A Beginner’s Guide to Boxing Betting

Basic Boxing Betting Markets 

You will find a huge number of different betting markets available on a boxing match. It is important that you understand them fully in order to take advantage of them. Here is a quick rundown of the most popular ones. 

Match Winner 

This is a very straightforward bet; it is simply a bet on which of the two boxers is going to win. You can choose one of the two fights or opt to bet on a draw. This can be a very tempting bet to use when there is a clear favourite and if you think the underdog is likely to win, then it is a great opportunity to find very generous odds. 

Round Betting 

If you are looking for odds that are more generous then this is an excellent option. It is a bet on which fighter will win and in which round they will win. As the bet is so specific, the odds are normally far larger.  

Method of Victory 

There are many ways in which a boxer can win a fight, such as points/decision, knockout and technical knockout. This is simply a bet on how a fighter will claim victory. 

Will The Fight Go The Distance?  

A boxing match is made up of a number of rounds and this bet is simply on whether the fighters will fight all of them. It is a yes or no bet, giving you just two options.  

Total Rounds 

This is a bet on how many rounds you think the bout will last. You don’t need to pick a winner, you simply bet on whether the fight will be longer or shorter than a certain number of rounds. For instance, in a 12 round bout, you can bet on the fight lasting more or less than nine rounds.  

Winning Groups of Rounds 

This is a bet on a fighter to win within a specific trio of rounds, e.g. rounds 1 to 3, 4 to 6, 7 to 9, or 10 to 12. If you think a fighter starts fast and will finish his opponent quickly then you could bet on the first group of rounds.   

Research the Fighters’ Styles 

Each boxer has a very individual style and it is vitally important that you understand this. Before a match, you need to look into how the boxers like to fight and how they typically perform against the style of their opponents.  

For example, if a fighter is known for big punches but struggles against fast fighters, then they are unlikely to win against a very fast fighter. Alternatively, if they are a counter puncher who struggles when faced with a boxer of the same style, then it is probably a risky bet.  

Often boxers are split into two categories, boxers and punchers. If a fighter has a high number of knockouts, then they are the type who goes for aggression and powerful punching. If a fighter tends to win but the fights go the distance, then they are more about defence and they are punchers. You will mainly be considering these two styles when planning your bets.  

This is probably the hardest part of your preparation for boxing betting. It will require some research and a good thing to do would be to watch previous fights with similar style match-ups. It is important to be familiar with both fighters as only then will you be able to place fully informed bets.  

Look at Physical Size and Strength 

When talking about boxing people will often say that “a good big man will always beat a good little man”. This is very often true, especially when it comes to heavyweight boxing. For example, if there is a particularly large heavyweight, who is 6’6” tall and more than 250lbs, then when faced with a more conventional sized heavyweight, who is around 6’2” and 220lbs, unless the smaller fighter is far superior in terms of skill, then the bigger fighter is more than likely to win.  

From time to time, a fighter may appear in a weight class who is unusually tall for that class and has an unusually long reach, able to hit hard, and maintain their strength. This is certainly worth taking note of, as it is sure to cause their opponents a number of problems.  

Furthermore, don’t pay too much attention to the weigh in process, especially when they happen 24 hours before a fight. Many boxers are excellent at limiting their carbohydrates and liquids in the days leading up to the weigh in and then rehydrating on the day of the fight, which means they could be as much as 20lbs. heavier.  

Therefore, two men in the same weight class can be very different in terms of size and strength, and in addition to height and reach, one might also be much heavier than the other is. Therefore, all of these factors can have a huge influence on the outcome of a fight.  

Does the Boxer Seem Focused? 

Prior to a fight it may be possible to tell how seriously a boxer is taking preparing for it. For instance, sometimes news leaks out of a fighter skipping training camp or being distracted by external factors, such as their personal life. There are numerous instances of a fighter using the excuse of being distracted after losing a fight, so it is definitely worth paying attention to their behaviour in the weeks leading up to one.  

Furthermore, occasionally a fighter can be too focused on the fight after next. For instance, if they are going to be fighting for a title then they may be gearing their preparation towards that rather than the upcoming fight.  

Examine a Fighter’s Training Partners 

Like any other sport, the preparation for a boxing match is of vital importance and to a large extent, a boxer will only be as good as his/her training partner. If you know that a boxer is training with an excellent partner then you know that they will be learning to fight intelligently and truly improving their technique. Furthermore, you can also look for training partners who have a similar style to the fighter’s next opponent. This is often the key to spotting good betting opportunities. 

Look at Each Boxer’s History  

It is important to know how a boxer has been performing in recent fights, particularly if they took a bad beating. Whether they are suffering from the psychical effects of it or have taken a massive blow to their confidence is going to affect how they perform in their next fight. For instance, if a fighter has a reoccurring injury but keeps insisting that they are fine, then it is probably a case of self-delusion, and they will not represent a very good bet. 

Furthermore, if you are looking to bet on an exciting upcoming talent and they are about to face a very experienced boxer, then this principle also holds. If they have never taken a real beating, then they may fall apart under the pressure.  

Research the News Carefully 

There is always a huge amount of news and gossip ahead of a major boxing match and it is important that you learn to separate the real from the fake. It is not unusual for fight camps to release news about how training is going and this information is often highly valuable when planning a bet. However, you should be careful to avoid gossip, such as what other boxers in the same gym are saying, as this is likely to be far less reliable.  

On the other hand, it has also been known for fight camps to release fake news in order to create confusion. Similarly, there is often a lot of gossip in the news, and this should always be taken with a large pinch of salt.  

Essentially, all you can do is look at the information available and try to come to your own conclusion. At the end of the day, if you are uncertain then stick to what you know to be hard facts when making your betting decisions.  

Don’t Bet on Every Fight 

You may be tempted to place a bet on every fight that is happening in a night as it ensures an evening of excitement. This is fine if you are not too worried about making money, but it is a poor way to try to win money. Instead, you should only bet on fights that you have a good idea about and that you feel a profit is likely.  

Similarly, you should avoid accumulator bets. These bets allow you to combine multiple fights into one bet, which results in fantastic odds. However, if one fight doesn’t go your way then you will lose the bet, so it is very high risk.