For those into combat sport there are now a wealth of options, with the fast-growing MMA, Judo and Ju-Jitsu to name just three, but nothing beats a good old fashioned boxing match. There is also nothing simpler to bet on – just pick your fighter and, if they win, you do too. Obviously, there can be more to it than that if you want there to, but at its very basic level boxing is almost designed to be bet on which in part explains why it is such a popular sport when it comes to betting.
Everyone knows the stereotype from films, such as Snatch or Pulp Fiction, of a corrupt fight organiser who makes his way from rigged betting, and, there has certainly been some truth to it in the history of the sport. However, it has definitely been cleaned up in recent years, especially at the higher levels where the money available through fair means offers less incentive for fighters to cheat. And, you can be sure that when you bet on a big fight, that both men will be doing their best to knock each other out these days.
In this guide, we will take a book at the top bookmakers most worthy of taking your wagers on whatever fight takes your fancy – and boxing is great in that there is no season as such, with huge bouts taking place year round.
Best Bookmakers for Betting on Boxing
Here they are, we’ve done the hard work of narrowing down the field to three so you don’t have to. Now we present the finalists for your consideration when putting a bet on boxing and any of these three fine betting sites would certainly be a great choice – or join all three to maximise your options and free bets.
Betfred
Betfred is another heavyweight in the boxing world. The “Bonus King” bookmaker has a history of partnerships with fight promoters and has been the title sponsor at events in the past. It comes as no surprise then that they take a good portion of the bets on the sport in the UK and they have some great promotions to ensure this continues.
They may not be the absolute best in terms of coverage, but they’re not far off and especially leading up to the big live televised fights when everyone’s getting in the mood, their coverage of undercards is very good.
In terms of range of markets they have a minimum of a Bout 3 Way (the name Betfred gives to its basic winner market, with the choice of backing either fighter or the draw) on every fight but for most fights they’ll also have round betting and method of victory as well, and occasionally even more, certainly for big fights. For the fights and markets they cover they’re consistently competitive with the other top bookmakers’ odds and are never far off the market leader if they don’t lead it themselves.
Boxing Bets: How to Bet on Boxing
By tank2100, Flickr
Now we know who we’ll be betting with, we need to know how to bet. As mentioned earlier it’s very simple but it helps to have a guide to the basics. In this section we look at the most popular markets and give a brief explanation of how they work before running over a few rules which could affect your bet.
On big fights the bookies really push the boat out and offer a huge range of markets but here we take a look at the ones that you’ll find even on smaller bouts, quite simply because they are the most popular markets with boxing bettors.
Winner
The outright market is the simplest, regardless of how many rounds it takes or the way the fight ends all you have to do is pick the winner. A bet like this is perfect for beginners and makes a fight a lot more fun to watch.
Round Betting
Round Betting is exactly how it sounds, you can bet on which round the fight will be won in from 1-12 and there is also the option of a win by Decision or Technical Decision in case the fight “goes the distance” and lasts all 12 rounds or must be decided early due to an injury.
Method of Victory
In this market you’re betting not only on who will win but also on how. The options for a hypothetical fight between Vladimir Klitschko and David Haye would be as follows. Klitschko by KO, TKO or disqualification, Haye by KO, TKO or disqualification, Klitschko by Decision, Haye by Decision, Draw. Draws are very rare but far from unheard of.
Total Rounds
For this market you don’t have to pick who will win, just how long the fight will last. It’s usually in an over or under format for example Over 0.5, Under 1.5 etc. all the way up to Over 10.5.
Gone in 60 Seconds
This aptly named market lets you bet on whether a fighter will last past the first minute. It’s unlikely in most fights that they won’t so you can get good odds if you think you know something the bookies don’t.
Betting Rules
By USAG Italy, Flickr
That’s almost everything you need to know, but there are just a few rules to be aware of. Also remember that rules can vary slightly from bookmaker to bookmaker so check it out before you place your bet if you think any of these could affect your bet.
Postponement
Normally bets on postponed boxing matches last for a calendar month or 30 days. If one of the fighters is replaced with another fighter all bets should be void.
Draws
For bets on the fight winner where the draw option has not been offered a draw makes them all void, this includes Majority Draws.
Amendment to Result
Usually the result announced on the day of the fight will count for settlement even if the result is overturned on appeal. There are exceptions to this, like the announcer reading out the wrong result but generally the first result stands.
Half a Round
For round totals listed at .5, one minute and 30 seconds counts as half a round.
Knockdown
A knockdown is either a knockout or a fighter staying down for an eight-count decided by the referee.