Boxing Betting Tips

Boxing is the world’s oldest sport, steeped in history and rich with iconic characters. 

While boxing may seem brutal to some, for most passionate fans it is an art form. 

Two combatants face off in a ring, surrounded by thousands of fans, trading blows in a dance of speed and power — with millions watching all around the world.

There are few sports more popular than boxing. Popular bouts have been some of the biggest betting events in the history of legalised bookmaking and gambling has historically gone hand-in-hand with the sport.

With a number of different weight classes, divisions and organisations in play, the boxing world is more complex than it seems.

For punters, we’re here to tell you that there’s more to bet on than simply who wins a fight. With different methods of victory and a number of rounds to get the job done, punters have a number of markets to choose from.

A successful boxing punter is an informed boxing punter — so let’s take you through all the details you need to know to maximise your returns.

Remember to check this page for the latest news on boxing which will include announcements for the biggest bouts in the sport. 

As a truly international sport, there is inevitably a boxing bout to bet on every single week of the year. 

The biggest fights that attract global audiences are often organised months ahead of time to attract the biggest audiences possible.

Individual fighters will often decide, in conjunction with their opponents, when a fight will take place. Smaller professional bouts will battle at the whim of their boxing federation.

Make sure that you stay up to date with boxing results around the world, especially with fighters you intend to bet on in future. 

Like most pursuits, form can tell us a lot in boxing and help give us a more thorough betting guide.

There are a number of boxing betting options for punters looking to wager on the sweet science.

Head-to-head betting: The most popular of the boxing markets is also the simplest. Pick the winner of the fight and you’ll take home the cash.

This is how a head-to-head betting market should look:

Cassius Clay $1.80 vs. Mike Tyson $2.20

If you were to place $100 on Clay at $1.80 and he went on to beat Tyson by any method, you would win $180.

Note: Ensure you’ve read your bookmaker’s terms and conditions when it comes to draws. Some will return your money, others offer the draw as a betting market and will consider your head-to-head bet a loser.

Method of victory betting: There are five ways in which a boxer can win a fight.

Knock-out – when a fighter is knocked to the ground and is unable to get back up before the end of a count to 10 by the referee.

Decision – When the fighters have reached the end of the allotted rounds for the fight, the winner will be decided by a panel of three judges.

Technical knock-out – a technical knock-out will be called at a referee’s discretion when a fighter is knocked down three times in one round, or when the ref decides that a fighter is not fit to continue safely. A TKO can also be called when a fighter does not return to the ring after a break.

Technical decision – If a fighter receives an injury and cannot continue in the fight, the judges will accumulate their points from the time the fight was forced to end and award the winner. If the injury was deemed to be caused intentionally, then the offending fighter will forfeit the fight.

Disqualification – If a fighter breaks the rules determined and agreed on before the fight and is disqualified by the referee or judges, their opponent will be named the winner.

Picking the method of victory can be a profitable and popular market for punters. Here’s how it can look:

George Foreman by decision: $1.80

George Foreman by KO, TKO, TD or DQ: $5

Vs.

Joe Frazier by decision: $2.50

Joe Frazier by KO, TKO, TD or DQ: $8

Round betting: Punters are able to choose which round a fight will end in — another popular market for those looking for some boosted odds.

In time gone by, fighters used to like predicting when a fight would end. When they do that now, you can take them at their word and bet on it.

Most fights in most divisions go between eight and 12 rounds and the odds fluctuate, depending which round you bet on. Betting on the early rounds will net a bigger return, given it’s rare for a fight to end in the first couple of rounds.

Here is how a round betting market can look:

Ali in Round 1: $21

Ali in Round 2: $15

Ali in Round 3: $13

Ali in Round 4: $11

Ali in Round 5: $11

Ali in Round 6: $11

Ali in Round 7: $11

Ali in Round 8: $11

Ali in Round 9: $11

Ali in Round 10: $13

Ali in Round 11: $15

Ali in Round 12: $17

Exotics betting: Like most sports, there are exotic options for punters in most boxing bouts.

There are many different features and aspects to a fight and there’s a way to bet on most of them.

Among the exotics markets is betting on whether a fighter gets ‘knocked down’ during a fight, even for a fleeting second, whether the fight goes the full distance over 12 rounds, even what colour trunks or advertising the fighters wear.

You can catch boxing replays online on boxing federation websites and through whichever broadcaster is televising the bout.

Given the enormous amount of countries, arenas and federations in play, it can be a challenge to find the replays you’re after, so it helps to use generic searches at websites like Youtube.

Boxing fans in Australia will often have to fork out a special pay-per-view charge for the biggest international fights of the year, but can also pay for a subscription to watch regular events on Foxtel and Kayo.

Bet365 is one of the only bookmakers in Australia that offers free live streaming to select boxing bouts for its members – often providing the only way for us to watch some fights.