Sites To Bet On Boxing
Boxing Props – These are various proposition bets where you can bet on the method of victory (KO, TKO, DQ, Decision, etc.), pick the round in which the fight will end (aka “round betting”), pick from a series of rounds in which the fight will end (“round group betting”), bet on whether or not the bout will go the distance, and more. Boxing Props – These are various proposition bets where you can bet on the method of victory (KO, TKO, DQ, Decision, etc.), pick the round in which the fight will end (aka “round betting”), pick from a series of rounds in which the fight will end (“round group betting”), bet on whether or not the bout will go the distance, and more.
Boxing has always been popular and exciting, offering thrills rarely seen in any other sport. It has been with us for a very long time, and it has been quite popular lately in Canada and the United States.
And where there’s an exciting sport, there’s betting. The same is true for boxing betting, which is why we wanted to cover this type of sports betting.
So, if you want to start betting on boxing in Canada, you’re in the right place. We’ll give you several of the very best betting sites for boxing, as well explanations about the bets you can place, the competitions to bet on, some tips and strategies to become a better boxing bettor, and much more. Let’s begin.
Recommended Canadian Sports Betting Sites For Boxing
To give you the best possible experience placing bets on boxing, we’ve prepared a substantial list of the leading boxing betting sites for Canadian players.
To guarantee you get an unsurpassed betting experience when placing a Boxing bet, then we suggest you stick to placing wagers at any of our showcased betting sites below, each one will let you place wagers in CAD. These sites also have diverse betting markets, compelling bonuses, and an overall fantastic betting experience.
We’ll explain how we created this list in the next couple of paragraphs, but for now, here’s the list itself:
CAD 250 | 5/5 |
2 | CAD 200 |
CAD 200 | 4.9/5 |
4 | CAD 500 |
CAD 2500 | 4.9/5 |
6 | CAD 125 |
CAD 200 | 4.8/5 |
8 | CAD 200 |
CAD 500 | 4/5 |
10 | CAD 2500 |
CAD 250 | 4.5/5 |
We do of course keep our website as up to date as possible in regards to the currently offered free bet bonuses offered from all of our betting sites, however occasionally a bonus free bet offer will change before we have time to update our website. So please double check the above offers are still valid by visiting the website of the respective betting site whose free bet offer is of interest to you!
How We Chose the Top Boxing Betting Sites for Canadian Players
Choosing the top betting sites for our Canadian audience was a thorough process involving many betting experts and gambling enthusiasts. We only want the best possible experience for our readers, which is why we made sure to check every crucial feature of each of the sites we reviewed.
Keep reading to learn every important detail we checked and why the sites we recommend are the top boxing betting sites in Canada.
Safety and Legality
The licences these sites hold were the first thing we had to check. As sports betting in Canada is still not fully legal due to many outdated and unclear laws, most of these sites have licences from other countries’ regulatory bodies.However, we’ve made sure to choose only the sites with licences from notable regulatory bodies that are well-respected in the online gambling world. This includes licences from the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and others.
Besides licences, we’ve made sure that the sites are checked by third party auditors and hold adequate security measures. Most notably, each betting site has to have top-notch SSL encryption as it ensures the safety of all transactions on the platform and thus keeps the money you deposit safe and secure.
Betting Markets
Naturally, betting markets are the most important part of any sportsbook. That’s why we’ve made sure to choose sites with a large number of markets available, both the common and the less common ones.This means that no matter which site you choose, you’ll be able to place a wide variety of different bets on all the notable matches and competitions. So, expect bets like ‘round bets,’ ‘method of victory,’ ‘will the fight go the distance,’ and many others.
Naturally, you can expect live betting to be available as well.
Competitive Odds
As odds matter greatly in sports betting and tend to vary slightly (but enough to make a difference to your wallet), we’ve made sure to include only sites with the most competitive odds.Naturally, the odds can change over time, so you must keep track of them. We’ll make sure to update our list if a sportsbook starts offering worse odds than it did in the past.
