Boxing
Much has been written concerning the murky world of boxing and the decisions rendered. While this is not the place to scrutinize the sport, we must advise extreme caution before plunging ahead with assumptions and bets. The numerous questionable calls make betting on the sport almost as hazardous to one’s financial health as stepping into the ring. And then there’s Mike Tyson, who turns every fight into a circus.
In order to properly handicap a fight, you must honestly evaluate the motivation of both fighters, their promoters, their training methods, and the possibility of damaged goods, i.e. one man coming in to the ring already hurt. Is one man moving up or down in class? How about age? Reach? Quality of opponents? Fighter’s style, trainer, corner, and lifestyle.
Is the less-heralded challenger a doormat, or tomato-can; a tune-up for a match several months down the road? Or is he a live wire with a promising career ahead and this is his break? All of these factors are vitally important for weighing the odds and chances in a boxing match.
Betting Boxing
There are any number of ways to bet a typical boxing match in Las Vegas sportsbooks. Among them are betting the fighter on a money line bet, plus or minus in a similar method to baseball and football. There is usually a bet for a draw, as well as a bet on how many rounds the fight will go, sometimes referred to as "Will go/Won’t Go."
The major fights feature propositions on each fighter, listing the round and the corresponding odds. So you might see a Las Vegas sportsbook post a fight with odds resemble something like this for a major 12-round title match:
Kid Charlemagne +400
Butterball Kowalski —600
Will go/Won’t go=7 _ rounds
| Kid Charlemagne Round Prop | Butterball Kowalski Round Props |
| 1st Round=30-1 | 1st Round=18-1 |
| 2d Round=28-1 | 2d Round=15-1 |
| 3d Round=26-1 | 3d Round=12-1 |
| th Round=25-1 | 4th Round=10-1 |
| 5th Round=22-1 | 5th Round= 8-1 |
| 6th Round=20-1 | 6th Round= 4-1 |
| 7th Round=23-1 | 7th Round= 2-1 |
| 8th Round=25-1 | 8th Round= 3-1 |
| 9th Round=28-1 | 9th Round= 4-1 |
| 10th Round=30-1 | 10th Round=5-1 |
| 11th Round=35-1 | 11th Round=6-1 |
| 12th Round=40-1 | 12th Round=3-1 |
| Draw=30-1 |
The money line for each fighter indicates the payoffs. For the favorite Kowalski, you must lay $600 for every $100 you wish to make. Conversely, if you like the underdog Charlemagne, you get back $400 for every $100 you bet if your man wins.
The odds for the round propositions are self-explanatory. i.e. If you think Kid Charlemagne will win in the 7th round you will get paid at a rate of $23 for every $1 you bet.
The Will Go/Won’t Go, or Over/Under is 7 _, meaning if you believe that the fight will go longer than 7 1/2 rounds, you bet the over, laying $11 for every $10 you want to get back.
Most sportsbooks in Nevada list major fights and the odds for them for months prior to the match. Due to the fact that many of these fights are postponed for all sorts of reasons, the books often use disclaimers such as, "Fight must go in March," while others stipulate "Event must go on the announced date."
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