How to bet on boxing online

By Simon Head

Boxing is experiencing a huge boom in popularity, with growing numbers of fans, TV viewers and sports bettors looking to get involved in the action on fight night. The sport has never been more lucrative for its fighters, and with a plethora of big-time events being held across the globe, from Las Vegas to London to Riyadh, there have never been more opportunities to bet on world-class boxing.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to bet on boxing online, from setting up a betting account to understanding the different types of boxing bets on offer, to betting on the action itself, including how to bet on a boxing match during the fight. 

Different types of bets in boxing

There are several different ways to bet on the sport of boxing, from simply picking the winner of a fight to digging a bit deeper to predict when a fight will finish. Here are the main types of boxing bet you’ll encounter when you look to bet on boxing online:

Outright winner betting

Sometimes this market is even more clearly labelled, called 'To win the fight,' or similar. With outright winner betting you simply have to decide on which boxer you think will win the fight. The odds for that fighter will determine how much you get in return if your chosen fighter wins the match.

Round betting

Round betting gives you the chance to claim bigger winnings by correctly predicting the round in which a given fight will finish. Due to the more specific nature of the bet, longer odds are generally available, meaning that successful bets produce larger returns as a result. Sometimes, bookmakers offer the chance to bet on a fight winning within a range of rounds, e.g. 1-4, 5-8. 9-12.

Fight outcome

The fight outcome offers the chance to bet on how a fighter will win a given bout. This could be via knockout, technical knockout or disqualification (these are generally bundled together for betting purposes), or by decision. You can also bet on a fight being a draw, but these are rare occurrences, so they usually offer huge odds due to the improbability of a draw occurring.

Over/under

If you want to get a little more specific than just predicting the winner, but don’t want to predict a specific round, the over/under market could be perfect for you. The bookmaker will set an over/under mark, in rounds, and you can decide whether you think the fight will finish before (under) or after (over) that mark.

For example, if a fight has an over/under of 7.5 rounds and you bet the over, you will need the fight to be stopped after the 1:30 mark in the seventh round in order for your bet to be a winner. Conversely, a winning under bet would see the fight stopped before 1:30 in Round 7.

In-play betting on boxing

If you break it down, a 12-round world title fight is effectively 12 three-minute mini-fights, each scored individually, and only added up in the event of the fight concluding without a stoppage. The nature of a fight lends itself perfectly to in-play betting.

When betting on boxing in play, a sports betting site will offer live, constantly changing odds on the fighters involved, and you can place bets on them as the fight is taking place. If your chosen fighter has had a bad round or two, and the odds swing in favour of their opponent, you may want to take advantage of the higher odds and back your fighter to come back to win, and earn you a big payday as a result. Or, if a fight looks like a foregone conclusion, you may decide to back the favourite with a reasonable degree of confidence that the bout will go their way.

Fights can turn on their head with just one punch, so there’s always a degree of nervousness and excitement when betting on boxing, and the thrill of backing a fighter during the action can make an already entertaining fight even more thrilling.

How to read boxing odds

Boxing odds can appear in one of three different formats, fractional, decimal, or American. Here’s a quick guide to each:

Fractional

As the name suggests, these odds are shown as a fraction, with the first number denoting how much you will win against the second number, which is the stake.

For example, if a boxer was 4/1 to win a fight in the third round, that would mean that a winning bet would see you win £4 for every £1 you stake. So, a winning £10 pound bet would see you get £50 in return – 4 x £10 in winnings, plus your returned £10 stake = £50.

Decimal

These odds are shown in decimal numeric format, and show the return you will get for a £1.00 stake. 

Using the same example above, but in decimal format, the odds would be shown as 5.00. So 5.00 x your £10 stake would return £50 in total.

American

These odds work differently, with a numeric value, prefixed with either a plus (to denote the underdog) or a minus (to denote the favourite). Minus odds illustrate how much money you would have to stake to win £100, while plus odds illustrate how much you can win with a bet of £100.

Using the same example, the American odds on this particular boxer would be +400. So a £10 bet at these odds would win £40, plus your £10 stake money = £50.

Implied Probabilities

Implied Probability is a conversion of betting odds into a percentage. It takes into consideration the bookmaker's margin to inform the expected probability of an outcome occurring. For example, a 10/1 bet, would look like +1000 in American odds and a 9.1% implied percentage. 

Most popular boxing events to bet on

The UK is considered by many to be the epicentre of the boxing world, with two of the most respected boxing promotions operating out of England. Queensberry Promotions is run by Hall of Fame boxing promoter Frank Warren, while Matchroom Boxing is headed by Eddie Hearn. The two promotions used to be heated rivals, but in 2023 and 2024 the two organisations have worked together to stage some of the biggest events in boxing history.

The most popular weight class to watch is undoubtedly heavyweight. The mystique around boxing’s heavyweight champion of the world lives on to this day, despite the proliferation of different sanctioning bodies and championship belts. 

