Have you ever thought about betting on boxing but did not know what to do? Well, thanks to the Internet, it’s pretty easy.I hope I didn’t offend anyone by branding this article for Dummies, but I figured it would grab your attention.
If you are still reading, it obviously did. With that, let’s get to the quick tutorial.
Boxing uses the money line and odds are placed next to each boxer’s name. The boxer with the negative (-) number is the favorite and the one with the positive (+) one is the underdog.
It’s really simple: whenever there is a negative (-), you lay that amount to win a dollar; whenever there is a positive (+), you get that amount for every dollar wagered.
For example, the odds on a boxing match could read:
- De La Hoya -300
- Pacquiao +200
- Draw +1,000
In this mythical matchup, bettors who wager on De La Hoya will have to risk $300 dollars in order to win $100 dollars, while folks who bet on Pacquiao would wager $100 dollars to win $200 dollars. Those bettors who believe the fight will end in a draw would risk $100 dollars to win $1,000 dollars.
On all boxing bets, your fighter must win the fight or you lose your wager.
If the fight is a draw, bets on both fighters are declared losers, and only the bookmakers and anyone who bet on the draw win.
Proposition bets or props, are single wagers placed on outcomes that are not directly related to who is going to win or lose the fight.
The most popular boxing prop is the over/under for how long the fight will last. This wager works similar to the over/under bet in other sports, but instead of betting on the number of points scored in a game, you are betting on how many rounds the fight will last.
- De La Hoya vs Pacquiao Lasts Over 8 Rounds -150
- De La Hoya vs Pacquiao Lasts Under 8 Rounds +100
If you wager on the over (eight full rounds), you will win your bet as long as both fighters are in the ring for the start of the ninth round. You would bet $150 dollars in order to win $100 dollars.
If you wager on the under (eight full rounds), you will win your bet as long as the fight is stopped anytime before the end of the eight round. You would bet $100 dollars in order to win $100 dollars.
If the fight is stopped between the end of the eighth round and the beginning of the ninth round, all over/under bets would be declared losers and only the house (bookmakers) win.
The other main proposition wager in boxing is betting on which fighter will win by a knockout or stoppage. Using the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao example again, check out these make-believe odds:
- Oscar De La Hoya by KO or stoppage -200
- Manny Pacquiao by KO or stoppage +200
For this bet, Golden Boys win $100 dollars on a $200 wager, if De La Hoya scores a knockout or the referee stops the bout and declares him the winner. If he wins the fight by decision, his backers lose the wager because he did not win by knockout or stoppage.
For the Pac-Men, the same situation applies. Pacquiao must win by knockout or stoppage in order for his backers to be paid $200 dollars on a wager of $100 dollars.
It may have been a bit long-winded, but these are the basics of betting on boxing. For the record, I am not a professional gambler; I’m just a boxing fanatic who likes to predict boxing winners and losers. If you want to put your prediction skills to the test, you at least now know what to do. Whether you predict the right big fight results is another matter altogether!
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