Over the years, boxing has been
one of the most popular sports to watch and bet. Fans love to
put their money on all kinds of fights, it doesn't matter to
them if it's an event between two evenly matched boxers or if
it's a fight with a clear favorite. Pretty much any boxing fight
provides some kind of betting value, an opportunity to make
decent money while watching the action unfold.
The most basic way to bet on a boxing fight is to simply choose
which boxer will win between the two involved.
In an evenly matched fight like the one taking place on February
24 between WBC, WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF
welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus (29-0-0, 8 KOs)
and Mandatory Challenger Klara Svensson, (17-1-0, 5 KOs),
Braekhus is a -1560 favorite, which means that you have to bet
$1560 to win $100, while Svensson is a +860 underdog (you can
win $860 for every $100 that you bet).
In a less evenly matched fight, like the one between Viviane
Obenhauf and Katie Taylor that took place on December 10, the
boxing odds were much more lopsided, as Katie Taylor was a -4000
favorite (you had to bet $4000 to win $100) and Viviane Obenhauf
was a +2000 underdog (you could have won $2000 for every $100
that you bet).
More Betting Options
Other boxing betting options are the total number of rounds in a
fight and prop bets. When a 12 round fight is expected to go the
distance, the total number of rounds are usually set at 11.5 and
bettors have the chance to bet on whether the fight will last
more than 11.5 rounds or 'Over' 11.5 (which would be after the
1:30 mark of the 12th round) or less than 11.5 rounds or 'under'
11.5 rounds. Fights between two boxers known for their knockout
power usually have low totals like 5.5 rounds.
Some fights can also allow bettors to put their money on
specific types of decisions. For example, in the
Klara Svensson vs. Cecilia Braekhus fight,
you could be able to bet on specific decisions like "Cecilia
Braekhus to win by Decision" or "Cecilia Braekhus to win by
Knockout."
Depending on the price, "Cecilia Braekhus to win by Decision"
could offer bettors more value than simply wagering on Cecilia
Braekhus to win outright. Always handicap the style of each
boxer and how they could win or lose the fight based on their
most recent performances. That will help you maximize your
profits.
Where to Bet
The value that bettors receive on the boxer that they want to
back will vary from sportsbook to sportsbook. Not all the
sportsbooks will offer the same line on all the fights.
For example, if you want to place a bet on an underdog like
Klara Svensson, she is at +860 against Cecilia Braekhus (-1560)
at one sportsbook but she is at +1200 against the favorite
Braekhus (-2250) at another, so getting the right price on her
can make a big difference if Svensson beats Braekhus.