 2: -400

What do these numbers mean? What’s up with the pluses and minuses? Is this something that you need to know about? Well, yes.

Let’s start with the plus symbol first, like with the Boxer 1 from my example above. Boxer 1 here would be thought of as an underdog, someone who isn’t quite as likely to win in the fight. As you’re probably aware, when it comes to betting, you’ll usually find that the higher the risk, the higher the reward.

So, since the Boxer 1 is somewhat unlikely to win, betting on them would be considered high risk. The risk might pay off since if you bet on this boxer and they win, you will be getting 3 times more than you’ve invested (+300).

Let’s say you bet $100 on the underdog. If they win, you will get $300 (plus your original $100).

So, the plus symbol shows the possible profits you can expect to make. In the case of +100, you won’t actually win anything since the amount you bet is the amount you will receive if the underdog wins.

How about the minus symbol? The boxer with the minus symbol is typically the favorite, from my example that would be Boxer 2. Since they’re considered the stronger opponent, they’re given a so-called handicap.

When you see “Boxer 2: -400”, this means that for every dollar that you hope to win, you will need to bet 4 dollars more. In this case, to win $100, you will need to invest (and risk) $400. Your profit will here be 4 times less (and of course you will receive your original stakes back).

Sometimes you’ll see that both of the boxers have a minus symbol with their odds, and the guiding principle here is the same.

Boxing Betting: Types of Bets

As I mentioned earlier, there are numerous types of boxing bets that you can participate in. Of course, there are some that can be a good place to start if you’re a novice bettor, and there are some that require you to develop a good, advanced strategy if you want them to work.

It’s always a good idea to start small. Don’t bet a lot of money as a beginner, and even when you become an experienced bettor who’s essentially a boxing betting pro, never bet money that you can’t afford to lose.

Boxing betting is supposed to be a fun activity, first and foremost. It can be extremely lucrative, but it can also lose you money. So, keep it light and enjoy yourself.

Now, without further ado, let’s get into the types of boxing bets.

Moneyline Betting

Moneyline betting, also known as straight betting, is quite straightforward and popular not just in boxing betting, but sports betting in general. Essentially, the moneyline tells you how much money you’ll have to bet on a boxer in order to win $100.

If you go back to my example of Boxer 1: +300 and Boxer 2: -400, it gets easier to understand. If you bet on Boxer 2, you need to risk $400 to win $100. However, for Boxer 1, when you bet $100, you have the potential to win $300.

Of course, just because the moneyline is expressed in $100 units doesn’t mean that you have to spend so much money on your boxing betting.

You can easily have a $5 wager, it all still works the same way. It’s expressed in $100 just to make the calculations easier, and your wager can be as high or as low as you want it to,

Over/Under Betting

Over/under betting is a nice choice for a beginner. Here, it doesn’t matter which boxer is stronger, which one is going to win, or how. This is all about the numbers. You’ll be trying to guess how long a certain fight is going to last.

Here, instead of Boxer 1 and Boxer 2, you’ll see something different:

  • Over: 5.5 (+200)
  • Under: 5.5 (-150)

Of course, this is just an example, and all the numbers can be completely different for your actual bet, the principle stays the same no matter what.

Again, the plus symbol shows you who (or what) the underdog is. In this case, this is “over.” So, for every $100 you bet on “over,” you have the possibility of winning $200. “Over” means that you think that the fight will last longer than 5.5 rounds. So, if there are 6 or more completed rounds, you win.

The “under” from my example is the favorite, and you will have to wager $150 for a chance to win $100. You win if there are 5 or fewer rounds played.

Boxing Prop Bets

Prop bets are essentially any type of bet that you can make on a boxing match that doesn’t include the outcome of the match. So, here, you’re betting on the details of the fight.

You can be as specific as you would like here and be very particular, especially in huge events when someone is defending their belt or when two major players are finally getting the chance to face off.

You can bet on the number of knockouts in the match, in which round will there be a knockout, will there be any point deductions, your limit is your imagination.

You might not encounter these types of bets in events of little significance, but you can rest assured that the bookies will definitely offer prop bets for major events.

Go the Distance

Typically listed under the Prop Bets section, this is a simple yes or no bet, somewhat similar to an over/under bet. Here, you will be betting on whether the fight will end before the final 12th round, or whether the victory will be decided based on the judges’ scorecards.

So, the “go the distance” part means whether the fight will last all 12 rounds.

This is a popular bet when you have two favorites fighting each other, but I wouldn’t really advise novice bettors to participate in it. You’ll need to be aware of the fighters’ endurance, and their previous boxing history, if you want to guess whether the fight will be over before the 12th round. So, I’d recommend this only after you’ve mastered the basics of boxing betting.

Boxing Parlays

Parlay bets are a type of bet best left to the experts. They can be complicated to get the hang of, and they require you to be very familiar with different boxers, their strengths and weaknesses, and their overall performance.

