How to bet on boxing

For decades, boxing has been one of the most popular sports in the world to watch and bet on. Boxing’s mega fights can sell out stadiums in just minutes and can see tens of millions of dollars wagered.

With boxing showing no signs of slowing down, it looks set to remain one of the most popular sports to bet on for years to come. If you are a fight fan or simply want to find out more about how to bet on boxing, then you have come to the right place. In this guide, we will tell you everything you need to know about boxing betting including;

✔ Where to bet on boxing

✔ The different types of boxing markets

✔ How to read and understand boxing betting lines

Let’s touch gloves and get started.

See the latest boxing odds and markets

Where can I bet on boxing in Canada?

If you’re looking to add some extra excitement to the game and start betting on boxing, you may be asking where you should bet. PlayNow Sports is Manitoba’s home for local, legal and secure betting.

Plus, when you sign up and place your bets at PlayNow Sports, the revenue generated from online gambling stays right here in the province, supporting many provincial and community organizations, including education and health care.

Boxing odds explained

One of the reasons why boxing betting is so popular is that there are many different bets that can be placed. Here are some of the most popular.

Fight winner and Head to head

The most popular boxing bet is the fight winner, also known as an outright bet. This involves betting on either fighter to win the bout.

For a fight winner bet you will be presented with three options, Fighter A to win, Fighter B to win or for a draw. With the head to head option, you’ll only see Fighter A or Fighter B to win. In the case of a draw, your stake would be returned to you.

Usually there will be one favourite and one underdog.
Let’s assume that Fighter A has odds of 2.00 and Fighter B has odds of 8.00. As Fighter A contains the lower number he is the favourite to win, if you were to bet $10 on Fighter A and they were to win, you would win $20 (including your original stake), if Fighter B were to win you would win $80.
Draws in boxing are usually heavily unlikely and will contain quite large odds.

With a fight winner bet, the method of victory, knockout, technical knockout or victory via points doesn’t matter, if you bet on a fighter to win and they do, your bet will be a winner no matter how it is achieved.

Although betting on the fight winner is hugely popular, for some of the world’s biggest fights there are other bets that can be placed.

Method of victory

For those who want to take the result out of the equation, a great alternative is to bet on the method of victory. Boxing bouts are determined via knockouts, technical knockouts, or points and usually each method has different odds applied.

Knockouts - A knockout is when a fighter is knocked onto the canvas of the ring and is unable to meet the referee’s standing ten count.
Technical knockout – A TKO is when either a boxer quits on their stool or the referee feels that the boxer can’t carry on, it usually based on a referee's decision and a count of ten isn’t required.
Points - The final method of victory is via points. This is where, after the twelve allotted rounds, no fighter has been able to achieve victory by either a knockout or TKO.

Needing to be settled by the judges’ scorecards, a points victory often involves greater odds due to the fact that the only way points can come into the equation is after all twelve rounds have been completed. If you bet on just the method of victory, it doesn’t matter who ends up gaining the victory via points for your bet to be classed as a winner.

Disqualification - There are rules in boxing that have to be met - if a referee is unhappy with a boxer’s behaviour they could be disqualified. This includes low blows and biting, as well as moves like ground strikes that you might see in MMA. Although quite niche, this is a bet that can be placed.

Fighter specific bets

In a sport like boxing, it can be quite common that when viewing the odds of the two fighters, one fighter will be considered a heavy favourite, with the other being viewed as the underdog; therefore, betting outright can often mean there is little value to be won, or the odds of an upset can be long.

One way to counter that is by betting on fighter-specific markets. Fighter-specific markets usually provide a different range of scenarios that you can bet on. These scenarios generally involve betting on a specific fighter to win by a particular method or within a particular round.

The types of markets that are available when betting on fighter-specific markets are scenarios such as Fighter A to win via knockout, Fighter A to win via TKO or Fighter A to win via points. In order for these bets to win, the chosen fighter has to win via the chosen method. Therefore, if you choose to bet on Fighter A to win on points, but he wins via knockout, your bet would be classed as a loser. These bets have odds that many will find appealing as the rewards will be bigger, but there will also be increased levels of jeopardy that make landing these bets harder to do.

Round betting

For those seeking an alternative option, another popular boxing betting type is betting via rounds. Round betting will let you bet on when you think the fight will end, usually specific rounds or bands of rounds will be offered. However, if you think a fighter will win in a particular round. You can bet on this at greater odds than you would get in the Fight Winner or Head to Head Markets.

Round betting can be entertaining, but the odds are higher because the bet outcome is less likely. If you bet on Fighter A to win in the fourth round, this is the only way that your bet will be considered a winner. If the fighter you have backed wins in an earlier or later round, your bet won’t be a winning one.

Outcome betting

The final boxing bet type that you’ll often see is outcome betting. Outcome bets look at a specific range of scenarios, and these can include questions such as whether the fight will see a knockdown or whether the fight will go the distance.

These questions and scenarios often just contain a simple yes / no answer, with each outcome containing different odds.

Boxing and betting in play

Over the last decade or so, betting in play has become a phenomenon. The reason why betting while a match is taking place live has become so popular is that bettors can see how the match or game is panning out, and it allows the bettor to see if they think the odds that are presented on each outcome is more or less likely to occur.

PlayNow Sports tip: In play betting for boxing is generally not offered, however it can be available from time to time for specific high-profile bouts.