Boxing is experiencing a huge boom in popularity, with an influx of fans, TV audiences and sports bettors looking to get involved in the action on fight night. It’s never been so lucrative to be a fighter, and with a plethora of big-time events being held across the globe, from Las Vegas to London and Riyadh, the opportunities to consume world-class boxing have never been greater.
In this guide, we’ll explain how online boxing betting works, from understanding the different types of boxing bets on offer, to betting on the action itself, including the key strategies to nailing your boxing betting.
We’ll have you ready to land a knockout blow on some of the best betting sites for boxing and understanding boxing betting odds.
MORE: How to read betting odds, including interpreting fractional, decimal and American prices
Different types of bets in boxing
There are numerous ways to bet on the sport of boxing, from simply picking the winner of a fight to delving deeper to predict when a fight will finish. Here are the main types of bets you’ll come across when you look at online boxing betting;
Outright winner betting
Sometimes this market is even more clearly labelled, called 'to win the fight,' or similar. With outright winner betting you simply have to decide on which boxer you think will win the fight. The odds for that fighter will determine how much you get in return if your chosen fighter wins the bout.
Round betting
Round betting gives you the chance to claim bigger winnings by correctly predicting the round in which a given fight will finish. Due to the more specific nature of the bet, longer odds are generally available, meaning that successful bets produce larger returns as a result. Sometimes, bookmakers offer the chance to bet on a fight winning within a range of rounds, e.g. 1-4, 5-8. 9-12.
Fight outcome
The fight outcome offers the chance to bet on how a fighter will win a given bout. This could be via knockout, technical knockout or disqualification (these are generally bundled together for betting purposes), or by decision. You can also bet on a fight being a draw, but these are rare occurrences, so they usually offer huge odds due to the improbability of a draw occurring.
Over/under
If you want to get a little more specific than just predicting the winner, but don’t want to predict a specific round, the over/under market could be perfect for you.
The bookie will set an over/under mark, in rounds, and you can decide whether you think the fight will finish before (under) or after (over) that mark.
For example, if a fight has an over/under of 7.5 rounds and you bet the over, you will need the fight to be stopped after the 1:30 mark in the seventh round in order for your bet to be a winner. A winning under bet would see the fight stopped before 1:30 in round 7.
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In-play betting on boxing
If you really break it down, a 12-round world title fight is effectively 12 three-minute mini-fights, each scored individually, and only added up if the fight goes the distance without a stoppage, TKO or KO. The nature of a fight, where each round can have had a huge impact on the outcome, lends itself perfectly to in-play betting.
When deciding to make a bet on boxing in-play, a sports betting site that offers online boxing betting will present constantly changing odds on the fighters involved.You can track the fight, placing your bets when you think the odds represent the best value on your favourite.
If your chosen fighter has a poor round or two, and the odds swing in favour of their opponent, you may want to take advantage of the higher odds and back your fighter to come back to win, and earn you a fanciful payout if they turn it around and win.
Or, if a fight looks like a foregone conclusion, you may decide to back the favourite with a bit more juice.
Every fighter goes into the ring with a ‘puncher’s chance’. As such, a bout can flip its head with just one swing of a right hook, so there’s always a degree of jeopardy when betting on boxing. But the thrill of backing a fighter during the fight can make an already entertaining fight even more exciting.
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Boxing betting strategies: Key tips
Do your research
It’s hugely advised to avoid betting when you don’t have enough information to garner a strong opinion on the outcome of an event. Essentially, you should always do your research before placing your boxing bets. Check the form of both fighters and look through both fighters’ records for common past opponents.
Also be on the lookout for alarming factors, such as fighters coming off knockout losses, those who are making very quick turnarounds, and boxers who have a history of struggling to make weight in the division they are set to compete in.
Shop around for the best odds
While most betting sites tend to offer similar views in terms of who they think will win specific fights, there are often differences in the odds from bookmaker to bookmaker.
With that in mind, it always pays to have a shortlist of reputable bookmakers, with accounts set up for each, so you can shop around and bet with the site that offers you the biggest payout for your chosen bet. Make sure you understand how sports betting odds work before placing a bet.
Keep an eye for bonuses
As well as the best odds, sports betting sites often run promotions and bonuses around big sporting events to stimulate increased betting activity.
In the same way, we suggest shopping around for the best odds, it’s also worth checking your shortlist of trusted boxing betting sites to see if any are dishing out offers around your chosen event or fight. You might be able to get your bet on, and bank a free bonus in the process.
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Only bet what you can afford to lose
Only stake money you’re comfortable to lose, because not every bet will be a winner. If you recognise the gamble you take is that you may not win a penny, then everything you do win will be a bonus, and you’ll stay on the right side of your gambling. In the same vein, avoid betting with pure emotion, and never chase your losses.
Key boxing betting terms
Round betting/group round betting | A betting market where you can select the individual round (or group of rounds) in which you think a fight will be over |
Method of victory | A betting market allowing you to select how a given fighter will claim victory |
Over/under rounds | A betting market dictating whether a fight will finish before or after the bookmaker’s specified duration |
Bout betting/outright/moneyline | A betting market where you decide which fighter will win a fight. |
Two-way betting | A bet type that gives the chance to bet on either fighter to win, but not the draw. Sometimes the underdog fighter is given the draw, so you can bet either the favourite or the underdog AND the draw. |
Three-way betting (sometimes called win-draw-win betting) | The traditional betting format for bout betting, which offers three options: Fighter A, Fighter B, or the draw. |
Live betting/in-play/in-running | Betting on a boxing match while the fight itself is happening live. |
Go the distance | When a fight reaches the end of the final round, neither fighter wins the bout by stoppage. A judge's decision will decide the outcome. |
Unanimous decision | When all three judges score a fight in favour of the same fighter. |
Majority decision | When one judge scores the fight a draw, but the other two judges score the fight for the same fighter. |
Split decision | When two judges score the fight for one fighter, and the third judge scores it for the other fighter. |
Technical decision | When a bout is stopped inside the distance due to an accidental foul, the judges are asked to submit their scorecards to that point. |
KO | A knockout, when a fighter is knocked down and unable to return to their feet and continue within a count of 10. |
TKO | A stoppage win, where the referee decides a fighter is unable to continue and intervenes to stop the fight. |
Disqualification | When the referee stops the fight due to an egregious foul by one of the fighters. The fouling fighter loses the fight. |
Draw | A result when both fighters are scored with equal points by all three judges. Draws are relatively rare in boxing, but you can bet on a fight to finish in a draw, often at huge odds. |
Tale of the tape | Key stats and measurables from each fighter’s career, presented side by side for easy head-to-head comparison. |