Professional boxing is one of the oldest and most popular sports in the world. With a history dating back roughly 300 years, it has entertained and captivated generations. But why is the noble art so well-loved, and what keeps fight fans coming back for more?
Boxing is nothing if not unpredictable. Unlike many other sports, a contest can change in the blink of an eye. A fighter can take a beating for 11 rounds, only to land a knockout blow in the 12th to win the championship belt. It’s fast-paced, exciting, and great fun to follow. Major TV stations broadcast the biggest fights from ringside to a global audience.
Did you know that boxing and online betting share many similarities? Both are fast-paced and dramatic, with the possibility of an upset. If you’d like to learn more about betting on boxing using your mobile or laptop, you’ve arrived at the right page.
Former professional fighter turned online betting writer Frankie Monkhouse has everything you need to get started. He explains how boxing betting odds work and how to find a winner. There’s also information on the betting markets that perform best on the big fight, the bonuses available, and more. In short, the latest addition to Gamblr’s popular betting blog has everything you need ahead of fight night.
How boxing betting odds work
Throughout this article, I’ll use the upcoming Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight as our example. The pair clash in Miami less than a week before Christmas, and you can bet now on the Gamblr app. The same rules apply to all bouts.
- Jake Paul win @ 7.5
- Draw @ 21
- Anthony Joshua win @ 1.07
As the odds above show, Anthony Joshua is the red-hot betting favourite to defeat Jake Paul. Every $100 bet on AJ returns a $7 profit. That’s a big risk for a small reward, but it shows traders can’t see past the Brit. The same stake on Paul pays $750. That’s quite a difference. Anything can happen in boxing, but odds-makers don’t expect Jake to win.
Even if you agree with the odds ahead of Paul vs Joshua, it’s important to remember how boxing betting odds work. They are nothing more than traders’ data-led guesses about how a fight might go. One boxer being a nailed-on favourite makes no difference when the first bell rings. We often see upsets and shock results in this sport.
Finding value in the next bout
In fights like AJ vs Paul, where you have a short-priced favourite and a big-priced outsider, it often pays to look beyond the fight-winner market. In many cases, you’ll find better odds and more value when playing the specials.
Visit the boxing betting page at Gamblr, and you’ll see a long list of options. You can predict the method of victory if you’re after a higher risk for greater reward. When playing the method of victory, you must predict which fighter will win and how they’ll achieve the result, either on points or by knockout. Here’s an example.
- Jake Paul by KO/TKO @ 12
- Jake Paul on points @ 16
- Anthony Joshua by KO/TKO @ 1.2
- Anthony Joshua on points @ 6.33
Study the stats and look for a pattern in the recent form of both boxers. If you see that one fighter is on a run of knockout wins, you have your bet. If you notice both are technical boxers with a low KO average, you can pick one to win on points.
Building a fight night accumulator
You can bet on the main event of any major professional boxing card at Gamblr or build a fight night accumulator.
Visit this weekend’s boxing card on the Gamblr app and click the odds attached to every fighter you expect to win. Then visit your bet slip, input a stake, check, and confirm. You now have a bet to follow throughout the evening. Every prediction must win on a parlay for it to land and pay you a profit.
Three useful boxing betting markets
Here are my three favourite boxing betting markets. Each is available at Gamblr on the top fights, including this weekend’s main event.
Fight winner
Keep it simple and predict which fighter will win. It doesn’t matter if they win on points after a 12-round gruelling battle or land a first-round KO. If your fighter wins, you beat the bookies. It’s a one-in-three chance of making a profit, with your pick working against both the opponent and the draw.
Fight to go the distance
You can avoid picking a winner and bet on whether the fight will go the distance. If you have two boxers, you may expect them to go the distance and test the scoring judges. If the bout does go 12 rounds, it doesn’t matter who wins.
Total rounds
The traders will set the total rounds line, and you must predict if the bout will go over or under that number. Suppose the line is 6.5 rounds. You’re betting on over 6.5 rounds or under 6.5 rounds. As before, the winning fighter isn’t as important as the duration.
Pre-fight vs live betting
You can bet on boxing at Gamblr before the first bell or anytime during the contest. Which is best, pre-fight or live betting? Both have their positives.
Betting pre-fight often offers the best odds. Study the stats, pick your fighter, set your stake, and wager. You are now free to enjoy the contest live on television.
I have made some nice profits betting in-play on boxing. Follow a bout and look for clues about how the night might go. Betting live allows you to factor in the performance of the referee, the crowd’s influence, and the tactics of both sides.
You can also react to cuts, damage, knockdowns, official warnings, points dedicated, and more. Keep a close eye on the action and act fast to get a nice price in-play.
Bet on boxing at Gamblr
Ready to put the theory into practice?
Create an account at Gamblr, make your first deposit, and place a qualifying bet on the next bout that catches your eye. You’ll qualify for a 100% first-time deposit bonus up to $5000.