These bets often seem appealing to novice bettors because of the huge payoffs, but you’ll only make a profit if you are precise and have a great strategy.

For boxing parlay bets, you will have to place multiple picks on the same bet, aka you can bet on the outcome of a few matches on a single ticket. This is a great choice if you don’t want to bet a lot of money on individual favorites.

Now, these bets are very similar to moneyline bets, except here all of the boxers that you’ve bet on have to win. If your single pick from a parlay doesn’t win, you lose your wager.

Of course, this is quite risky, but if all of your picks win, you could end up with thousands of dollars of payoff.

Outright Winner Bet

Known also as bout betting, and outright winner bet allows you to pick who you think will be the ultimate winner of the entire boxing event. It’s essentially a long-term bet that requires you to analyze all of the boxers in the event and figure out exactly which one has the highest chances of winning.

This is a popular bet, especially for some boxers’ hardcore fans. Whenever there’s a need for a boxer to defend their belt or their title, you will see many bettors placing these outright winner bets.

The bettors can even choose the draw option, although I’ve got to warn you — draws are very rare in boxing and might not be worth betting on.

Since this is often a long-term bet, it’s not really something I’d recommend to beginners.

Winning Method Bet

This bet can be a lot of fun. As its name would suggest, you’re supposed to bet on how your chosen boxer will win the fight.

This bet is actually twofold, as you will have to decide which boxer will come out on top, and how they will do it. Some of the more popular choices include:

  • Knockouts
  • Technical knockouts
  • Throw in the towel

This can be an interesting bet to participate in once you’ve gained some betting skills. You don’t have to be a pro, but some fundamental knowledge is required.

For the best chance to win, you’ll have to research the favorites, figure out how they typically win the fights, how the opponent is expected to perform, and more.

Specific Round/Round Group Betting

These are two separate types of boxing bets, yet they’re very similar, so I’m placing them in the same basket. Specific round betting requires you to be, well, specific, and precise. You will bet on the exact round that a fight will end in.

This can be a very lucrative bet since it’s very difficult to get it right. If you guess the right round, you can expect a big payoff, but if the fight ends in any other round, you’ll lose your wager.

If you’d like to have higher chances of winning this type of bet, you could go for round group betting. You won’t always have this bet on offer, but you’re very likely to encounter it in a major event.

So, as the name implies, here you can bet on a group of rounds that you think the fight will end. It doesn’t matter who wins the fight.

You win the bet as long as the fight ends in one of the rounds that you’ve chosen. The payoff is normally slightly higher than that for over/under bets, but lower than specific round bets.

Draw Bets

I’ve got to mention the draw bets, at least. Like in any other sport, it’s very rare for a match to end in a draw. It might be even more uncommon in boxing. If the fight doesn’t end with a knockout, the boxers’ total scores from the judges will decide on the winner.

However, just because a draw is uncommon doesn’t mean it never happens.

Since the odds are definitely not in your favor, if you’re betting on the draw, you can easily guess what this means. Yes, the payouts are big! If you bet on a draw and somehow win, you can expect to get over $1000 in profits. I do have to emphasize that you need to consider this bet carefully!

In-Play Boxing Betting

The last type of bet that I want to talk about is the in-play bet. Yes, it’s what it sounds like exactly, and you’ll be able to place your bets in real-time, as you’re witnessing the fight take place.

Most of the time, you’ll be able to bet on who the winner is going to be, whether the fight will end in the next round, or whether one of the boxers will throw in the towel.

The available bets will depend on the bookie/website, but most major fights will have in-play bets.

Boxing Betting Strategies

Of course, to be a good bettor, you need to develop a good betting strategy. I have a few general tips that can help you as you get started.

Do your research

Whether you’re into boxing betting, tennis betting, soccer betting, or anything in between, for your bets to be successful, you’ll need to do your research. Learn about your favorite boxers, keep up with them, see how they’ve been performing lately, check out their competition.

All this information can help you make better betting decisions.

Choose your bets wisely

There’s no need for you to place a bet on every single thing you’re offered. You have plenty of appealing choices, but none of them are guaranteed to be profitable, so you could end up losing a lot of money. Especially as a beginner when you don’t really know much about boxing betting in general.

Start slow and don’t bet money that you cannot afford to lose.

Avoid betting on your favorites

Getting emotionally invested in the boxers you’re betting on will do you no good. You’ll be too subjective, and it will be difficult noticing your boxer’s weaknesses and their opponents’ strengths. Of course, this isn’t a rule, and if you really feel that your favorite boxer has a chance of winning — go for it.

But don’t bet on a boxer simply because you like them. Your bets need to be logical, and you need to be very strategic about them.

Boxing as a sport was basically created for the purposes of betting, and there’s no denying how lucrative boxing betting can be.

As long as you’re playing it smart, doing your research, and coming up with betting strategies, you can expect to make a profit from this hobby. Just be prepared to lose from time to time. This is what betting is all about — sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose, that’s the fun part.