Bonuses and Promotions
Bonuses are a huge part of any sportsbook today. Sports betting sites go above and beyond to beat the competition by offering a wide selection of bonuses and other promotions that can significantly benefit a bettor who knows how to find and use the best ones.Naturally, we wanted to make the process easier for you, which is why we only recommended sites that have a great selection of truly rewarding bonuses. You’ll be able to claim a wide variety of welcome deposit bonuses, free bet offers, reload bonuses, and some no deposit bonuses as well.
Also, let’s not forget that most of these sites have loyalty programs as well, so you’ll be able to claim more impressive prizes the more you bet.
Betting Platform Design and Functionality
The design of the betting platform itself might not have been considered important in the past. Still, in an age when every person can visit any site in barely a second from any device, we believe it’s vital that the site looks and functions well.That’s why we’ve made sure to include only sportsbooks with great site designs and excellent functionality, so you can easily place bets at any time. This is especially true for live betting, as every second is crucial.
Mobile Betting
Besides site design and functionality, mobile betting is also important. Every player should be able to place bets on boxing matches on the go, via their iOS or Android smartphone.That’s why the sites we recommend all have excellent mobile-friendly sites or even their own apps. Unfortunately, the latter is rare at the moment, as most sportsbooks focus on offering a well-designed mobile site, not a dedicated downloadable app. However, this might change in the future, and we might add more sites to this list, so keep checking periodically.
Customer Service
Customer service is vital in online gambling. That’s why the sites on our list include robust customer support features, including several methods of reaching out to agents, dedicated teams, and informative Help and FAQ sections.As for the contact methods, all of the sportsbooks on our list have a 24/7 live chat feature, where you can reach out to an agent in English whenever you want to. You’ll also typically find other contact methods like email and telephone numbers for Canadians.
Payment Methods
Players tend to forget to check which payment methods are available on a sports betting site and often end up without the option they typically use. That’s why we’ve made sure to include only sportsbooks that offer the most popular banking options Canadian players use.For that reason, you’ll usually get a chance to make deposits and withdrawals via Visa, Mastercard, and Maestro credit cards, bank transfers, Interac, Neteller, PayPal, Skrill, and others. Cryptocurrency lovers will be glad to see that most sites also cover Bitcoin and sometimes other coins like Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin.
Is Betting on Boxing in Canada Legal?
Unlike the US, sports betting in Canada is legal, but it has to be on a site operated within the country or specific Canadian province. Also, it needs to have a licence from the federal government.
Unfortunately, it’s not always as simple as that, as Canada has many outdated gambling laws that don’t cover online sports betting well. For that reason, Canadians typically bet in international sportsbooks. This practice is perfectly safe as the law has never prosecuted anyone for placing sports bets in offshore online sportsbooks.
Boxing in Canada
Boxing is one of the most popular sports and generates a significant amount of interest in the United States and Canada as some of the best fighters in the game have come from these two countries.
If you like to focus mostly on Canadian boxers, you’ll be glad to know that there are many fights here as well. The Canadian Professional Boxing Council (CPBC) controls boxing in Canada, but there is also the National Championship of Canada (NCC). The two bodies have been battling it out on who’s the main boxing regulatory body in Canada, but ever since 2016, the CPBC is the more active body overall.
Boxing across the world is governed by a number of regulatory bodies including the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council and the International Boxing Federation.
One of the best Canadian boxers of all time is Lennox Lewis who represented Canada in the 1988 Olympics and won gold. Lewis was also the undisputed heavyweight champion.
As for notable boxers that you’re likely to bet on, there are a couple you should know about if you’re still new to the sport:
- Adam Braidwood (One-Time WBU Heavyweight Champion)
- Ryan Ford (One-Time UBO World Light Heavyweight Champion and WBC International Silver Light Heavyweight Champion)
- Jean Pascal (holder of the WBA light-heavyweight title since October 2019)
- Bermane Stiverne (holder of the WBC heavyweight title in 2014 and 2015)
- Samuel Vargas (One-Time NCC Welterweight Champion)
- Donovan Ruddock (Two Time Canada heavyweight)
- Arturo Gatti (world champion in two weight classes)
Top Betting Sports
Canada Betting: Boxing
There is a niche market in Canada who love boxing and are always looking to place boxing bets. They use some of the reputed online betting websites in Canada such as 888Sport, Paddy Power, William Hill and Betfair to place their wagers. These online websites offer a number of different bets including eventual winner, method of victory, winning markets that cover rounds won and points scored.
