Do You Know How to Bet On Boxing?
Boxing has been one of the most popular sports to bet on, and one that has been attracting the action of recreational and professional sports bettors for decades. In the early 1960s, this extreme sport even succeeded in overshadowing the NFL in popularity but suffered somewhat of a decline following the 1965 fight between green challenger Muhammad Ali and heavyweight champ Sonny Liston when Liston was knocked out by his opponent in the very first round, sparking off suspicions of match-fixing.
In the past decades or so, the sport managed to restore its integrity and win back the confidence of punters throughout the world. But before you go on to stake some money on your favorite boxer, ask yourself this question – “Do you really know how betting on boxing works?”. If you are honest enough with yourself to answer in the negative, you should continue reading for further information on how to become more successful with your boxing bets.
Understanding the Betting Lines
It is impossible to turn a long-term profit with your boxing bets if you lack a sufficiently good understanding of how the odds and the moneyline work. In this vein, beginners are recommended to stick to simpler types of boxing wagers like the above-mentioned moneyline, where one is staking money on the boxer they believe would win the bout.
To give a more concrete example, we can take a look at a hypothetical match between Sergey Kovalev who is assigned odds of -450 and his opponent Eleider Alvarez at odds of +300. Before you choose a side to back, you should carefully evaluate the value each of the two contenders gives you.
In this example, Kovalev is the clear favorite according to the odds posted by the box boxing websites. He has higher chances of winning, earning you $100 for a $450 stake whereas the odds assigned to his Colombian opponent indicate Alvarez is the underdog. As such, his chances of defeating Kovalev are smaller but he can earn you $300 with a $100 bet. It is important for you to learn to identify value prior to making a bet and you can use the betting lines as a guideline.
Another wager that is suitable for beginner boxing bettors is the over/under bet which would look like this O/U 10.5 (-130/+110). It may seem confusing in the beginning but here you are simply wagering either that the bout would end within 10.5 rounds or that it will go past 10.5 rounds. The numbers posted in the brackets again correspond to the odds for each outcome occurring and indicate the correlation between money staked and money won.
Advanced Boxing Bets
Boxing may not offer as many markets as other popular sports like basketball or football, for example, but there are still some advanced wager types you can experiment with once you have gained enough experience. One such bet you can explore is the method of victory wager but making a correct prediction would require more preparation on your behalf. This is a type of proposition bet where your goal is to predict not who will win the bout but how the match will end in particular.
To proceed with the above example, you could choose to bet that Kovalev would prevail over Alvarez with a knockout at odds of +450. One such bet gives you more value for your money because here you need to stake $100 only to win $450. However, beginners should ensure they indeed understand the sport prior to exploring these complex wagers.
Devise a Boxing Betting Strategy
As easy as it seems, betting on boxing requires punters to come up with adequate betting strategies that will help them identify value easily and make informed decisions when selecting their bets. There are several things beginners must consider before they make a punt. The first thing you need to identify is the style of the boxers involved in a bout.
Take a look at a fighter’s record to see how many knock-outs they have. A fighter with a higher percentage of knock-outs favors an aggressive style and would attempt to defeat their opponent within the distance by continually throwing punches at them. A defensive boxer would have fewer knock-outs in their record and would usually achieve victory on the basis of points.
Another factor to consider when devising a betting strategy is the recent form of the fighters in a match. Consider things like have the boxer prevailed over a very noteworthy opponent as of late, are they returning to the ring after a longer period of inactivity, have they suffered any serious injuries or have they participated in several important fights in a row.
Last but not least, you should make sure you find a sportsbook of good standing and one that offers you diversity in terms of fight coverage and betting markets for this sport. Register with the bookmaker that offers you good boxing odds on a consistent basis. If you struggle to find one, you can use websites for odds comparisons to find the bookie that gives you the biggest value for the boxing market you are interested in staking your money on.