It is almost hard to believe, but at one point in time betting on boxing was much more popular than betting on NFL football. Boxing and betting have gone together like cookies and milk or peanut butter and jelly for years. So, how does boxing betting work?
Like other sports, boxing offers some different bets and is similar to other one-on-one sports like MMA or tennis. Here are the different ways you can bet on boxing.
Boxing Betting: Win, Lose or Draw
When betting on boxing matches, you can bet on a boxer to win or lose. You can also bet on the two fighters battling to a draw if it is available at your legal US sportsbook.
Boxing uses the moneyline to place a wager and works like moneyline bets in most other sports. Let’s say we have two fighters, Black and White. The odds given for the fight are as follows:
Black -200
White +150
If you are betting on the favorite – Black – you must wager $200 in order to win $100. If you like the underdog – White – you will lay down $100 to win $150. Remember, all moneyline odds are set in terms of $100 wagers, but you don’t have to bet in increments of $100.
If the draw was available, the odds might look like this.
Black -200
White +150
Draw +2000
If you bet on the draw and that was the result, your $100 bet would have won $2000. If there is no option for a draw and a fight does end in one, all wagers are refunded just like in other sports bets.
Boxing Prop Bets
The most common boxing proposition bet is the over/under on how many rounds a fight will last. It’s the same type of Totals bet as in other sports. Using our fight example between Black and White, the over/under boxing betting odds might appear as follows:
OVER 6 Rounds -120
UNDER 6 Rounds +150
If you bet on the Over, the fight must go into the seventh round and your $120 bet would win you $100.
An Under bet is banking on the fight ending before the sound of the bell that ends the sixth round.
Another common boxing prop bet is the method of victory. There are often many one-sided fights in boxing. A method of victory bet can offer bettors some value instead of betting on a favorite to win -400.
In this type of bet, you will wager on how the fight ends. You can bet on the fight ending by knockout or by the referee’s stoppage. The fight could go the distance and the winner is determined by decision (based on points) or the fight could end in a draw.
Boxing Betting: Method of Victory Prop
When you go to place your victory bet, the odds would appear like this:
Black by Knockout/Stoppage -150
Black on Points +120
White by Knockout/Stoppage +1000
White on Points +800
Draw +2500
If you have a good idea of who is going to win, a bet on the method of victory usually offers a little more value than a straight bet on a favorite with boxing betting.
Depending upon the sportsbook, you may also find some special bets on boxing matches. For example, you can bet Yes or No on whether there will be a knockdown in the fight. Another special bet is on one fighter winning by a certain number of points. This is as close to a point spread bet as you can get in boxing betting.