Betting on boxing is exciting as the outcome is unpredictable as anything can happen on the day and in the ring. Boxing matches have 3 minute rounds with a 1 minute rest in between rounds. The fight can be won via a knock-out, stoppage, disqualification or on points. Three judges score each round and if the fight goes the distance, their scores are totaled and the eventual winner is decided.
Canadian players who want to bet on boxing can visit the online poker website or mobile app of any of the reputed sports betting websites we listed above, click on boxing and then see the list of matches that are featured. They can look at the odds and quickly determine who the favorite is and who the underdog is. The return is always higher on the underdog which is one of the reasons why many bettors take the risk as the payout looks greater. These online betting websites cover boxing matches taking place all over the world as well as in Canada.
Match Fixing: Boxing is yet another sport that has been shrouded under the cloud of match fixing as both amateur and professional fights can get influenced by outside parties who bribe, threaten and manipulate boxers to throw matches, take dives, put in a below par performance and even pay the judges to score the fight the way they want it to go. This enables illegal betting syndicates to determine the outcome prior to the match and win a lot of money on illegal boxing bets.
There are plenty of Boxing events run throughout the year on an ongoing basis, and as such with events organised and controlled by such organisations at the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council as well as both the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization then you are never short of wagering opportunities!
Top Basketball Betting Events
Boxing is a big and popular sport, with events held worldwide, which can be a good thing for a potential boxing bettor like yourself.
If you have a passion for the sport of Boxing, then you will now that throughout the year there is some major one off bouts, and also a range of tournament styled boxing matches that run throughout the year.
Should you be interested in placing any form of boxing wager on any up and coming bout, then you can do just that at many of our featured Canadian customer friendly betting sites listed below, and remember the art to securing the best odds is to shop around as each betting site will offer different odds based on the level of money they have had placed on any part of a betting market!
The main thing you need to know about the major competitions you’ll want to follow and bet on is that four organizations sanction boxing matches throughout the globe. These are:
- The World Boxing Association (WBA)
- World Boxing Council (WBC)
- International Boxing Federation (IBF)
- World Boxing Organization (WBO)
Fox Bet Boxing
Now, most betting sites we recommend cover matches organized by these four, but you’ll also often see fights sanctioned by other global boxing organizations, amateur organizations, colleges, and regional institutions.
All in all, there are plenty of fights happening worldwide at any time, so you’ll rarely get bored or have nothing to bet on. On top of that, boxing is an Olympic sport, so you can expect to bet on many matches every four years.
Bear in mind that heavyweight boxing is usually in the spotlight in boxing sportsbooks as this is the most popular weight class in the world of boxing. However, you can still expect matches from all other weight classes to get coverage in most cases.
Types of Boxing Bets
If you are prepared to take a long term view in regards to placing your Boxing related wagers, then you can often secure some better payout odds, as most online betting sites offer Ante Post wagers as they are known which can be placed weeks or months in advance of any Boxing match starting.
So if you want and wish to place a wager well in advance then make sure you do so as the odds are often way higher than those offered in the run up to a Boxing fixture. To give you some ideas of the types of wagers you can place on a Boxing match, we have listed some of the most common and not so common betting opportunities below for you.
Boxing Match Betting
Should just one of the boxers take your eye then it will be the Match Betting opportunities that interest you, all you need to do is pick the boxer who you think is going to win any one match and if correct you will be rewarded with a winning payout.
Outright Winner/Moneyline
Bet On Fights
The most popular bet in any sport is always the moneyline bet, or the outright winner bet in boxing. The bet is simple, and it allows you to bet on the winner of the fight. However, the odds vary greatly, as they mostly depend on the discrepancies between the two fighters.
Odds on favourites are typically relatively low, but the underdogs can carry incredibly high potential payouts. It’s worth searching for potential upsets, especially if you are a big fan of the sport.
