Introduction to Boxing Betting
Boxing delivers some of the hardest-hitting, intense combinations of skill, agility, power and endurance in sport. The history of boxing, which usually features 10 or 12 rounds of 3 minutes each, goes all the way back to ancient cultures. But it remains a sport that is celebrated globally to this day and big title fights have helped forge legends like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.
Athletes undergo months of rigorous training, so having big wells of reserve energy, imperious mental discipline, courage, and strategy are woven into the fabric of boxing. The sport is so much more than the spectacular knockout blows, but those highlight-reel moments have helped raise the profile of boxing throughout the modern era.
History of Boxing
Exactly where boxing started is unknown, but the cultures of Ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt all promoted boxing duels. Precursors of boxing will just have been bare-knuckle fights that rolled on and on until one fighter could go no longer.
After dropping out of fashion following the fall of the Roman Empire, the sport saw a revival in England in the 17th century. Often, illegal fights were staged and people from all classes of society would congregate and place wagers on the outcome of fights.
Late into the 19th century, a landmark occasion of the Queensbury Rules being formalised happened, and they are the rules that boxing abides by to this day. This standardised the sport, introducing things like weight divisions, limited-timed rounds so fights could have a definite finish point, and gloves for safety.
This made boxing more mainstream and John L. Sullivan became the first ever recognised heavyweight world champion in 1885. Later on, charismatic legends like Muhammed Ali, Joe Louis, Joe Frazer, George Foreman, Mike Tyson and more recently Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury would come along.
Basic Rules of Boxing
There are still basic rules that fighters have to follow, so that it’s not a complete free-for-all. Unlike in MMA, attacking shots in boxing have to be made with a clenched fist only, which means that a fighter can’t, for example, chop, slap or kick an opponent.
Clinches are common in boxing, where fighters get tangled together, and punching can continue until the referee separates them. Fighters cannot target the back of an opponent’s head or neck (rabbit punch), hit below the belt, nor strike an opponent when they have hit the canvas.
Gloves have to weigh at least 10 ounces when fully laced and headgear cannot be used in professional boxing (but mandatory in amateur boxing). A fighter can’t use the ropes for any kind of leverage for attack. A boxing ring will typically vary from 18 to 20 feet square, determined by the overseeing organisation that’s sanctioning the fight.
Fighters are organised by weight divisions to create balance by fighting continuously and boxers can move between the divisions. There are different organising bodies like the WBA and the WBC, but all abide by the Queensbury Rules to protect fighters. Rounds in professional boxing last 3 minutes each and three judges will score the fight if the bout goes the distance.
A boxing match can be won by:
Knockout – Where a fighter can’t beat a count of 10 after being knocked down.
Technical Knockout – When the referee or a match doctor steps in to end a fight to protect a fighter who can’t safely continue.
Technical Decision – The stoppage of a fight after something accidental like a clash of heads causing a cut on a fighter’s eye.
Judges’ Decisions – There are four possible decisions from the judges who are scoring the fight.
- Unanimous – All three score the fight in favour of one boxer.
- Split – A 2-1 split between the judges on who won the fight.
- Majority Decision – Where two judges score the fight for one boxer, and the other scores a draw.
- Draw – A fight can end in a draw if all three judges score the fight as a dead heat.
Popularity of Boxing in Different Countries
A great example of the massive global appeal of boxing is when heavyweight title fights come along. These are held everywhere from London to New York, Mexico City and Riyadh. Arguably the greatest boxing match of all time, the famous “Rumble In the Jungle” between Muhammed Ali and George Foreman in 1974 was held in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire).
Boxing transcends borders across the world, and part of that is down to the showmanship, great promotion, and the sheer simplicity of the sport. Boxers are also entertainers and help to promote the sport in different regions simply through nationality. Manny Pacquiao, for example, helped drive up Filipino love for the sport; Julio Cesar Chavez did the same for Mexico; Katie Taylor has been doing it for Ireland, and Naoya Inoue is doing it now for Japan.
At the Olympic Games, boxing has been an ever-present since 1904. Olympic boxing is fought under amateur rules, where gloves are bigger, headgear is worn, there are five judges and is regarded as being more about skill than raw power.
Popular Bets in Boxing
It’s common for title fights to be behind paywalls when broadcast, but that hasn’t diminished the love of the sport or betting on it. People will typically gravitate first towards the outright winner market for boxing betting ahead of a big bout. The higher the profile of the title fight, the more it will attract even the most casual of bettors to the money line.
Another couple of boxing markets that are frequently used are Rounds Betting and Totals Rounds. Rounds Betting adds the condition of which exact round a fighter will win in, like Oleksandr Usyk Round 9, while Totals Rounds is an over/under line on how many rounds you think will be in the fight overall.
Other popular boxing betting markets are:
Method of Victory – How a particular fighter will win the bout, by knockout or decision
Round Group Betting – A range of Round values for a fighter to win in, like Saul Alvarez Round 7-8
Will the fight go the distance – A prop bet of yes/no
Draw No Bet – Draws are not common in boxing, but a Draw No Bet option on a fighter means that stake will be refunded if the fight ends in a tie.