Betting on a Fighter to Win
by Scotty L of Predictem.com
This is by far the easiest and most popular of all boxing bets. This is a bet that has been made for thousands of years, ever since two people have fought in front of an audience. You must merely pick the winner of the fight and if he wins, you win the bet. Thats simple enough, but there are some considerations to make before embarking on a boxing wager such as this.
The Money Line
All boxing bets in the U.S. use money lines. Money lines are odds listed next to each fighter. Here is an example:
Mike Tyson 500
Michael Spinks +300
So if you bet on Mike Tyson, you needed to bet $500 to win $100. You would receive your bet back and your $100 win for a total of $600. A (-) next to a number means that fighter is the favorite.
If you bet $100 on Spinks, you would win $300 if he won, plus your $100 bet for a total of $400. A (+) next to a number means that fighter is an underdog. One way to look at it is that a fighter who is +300 is a 3-1 underdog, while a fighter at 500 is a 5-1 favorite. A fighter who is a big favorite will require you to make a larger bet in order to make a decent profit, while an underdog selection would necessitate a smaller investment to earn money.
You can find these bets at almost any online sportsbook, but Bovada is the best and you can use your credit card to deposit there too.
Ways to Win
A boxer can win in a variety of ways. Here are all the different possibilities:
Knockout (KO)a fighter wins after he knocks down his opponent who is unable to rise before the referee reaches the count of ten.
Technical Knockout (TKO): A fighter wins when his opponent is deemed to be in no position to continue and the fight is terminated. The referee can stop the fight if a fighter is taking too much punishment. A cut caused by a punch can also be grounds for a TKO, usually when the cut is too gory or the blood is impeding the fighters vision, drawing the ire of the referee or doctor who decides to stops the fight. In addition, a fighter can quit or his trainer can throw in the towel in the middle of the fight, which results in a TKO loss.
Disqualification (DQ): A fighter who regularly commits fouls (low blows, hitting behind the head, hitting after the bell, etc) will get disqualified after repeated warnings. If warnings and repeated point deductions do not curtail a fighters bad behavior, the referee will disqualify him and he loses the fight. Also, if a fighters trainer or cornerman enters the ring during the fight, the referee may very well disqualify the fighter. A DQ can also take place if a fighter is unruly and gets physical with the referee.
Decisions: There are two different types of decisions: a regular decision announced at the conclusion of the scheduled duration of a fight and a technical decision which results from a bout which has been abbreviated by an accidental foul that renders an fighter unable to continue. A fight must go four full rounds before a technical decision can be announced.
Find all these bets and more including boxing prop bets at Superbook.
When You May Feel You Won the Bet, But You Did Not
A Majority Draw: If a fight is scored even by two judges, with the third judge scoring it for your fighter, you might feel justified to feel you won the bet. However, in order to win a decision, a fighter must receive winning scores from at least two judges. In other words, a fighter cannot win a decision without a majority vote.
A Technical Draw: Imagine the fighter you bet on is pounding his opponent mercilessly. For a few rounds, he shellacs his opponent who is soon a bloody mess. After the third round, the opponent is so bloody that the doctor stops the fight. You better hope the cut is not deemed to be the result of a head butt, or the fight will be ruled a no-contest and you do not win the bet. If the same thing happens after the conclusion of four rounds, then they go to the scorecards where the dominant fighter will be ahead and then you win the bet.
Post-Fight Discoveries: This can be extremely frustrating and is not as rare as one might think. Many times throughout boxing history, the scorecards have been read incorrectly, only to be changed well after the arena has been emptied out. Unfortunately, the decision read in the ring is binding. Winning fighters can also be found to have been using illegal drugs in post-fight tests, which result in the fighter being stripped of his victory, but does nothing to change the results of the bets.
Recently (2009) in a junior welterweight title bout, challenger Nate Campbell suffered a cut and was deemed unable to continue. The fight was ruled a TKO for his opponent, champion Tim Bradley, who left the ring a winner. The California commission later ruled the cut was caused by an accidental head butt, and changed the verdict to a no contest. Those who bet on Campbell were not able to get their money back, however, since the decision read in the ring is binding.
Boxing is one of the most exciting sports to bet on. If you’re going to risk your hard earned loot, be sure that you’re betting at an online bookie that is reputable and recommended by a credible source (us!). Click the sportsbook reviews bar at the very top of this page for a list of the best places on the web to bet on fights.