Method of Victory
Method of victory bets can be a great way to sweeten the pot if you want to bet on more than just the fight winner. That’s because these bets require you to choose the winner and the method by which they’ll win the fight. There are typically three ways for a boxer to win the match, by knockout, disqualification or decision, so you get to choose between these three.
In essence, these bets tend to have higher odds as you’re required to predict two things, but don’t expect extreme odds as there aren’t many possible outcomes in a boxing match, so there aren’t too many combinations available.
Over/Under Betting
Over/under bets are very common across the board, and in boxing, they allow you to bet on whether the total number of rounds in a fight will go above a specific number or stay below it. This is a popular bet as many fights rarely end up lasting all 12 rounds, and the number of rounds a match will last is anyone’s guess.
In most cases, the sportsbook offers several options and provides the odds for over or under bets, and all you have to do is choose what you believe is the most likely outcome.
Draw
This is a very rare bet, and some sportsbooks don’t even cover it, as draws are relatively rare in boxing. However, they are possible, and if you’re expecting a tie, you can place this bet.
Successfully betting on a draw can yield you a fortune, as the odds on this bet are usually incredibly high.
Round Betting
Round bets are some of the most exciting bets you can place in boxing, as they require you to predict the round in which the match will end as well as the winning fighter. These bets are challenging but incredibly exciting and great for players with enough experience and knowledge of the sport.
Will the Fight go the Distance
You can also wager on whether you think any single boxing match is going to go to the final round, whilst the odds for this wager are not usually very generous, there can of course be only two sides to this type of wager, those being a yes or no!
Parlay
A parlay bet is a bit complicated but can end up being incredibly rewarding. Namely, you have to bet on several matches on the same betting slip. It’s similar to a typical moneyline bet, with the difference being that you need to guess the winners of multiple matches. That’s why the parlay bet is often called a combo or accumulator bet.
If you’ve ever placed bets on soccer, you’re probably familiar with these bets as most players tend to bet on several matches on a single slip.
Sites To Bet On Boxing Knockouts
Prop Betting
Prop betting exists in every sport and on most sportsbooks. It essentially involves special bets or propositions that the betting site comes up with. In boxing, these often include bets on who will win by knockout, if the referee will end the match in a particular way, etc.
Bet On Boxing Online
In essence, a prop bet can be practically anything that can occur in a fight. They can even consist of multiple prop bets, making the outcome highly unlikely, but the odds astronomical. We don’t recommend prop bets to players who are not big fans of boxing, as the outcomes are tough to predict without a lot of knowledge of the sport.
Types of Bonuses for Boxing Betting
The bonuses you get for betting on boxing are pretty much the same as any other sport, apart from an occasional special offer that a sportsbook might offer specifically for boxing, usually focused on a major event.
Now, let’s take a quick look at the leading types of bonuses you’ll want to seek on boxing sportsbooks.
First Deposit Match Bonuses (Welcome Bonuses)
This is the typical welcome bonus that most sportsbooks offer. It works in a simple manner — you need to make your first deposit, and the site will match your offer, i.e. give you a certain amount of bonus money. For instance, you can get a 100% match bonus for up to $300, which means that if you deposit $100 and claim the bonus, the site will give you a total of $200.
However, you will have to meet the wagering requirements set for that bonus if you want to make a withdrawal later. This is the case with most bonus types.
Reload Bonuses
These bonuses usually have the same format as the previously-explained welcome bonuses, with the only difference being that these target existing members of the site. They are also generally smaller and tend to repeat over a specific period.
No Deposit Bonuses
No deposit bonuses are rare gems in the online gambling world. They offer a specific amount of money just for registering at a site. Naturally, they come with terms and conditions, but that can’t change the fact that you get betting cash for free. No deposit bonuses are usually small and don’t yield much in terms of winnings, but they can still be worthwhile.
Free Bets
Free bets are standard in many online sportsbooks. They require the player to deposit money and place a particular wager. Then the site sends the player a specific amount of money once the bet is settled. Free bets are usually minimal, below $50, but still useful as you are rarely required to bet a lot.
