Betting on Boxing
Boxing is the classic “Duel of the Titans”, and easily one of the more “mano-a-mano” sports out there. It is an exhibition of blood, sweat and bruises where two pugilists enter the ring, and only one (usually) exits a winner. This makes for a perfect scenario to bet.
When it comes to betting on boxing, this is actually a pretty standard deal – there are two men, and in most cases, only one will win (draws are pushes in terms of most bets). So in general terms, there are really only three types of standard bets:
- You have your general moneyline bet. There will be a favorite, and an underdog. The favorite will be “minus” something (like -200, meaning you have to bet $200 to win $100) or “plus” something (+120 means you bet $100, and can win $120)
- There is also an over / under bet based on how long the fight will go. The over/under is the round number. It’s also presented in moneylines – over 5.5 -120, under 5.5 +150, etc etc).
- And of course, there is always the “draw” bet, when two boxers go the distance, but the judges score the fight even. In actuality, this type of wager has a pretty good payout. Draw decisions do not happen very often in boxing, so when they do, the payout is worth one’s while.
The big thing to remember in boxing that, unlike most sports leagues, the competitors can be wildly mismatched. Even in the NFL, a bad team can beat a good team “on any given Sunday”. But in Boxing, sometimes a fighter seemingly has no chance at all. While major upsets do happen sometimes, it is not common. So it is not unusual to see moneylines of, say, -$700 (meaning you must bet $700 to win $100). Or even much higher. So you have to be aware of this – yes, that longshot “tomato can” might seem like a great bet (“hey, he’s +$2,000… I could win $2,000 on a $100 wager”), but in all actuality, it’s probably not a great bet (think Pete McNeely vs Mike Tyson, a 90 second “blink and you’ll miss it” mismatch)
So, do your homework, know your fighters, and place your money on that hungry young buck who nobody (but you) knows about! Good luck!