The biggest bouts tend to feature world champions going head to head, either with two champions from the same division looking to unify their titles, or one champion switching weight classes in a bid to become a two-division world champion.

Women’s boxing has started to grow in popularity, with the likes of Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano and Skye Nicolson leading the way as the most popular female fighters in the sport.

This broke new ground in 2022 when Claressa Shields faced Savannah Marshall became the most watched women’s professional boxing event with over two million viewers tuning in. 

Step-by-step guide to setting up a sports betting account, selecting a bet, and placing it

Now you know about boxing, and the different bets available, how do you bet on boxing? In short, it’s easy. Check this simple step-by-step guide and you’ll be up and running in no time.

Create an account

If you haven’t already, create an account with your chosen bookmaker. Do your homework first to ensure the site you choose is reputable and offers the sports and markets you would like to bet on.

Deposit funds

Once your account is set up, the next step is to deposit funds into your account. This will require details of your bank card, plus some additional personal ID information. 

Choose your bet

Head to the boxing section of the site, find the fight you want to bet on, and choose the market you’d like to bet.

Place your bet

Once you’ve found the selection you want to bet on, add it to your online betslip and select the amount you would like to bet on that outcome. Double-check your betslip to make sure the amount entered is correct, then hit the submit bet button to place your bet.

Boxing betting strategies: Key tips

Do your research

You shouldn’t ever bet when you don’t have enough information to have a strong opinion on the outcome of an event. That means you should always do your research before placing your boxing bets. Check the form of both fighters and look through both fighters’ records for common past opponents.

Also be on the lookout for red-flag factors, such as fighters coming off knockout losses, fighters who are making very quick turnarounds, and fighters who have a history of struggling to make weight in the division they are set to compete in. 

Shop around for the best odds

While most betting sites tend to offer similar views in terms of who they think will win specific fights, there are often differences in the odds from bookmaker to bookmaker. 

With that in mind, it always pays to have a shortlist of reputable bookmakers, with accounts set up for each, so you can shop around and bet with the site that offers you the biggest payout for your chosen bet.

Look out for bonuses

In addition to the best odds, sports betting sites often run promotions and bonuses around big sporting events to encourage more betting activity. So, in the same way, we suggested shopping around for the best odds, it’s also well worth checking your shortlist of reputable betting sites to see if any are offering offers around your chosen event or fight. You might be able to get your bet on, and bank a free bonus in the process.

Only bet what you can afford to lose

You’ll see this advice throughout our website because it’s the most important advice to offer anyone betting or gambling in any scenario. Only stake money you’re comfortable to lose because not every bet will be a winner. If your default position is recognising that you may not win a penny, then everything you do win will be a bonus, and you’ll stay on the right side of your gambling. And, in the same vein, never bet with emotion, and never chase your losses. 

Key boxing betting terms

Responsible gambling

Whenever you are gambling, it’s always important to do so responsibly, and that means being aware of your activity, and setting limits to ensure that you stay in control of your betting. Online betting websites offer a wide range of responsible gambling tools that are designed to help you bet responsibly. These can include deposit limits, time limits, time-out features and more. Don’t forget, you must be 18 years of age to bet in the UK.

Check out our Responsible Gambling guide for more information about how you can ensure you stay in control of your betting with the use of best practices and responsible gambling tools.

FAQs

What does ‘round betting’ mean in boxing?

Round betting refers to bets where you can back a fight to finish in a specific round. These are popular bets in boxing, as they offer greater value, and larger payouts, then standard bout bets.

What is an ‘over/under’ bet in boxing?

An over/under bet sees the bookmaker select when they think a fight will finish, and the bettor can opt to bet on the fight finishing before (under) or after (over) that mark.

How does ‘method of victory’ betting work in boxing? Can I bet on a draw in a boxing fight?

A method of victory bet allows you the option of betting on a fighter to win by decision, or by KO/TKO/disqualification. And yes, you can bet on a draw in a boxing fight. They don’t happen often, but when they do, those brave fans who bet on it often celebrate huge wins due to the long odds on draws happening.

Can I bet on amateur boxing matches?

Sometimes, yes. Bookmakers tend to stick to the big professional boxing fights, but if a given amateur bout attracts enough interest, some bookmakers may offer odds on an amateur fight.

For better or for worse, the YouTube scene has immersed itself in amateur boxing in recent years. This includes the rise of Misfits Boxing by English YouTuber KSI as well as both Logan and Jake Paul, which has brought a brand new audience to the sport. 

How are boxing odds set by bookmakers? 

Bookmakers have teams of experts, called traders, who are specialists in specific sports. Every big sports betting site has boxing traders who are deeply entrenched in the form and statistics of boxing, and are responsible for setting the odds for each fight to attract betting interest and, ultimately, try to ensure that the bookie wins, regardless of whose hand is raised on fight night.