Money-Back Promotions
These bonuses are fairly self-explanatory. Sportsbooks typically offer them to new players, and they promise the return of the initial stake if the bet ends up being unsuccessful. The percentage of the stake you can get back and the number of bets this bonus covers vary significantly from site to site. However, one thing is almost always the same — you won’t be able to withdraw the money you get from this bonus; you’ll have to use it on betting.
Referral Bonuses
It’s simple — if you get a person to join and deposit money in the sportsbook, you’ll get a specific amount of money in return. Referral bonuses might differ slightly from sportsbook to sportsbook, but the gist is usually the same, just as it is with referral systems on all sites with referral programs. This makes the bonuses easy to understand and use.
Tips and Strategies to Use for Betting on Boxing
Every player needs help to become a better bettor. With that in mind, here are a few tips and strategies you can use to make a more significant profit from boxing betting:
- Familiarize yourself with the sport. Do the research. The more knowledge you gain, the better you’ll become at making accurate predictions.
- Follow the odds, not your personal boxer preferences. So, even if you want to bet on your favourite boxer to win, you shouldn’t unless the odds are in their favour.
- Don’t bet with emotions, but pure logic. This is the only way to make a profit in the long run.
- Create and respect your bankroll. It should always account for a tiny percentage of your monthly earnings, and once you spend that money, you need to stop until the next month. Never go over your bankroll, as that’s a slippery slope toward gambling problems.
- Follow the sport and the fights. You can’t become a successful boxing bettor unless you’re an avid follower of boxing matches, championships, and boxing-related news.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it — everything you need to know about the leading boxing betting sites in Canada and other crucial information that will help you become better at betting on this exciting sport.
All that’s left for you to do is join one of the sites we recommend, make a deposit, and start placing bets! But remember, always gamble responsibly, and you’ll keep having fun without spending too much.
FAQ
The only thing worth noting is that bets are void when a boxer is substituted, and that round bets are invalid when the number of rounds changes before a fight. However, this is not overly important as your stake will always be returned to you if you’re betting on a reputable boxing betting site.
On the other hand, if you’re more experienced, you can place any of the bets we described in this guide.
When choosing which fighter to pick, you would need to consider more than just your personal hunch. One of the most common factors Canadian bettors consider is the current form. However, this is not always relevant as boxing can also be won by controversial technical decisions. This is why judges are yet another factor you should keep in mind, especially when they have a history of debatable calls.Another thing you should definitely keep in mind is the fighting style of your boxer. Flamboyant and aggressive boxers don’t always win the game, despite their popularity, but those with discipline and defense always do well.
When it comes to betting on boxing, there aren’t many particular rules you should keep an eye out for. In general, the same rules apply across multiple betting sites, with only a number of them worth noting.The key rules you should lookout for is the ones rule stating all bets to be void if a boxer is substituted or round bets to be void in the case of changes to the number of rounds before the fight. You should also note that any appeals or subsequent decisions will not be counted towards the bet with all betting sites.
One of the simplest bets to make is the match bet, but this is also the least profitable in the long run. Namely, when betting on match bets, if you bet on favorites you’ll only get small returns of, let’s say 33$ to a 100$ bet, and this is only if the favorite wins. On the other hand, should the underdog win, you’ll likelier to enjoy bigger returns.Another profitable bet is the method of victory, especially if you keep track of boxers’ stats. On the other hand, special bets like a knockdown in a specific round are very difficult to predict, and so are under/over rounds, which can often be less profitable.
However, with round betting, all bookmakers will consider the round to last until the next round begins. This means that any disqualifications or boxer withdrawals prior to round start will be considered as in the previous round. So, keep this in mind before you go for round bets.
The following online betting sites have been chosen as the best places to bet on boxing, based on the promotions, markets and odds they offer. All of the sites offer a free bet which can be used to bet on boxing matches.
Boxing Betting Guide
Boxing has a rich history when it comes to betting and some of the biggest wagers in the world have come from a series of boxing matches. With the sport being heavily tied to betting it’s no surprise that a range of top bookmakers offer a host of comprehensive markets. Granted the sport doesn’t run as often as your football or tennis betting markets, but when big fights are in town then the betting markets really come alive.
