Boxing Betting Sites

Boxing is a sport of gentlemen. It is one of the oldest sports and records date its origins to 3,000 BCE. Prizefighters probably took part in some form of boxing even earlier than that. This means that people have been following the sport with huge interest for millennia and if you have seen a boxing bout, you probably know why. Boxing is as competitive as a sport can be and is very fun to watch too. Moreover, it comes in a format ideal for betting enthusiasts and boxing betting sites try hard to continue and improve that ancient wagering tradition to this day.

Betting on boxing started as early as the sport did. However, the earliest records of this taking place come from the 18th century. This puts boxing on par with horse racing betting when it comes to wagering tradition and history.

Betting on the sport exploded in popularity in the first half of the 20th century. The formation of the first legal bookmakers certainly helped here. As betting operators improved their boxing offer, the popularity of the sport among punters grew too. Needless to say, it is going just as strong these days.

Betting Options

Betting operators have boxing as one of their top sports to bet on. This means that they offer lots of fights to the boxing-seeking bettor. Punters can bet on both amateur and professional bouts at most bookmakers. What is more, all weight divisions are part of the betting offer and bettors can wager on both men’s and women’s fights.

The offer of betting markets for each individual fight is as varied as the offer of bouts. Punters can choose from tons of different propositions to complement the industry-standard fight winner market. These include propositions such as:

• method of victory,
• round betting,
• group round betting (1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12),
• total rounds (Over/Under),
• etc.

Each market here comes with certain advantages and disadvantages. For example, if you are looking for the original thrill of wagering on boxing, you should go with the fight winner market. This will provide maximum excitement while at the same time also result in decent winnings.

However, if you are after higher betting odds and riskier bets, round betting or method of victory will do the trick. These are more difficult to predict than the winner of the fight as there are more options to chose from.

In the victory method market, for example, punters can back one of the fighters to win by Knockout, Technical Knockout, Technical Decision or Disqualification. In contrast, if they feel the fight will go the distance, the same market enables them to back the ‘On Points’ option. Both of these outcomes come with higher boxing odds than fight winner and are perfect for experienced punters.

Best Boxing Betting Sites

Choosing the market with the best odds will be of little use if you wager at an inferior bookie. You might even find yourself with a winning bet, but the bookmaker might be reluctant to pay it out. That is why I always advise my readers to only place bets at the best boxing betting sites.

Now, what makes a betting site first-rate? Well, there are several things actually. As you know, I have reviewed quite a lot of bookmakers, and the best ones always meet similarly high criteria. Stay with me and find out what the best boxing betting sites have in common.

Bonuses & Promotions

Bonuses & promotions are crucial to any boxing betting experience. They make wagering on the sport more interesting and, most of the time, more lucrative.

There are several different types of bonuses and promotions that boxing enthusiasts can take advantage of.

Welcome Offers

The most rewarding ones are usually welcome bonus offers. These are most commonly matched deposit bonuses similar to the one below:

• 100% matched bonus on first deposits up to €100 (minimum qualifying deposit of €10 at minimum odds of 1.50, T&Cs apply, all rights reserved).

This welcome bonus stipulates that all punters who meet the conditions in the offer can get up to €100 in bonus funds to play with. Of course, bonuses such as these come with wagering requirements most of the time. Therefore make sure to check all bonus details and make it a habit to read the full terms and conditions.

The example bonus here, for instance, comes with a 4x times wagering requirement. This means that bonus funds have to be played through 4 times before players can withdraw winnings.

Cashout Offers

A decent boxing betting site will always enable players to cash out early. This option prevents losses from accumulating and guarantees moderate winnings to punters who are always close to getting bets right.

Let’s say you were backing Wilder to defeat Fury in the famous Unfinished Business fight. Many people said that Wilder was the complete boxer of the two so let’s say you followed their advice and backed the American.

However, as soon as the fight started, you probably realized that you had picked the wrong fighter. The first bout between the two might have been even, but this one definitely wasn’t.

Your sentiments were confirmed when Tyson floored Deontay in the third round. You knew that your only viable option at that time was to cash out. Fortunately for you, the betting operator was a decent one, so you took the cashout offer, and you were happy not to lose your entire stake.

However, if there hadn’t been a cashout promo at the site, you would have had to endure the agony for the entire length of the bout. What is more, you would have had to do this while knowing that your stake was as good as gone.

Loyalty Schemes

Loyalty programs reward loyal players. The more players wager and the higher the amounts they stake, the faster they will go up the loyalty ladder.

