How To Bet on Boxing

There’s a lot more to boxing than what meets the eye. Every jab and uppercut brings one boxer closer to winning the fight and the other boxer closer to the mat. That’s where boxing bets come in. Betting on boxing involves more than choosing the winner, although you’ll certainly have a chance to do that, too.

Popular Types of Boxing Betting

Players can bet on any number of markets in boxing matches, including boxing moneylines, total rounds, and boxing prop bet.

Boxing moneylines

Bets on boxing moneylines place a wager on who’s going to win the fight. It doesn’t take the winning method into mind—just which boxer is the winner at the end of the match.

For example, if Boxer A is the favorite and Boxer B is the underdog, a moneyline bet chooses between the two as the predicted winner. Players can also bet on a three-way moneyline that includes a draw option.

Total rounds

This type of boxing betting places a wager on the number of rounds a player predicts a fight will include. A total rounds wager is typically an over/under bet, meaning you’re betting whether a fight will go over a particular length or not.

Standard boxing matches last 12 rounds, so players expecting a quick TKO may choose an under bet of 4.5 rounds or fewer (with half rounds being the 1:30 minute mark in a 3 minute round). If the fight is more evenly matched, players may opt for a higher over bet of eight or nine rounds.

Boxing prop bets

Boxing prop bets are special bets that add another level of interest to the betting experience. They’re not wagering on a winner—rather, they bet on specific events that may or may not occur within the match. Popular boxing prop bets include fight props and round props.

Fight props include:

• Go the distance - betting that the fight lasts its entire scheduled time and goes to judges’ decision
• Winning method - betting on how the fight will end (judges’ decision, KO, TKO, or draw)
• Point deduction - betting on if the referee deducts a point from one or both fighters

Common round props may feature:

• Round betting - betting which exact round the fight will end
• Round group betting - betting on a fighter to win the fight in a group of rounds. For example, if you choose a fighter to win in rounds 1-3, the fighter will need to win the fight in either rounds 1, 2 or 3.

Boxing Live Betting

Live betting in boxing involves making wagers in real-time, typically after the match has already begun. DraftKings Sportsbook allows players to place live bets to match the dynamics of the fight and any changes in expectations.

How Do You Read Boxing Odds?

Boxing odds read just like other sportsbook pages. Each match listed contains two fighters: the favorite (noted with a minus sign) and the underdog (noted with a plus sign). The minus sign indicates how large your bet needs to be in order to win $100, and the plus sign shows how much you would win if you bet $100 on the match.

For example, in a fight between Boxer A and Boxer B, the odds may look like this:

Boxer A is the favorite and Boxer B is the underdog. If a player bets $500 on Boxer A and he wins, the bet pays out $600 ($500 bet amount + $100 in winnings). But if a player bets $100 on Boxer B and he wins, the bet pays out $450 ($100 bet amount + $350 winnings).

Common Boxing Terms To Know

If you’re new to boxing in general, take a look at these terms that may pop up in your boxing betting journey.

• Blow-by-blow - a detailed description of a boxing match
• Bout - term for a boxing match
• Card - lineup of fights at a boxing event
• Challenger - a fighter who’s up against a champion or favorite
• Contender - a fighter in line for a championship title
• Dive - when a fighter purposely goes down
• Down and out - when a fighter stays down while a referee counts to 10
• Eight count - when a referee counts to eight to give a fighter a break (also known as a protection count)
• Flash knockdown - a very quick KO or fall that a fighter recovers from quickly
• Glass jaw - a player with a negative reputation for being easily knocked out
• Knockout (KO) - when a player cannot stand after being knocked down to the mat and the referee counts for ten seconds, ending the match
• No-decision - a fight that will not go on the records for a variety of reasons (also called a no-contest)
• Split decision - when the judges are split on the outcome of the fight
• Split decision draw - when the judges decide three different outcomes (one judge for one fighter, another judge for the other fighter, and the third judge for a draw)
• Technical draw - when the score is even when the fight ends early
• Technical knockout (TKO) - when a referee decides that a boxer cannot continue the fight for safety or rules-based reasons.

How To Bet on Boxing Fights With DraftKings

DraftKings Sportsbook makes it easy to bet on boxing fights. A clean, straightforward setup features both moneyline and total rounds bets, and changing tabs at the top brings players to fight specials, fight props, knockdowns, and round props—all of which include multiple filters and options for different types of boxing bets.

Track bets you’ve made in the My Bets Section, including open, settled, won, and lost bets. For more information on how to bet with DraftKings, take a look at our Sports Betting Overview.

Have Fun and Bet Responsibly

Once you’ve chosen the type of boxing bet you’d like to place, it’s time to choose your fighter and get started. But just like all sports betting, boxing bets should be placed responsibly.

Set a budget for yourself before placing a bet, and if you’re betting on live odds, determine a top limit that you won’t spend past. If you enjoy investing winnings into another bet, go ahead—but don’t spend more than you’re comfortable with.

For more tips on making responsible bets, check out our Guide to Responsible Gaming.