Unlike a lot of sports there isn’t really a highlight of the boxing calendar, more big fights over a series of weight divisions. This keeps the markets relatively fresh and also offers punters a good variety of matches to bet on. The real money comes in for the likes of Haye, Mayweather, Pacquiao and the Klitschko brothers, where it’s not uncommon to see tens of millions of pounds traded on each of their fights alone.
How To Bet On Boxing
The availability of boxing betting markets at bookmakers these days really puts the punter in the driving seat. This is because as there is so much choice with the boxing markets as you can shop around for best odds, free bets and boxing promotions they might be running.
Boxing is a sport where you can really get your teeth stuck into some of the lesser known markets. Obviously it has its main players like the outright winner market, but we have looked at a few more markets below that you can sink your teeth into.
- Overall Result – You can bet on the outcome of the match. Remember that boxing matches can end in a draw so make sure this is factored into your prediction or bet.
- Total Rounds – Betting on the total number of rounds the fight will last for will usually result in you having to pick the over or under on a line set by the bookmaker.
- Round Betting – Round betting allows you to choose which round you think a fighter will win in. In this market you can also choose if you think they will win by decision, technical decision or draw.
- Round Group Betting – Here you can choose a group of rounds in which you think one player will win in. You first need to select the correct winner and then a group of 3 rounds are usually on offer for 12 round matches. The decision, technical decision and points are one again on offer in this market.
- Fight Outcome – You can select the outcome of the fight for each boxer. Often you will get more than one option in this category such as KO, TKO or decision.
Boxing Betting Rules
Betting on boxing can be pretty complicated stuff. Things such as the timing of knockouts or even some of the decisions and how a player was beaten can all be up for dispute. Fighters are often known for pulling out of fights just before a bout, which obviously has an effect on the betting markets. Let’s look over some of the industry standard boxing betting rules.
- If a boxer is replaced for a fight then all bets on the previous boxer will become void and stakes returned.
- If the boxer postpones a fight then all bets will be returned unless the fight is held within 1 week of the scheduled date of the match.
- The official result by the International Boxing Organisation stands and all bet will be paid out according to this.
Free Boxing Sites
Weight Classes
Boxing is made up of many different weight classes, which is the reason why the sport is so accessible and why people of all different shapes and sizes are able to fight and carve out successful careers; fighters take on people in the same weight class.
From a betting perspective, targeting your weight class for each fight is very important. The extreme differences from light flyweight, the lightest weight class in the sport at just 49kg; compared with the heavyweight divisions, where you often find fighters of 18 stone plus, is going to be huge.
What you’re going to find is that the lighter boxers often have more technical fights. They are more inclined to go the distance and knockouts are few and far between. The reason being is that often they just don’t have the power to knock someone out. Now, this is a bit of a sweeping statement and not true for every fighter, but compared to the likes of cruiserweight and heavyweight fights, the knockout percentage will be much lower.
Just because they are lacking in knockouts though, doesn’t mean that they are not good fights. They are, but are different to what many people wrongly associate with boxing – two huge guys slugging it out until one is KO’d. For these types of fights, you need to be a little more creative with your betting and look at fighters winning on points, or if you do venture into the knockout market then the latter rounds are probably going to work out best for you.
As you move through the divisions the switch from speed to power starts to become apparent. Fighters from the middleweight category and upwards are much stronger and heavier, weighing 20 stone+ in some cases, and with it they are much more dynamic. These fights offer a huge range of match ups, from people who are quick, explosive and dynamic; to those that have strong chins (harder to knockout) and are slightly sluggish but incredibly powerful.
Again, for these fight types you will need to alter your betting patterns. As you get to the heavier weights, people tend not to have as much stamina, so lasting 12 rounds is going to be tough. Early knockouts are much more frequent the higher the weight class, and with this in mind you should lean more towards these types of betting markets, rather than points based victories or even late stoppages.
Bookmaker Sponsorship Deals
Like most sports these days, bookmakers are keen to cash in on lucrative air time and in return gain exposure for their brand. Boxing is no different.