This is bad news for punters who jump from one betting site to another to benefit from welcome bonuses. Playing with new client bonuses certainly is a decent strategy but at the cost of missing out on loyalty points.

Enhanced Odds

If you are a wagering pro, enhanced boxing betting odds is something you frequently utilize. They are quite common today, and most half-decent betting sites offer them.

This is especially true if the fights you are looking at are top-rated International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Council (WBC) or World Boxing Organization (WBO) bouts. These are very popular around the world and are as well-known as football World Cups and famous eSports world championships.

Boxing events of this magnitude come with excellent boxing coverage and understandably with special boxing odds. The experienced punter will always capitalize on higher odds, and reputable betting sites will always offer them.

Security

Promotions and odds are not the be-all and end-all when choosing where to place your bet. There are many other factors which punters should take into consideration. In fact, seasoned betting pros will always prioritize safety and security above everything else.

Placing a bet at high boxing odds is enticing, but your financial data getting hacked certainly isn’t. I always say that 256-bit encryption should be the first filter any self-respecting punter uses when choosing a site.

Betting sites which use 256-bit encryption use the latest technology when it comes to scrambling and unscrambling data. This is essential if you want your private financial data to stay just that, private.

License

This is another key factor which betting sites must possess. A license from a reputable regulatory body such as the UK Gambling Commission or MGA is a must and is something which punters shouldn’t overlook. Going with a bookmaker which doesn’t have a valid license is similar to playing Russian roulette with a loaded gun. Something bad may happen sooner or later.

New Boxing Betting Sites

There are lots of new boxing betting sites which specialize in betting on boxing only. Their boxing offer is superior to regular bookmakers, but not by a lot. However, what these betting sites have got going for them is that they focus solely on the gentleman’s sport.

Placing a bet at one of these sites will prove to be a smart move most of the time. For example, if you decide to back Anthony Joshua to defeat Kubrat Pulev at a new boxing betting operator, you will get several perks. First of all, the odds will probably be higher. New betting providers try hard to be competitive, so they will usually work with lower margins. Lower margins obviously mean higher odds.

Another benefit of placing a bet with these sites is the overall boxing experience you would be getting. Specialized boxing wagering operators frequently beef up their betting offer with topical news, previews, tips and videos. This means that you are not only placing a bet on Joshua to win, but you are also partaking in a wholesome boxing wagering experience.

Finally, when betting with specialized boxing betting providers, you usually get more markets for the same fight. Betting providers are notorious for offering quite uniform boxing betting propositions. However, a specialized boxing operator will try to include a few special bets to make things more interesting. A knockout exact special or a knockout over/under bet are two good examples of markets of this type.

In case you are wondering, in an exact knockout special, punters are betting on the exact number of knockouts in a fight. In the knockout over/under market, on the other hand, bettors predict whether the total number of knockouts will be higher or lower than a predetermined number.

Live Betting & Live Streaming

A top-notch betting operator must have a live betting offer on boxing. Being able to safeguard your original bet or to change it as the fight unfolds is crucial when it comes to increasing winnings. The best boxing providers will have an excellent live betting section which will have as many markets as their regular pre-fight offer.

To complement in-play betting selections, betting sites will also enable clients to live streaming options. These may not be available for all fights due to the Pay-Per-View system boxing utilizes. However, reputable betting operators will stream most fights once you place a bet on them, and that is of great help for the seasoned punter.

Boxing Betting on Mobile

The final thing that a decent operator must-do for punters is to enable boxing betting on mobile devices. The best boxing providers have top-notch mobile apps available for both Android and iOS devices. Anything other than this is sub-optimal if you ask me. In fact, most of the apps I have reviewed are compatible with all devices in use today. Producing an app which isn’t or not offering an app at all is a clear sign of a lazy betting provider.

The top boxing apps have several functions, but chief among them is making betting much more practical. It is much easier to place a bet using an app than a desktop version of the site these days.

This is because apps automatically streamline the betting offer so that it fits a smaller screen. This, in turn, means that apps layout all boxing events clearly and that simplifies things greatly for the punter on the go.

Conclusion

Punters looking to make that perfect boxing bet should look for several things. First, they should locate the sites with the best boxing betting odds and bonuses. Secondly, they should check that these operators are all secure. In addition, having a valid license is also important in this regard.

A specialized boxing provider can take the betting experience to a new level so whenever possible bettors should go with them. Finally, an app can have a similar effect and punters should always pick a wagering operator which has a decent one.

References

1. https://www.ibf-usba-boxing.com/index.php/about/what-we-do
2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1012690216680602
3. https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-vision/world-boxing-association-vision#.X_RSQjRxeUk

FAQ