However, the types of deals that are thrashed out are often a little different to, say, that of football. As boxing is an individual sport, the bookies are associated with the boxers themselves, and you will often see different bookmakers in association with each individual fight.
Not unlike football, most of the higher profile boxers have some sort of ‘betting partner’; for example Anthony Joshua – the current Heavyweight Champion – is associated with Dafabet. Whilst Dafabet aren’t particularly big in the UK (although they do sponsor Sunderland AFC) the global appeal that Joshua brings these days is more than enough to make a deal like this lucrative for both parties.
One of the most interesting and bizarre sponsorship deals in recent years has to have come from the Floyd Mayweather v Connor McGregor fight. It will come as little surprise to hear that Paddy Power were behind the shenanigans, as Mayweather turned up in their now infamous (largely down to Nicklas Bendtner) green boxer shorts at the official weigh in.
The boxer shorts apparently cost Paddy Power £3,000 to make and were designed to Mayweather’s exact specifications; but it was Paddy Power actually going against one of their own in Irishman Connor McGregor that surprised most boxing fans.
However, it later turned out that several years earlier McGregor had turned down a sponsorship deal with Paddy Power in favour of Irish rivals, BoyleSports. Obviously, this beef had failed to subside, resulting in the green pants with the slogan ‘Always Bet on Black’.
As part of the deal, 48 hours before the fight had started, Paddy Power announced that they would be paying out on all bets placed on Mayweather to win. The promotion didn’t sit well with the Irish who then pilled on to McGregor, with the bookmaker reporting that over 80% of bets were for McGregor to win following the early payout, costing the bookmaker a potential £10million if he won.
As always seems to be the case for Paddy Power, they got amazing publicity from the stunt and even managed to see a Mayweather victory, saving their blushes and their wallet.
Whilst this was more of a one off for one of the highest profile fights in history, there are many other much more mainstream deals that have been cut in the past. Coral, for example, were sponsors of the entire fight between Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora back in 2015.
Moving up and Bulking out
We’ve spoken previously about the weight divisions within boxing, and for the most part a fighter will hover around the same weight class throughout their whole career. However, successful fighters and fighters that are wanting to better themselves often make a step up to a higher weight, which can lead to more lucrative deals.
From a betting perspective this should set off alarm bells straight off the bat. Let’s take a fairly recent fight between Amir Khan and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez; two top fighters in their own right, but it was Khan who was having to bulk up in order to make the minimum weight and jump from welterweight up to middleweight, some two divisions higher.
Just looking at Khan prior to the fight he looked strong, fit and bulky. Good attributes to have a for a middleweight, but Khan’s main asset in the lower weights was his blistering speed, and a lot of the weight he had put on had gone to his arms, so this made them much heavier and in turn he lost a lot of that speed.
At an elite level when you need to be at your peak, those few extra pounds can make all the difference. In this case, Khan’s speed was nullified and Canelo eventually ended up brutally knocking him out in the sixth round.
Any time a fighter moves up weights, no matter how successful they have been previously or who they are fighting at their natural weight, from a betting perspective you need to wary. As the size increases, the body isn’t able to react in the same way. Some fighters make the step from cruiserweight to heavyweight as the difference isn’t all that substantial, but in the lower weights where every pound counts, the differences can be huge.
David (Haye) vs Goliath
In one of the biggest mismatches in boxing history, 6ft 2 David Haye took on the 7ft tall Nikolay Valuev in a fight few thought he’d be able to win. Haye made the step up from cruiserweight for the fight, but also gave away 7 stone to the Russian as well.
Haye won on a majority decision, becoming the first British Heavyweight Champion since Lennox Lewis in 2003.
From a betting point of view the fight should have been a bit of a dead rubber, but Haye, 29 at the time, trained in a manner that allowed him to unleash a particular set of skills against Valuev; mainly his speed.
The point that we are trying to make is that winners in the ring can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. David can, and has, beaten Goliath, so it’s important to not only look at size, but also the technical ability and boxing nous of each fighter. Whilst many bettors get carried away with size it’s not everything, so you need to work a little harder to make a profit from these types of bets.