What Is Round Betting In Boxing (Short & Easy!)
Written by
Joe - Poker PlayerLast updated:
February 17, 2024
Boxing is ballet with brass knuckles. It’s not just blood and sweat; it’s a strategy in sweat. It’s Ali’s footwork, Magnificent Mary’s Southpawism, and Tyson’s fury bottled into a sport. And just like life, it’s full of stories. From the underdog’s jab to the champion’s roar, each fight whispers tales of grit, grace, and guts. And that’s why fans (and bettors!) can’t get enough.
Forget the final scores. We’re diving into the heart of the fight, predicting when(which round) punches land and jaws drop. Today is all about Round Betting. Ready to step into the ring? We’ll break down round betting, strategies, and even the best places to throw your punch (figuratively, of course). Let’s go!
What Does Round Mean In Boxing?
In boxing, a round is like a chapter in a thrilling novel. It’s a precise timeframe, usually 3 minutes for men and 2 minutes for women, where two fighters throw punches and dodge blows. Each round is a mini-battle within the bigger war of the entire match.
There are some points related to boxing rounds that you should understand before we can explain how to place a round bet in boxing.
- Number of rounds: Several factors determine the number of rounds in a boxing match. High-profile, professional fights have 12 rounds. Non-championship bouts may range from 4 to 10 rounds. Amateur matches often have fewer rounds – typically 3 rounds for men and 4 rounds for women.
- Scoring: The round’s score is determined by the judges’ points. Judges give points to each fighter according to who landed the most clean punches, controlled the ring, and showed good defense. A clean punch to the head or body scores more points than a glancing blow.
- Resting: Both male and female boxing matches have one-minute rest periods between rounds.
- Knockout: When a fighter is knocked down and is unable to get up again before the referee’s 10 count. The fight ends regardless of how many more rounds are left.
Round Betting In Boxing Made Easy
In boxing and any combat sport or martial arts, round betting allows bettors to bet on the round/s of a match rather than the match winner or final score of the fight. Round betting in boxing means betting on the exact round a fight will end, the total number of completed rounds, or how a fighter wins a round. Bookmakers add unlimited betting options for rounds to make things even more exciting. We’ll cover the most common and popular round bets in boxing in the following sections.
7 Most Popular Ways To Bet On Any Given Round in MMA or Boxing
There is no limit to the ways bettors and fans can bet on rounds in boxing and combat sports. Here, we explain how to bet on rounds in boxing while covering the seven most popular ones you will find at nearly all legit online sportsbooks.
1. Exact Round
It involves betting on the exact round that a fight will end. In this case, you have two options to bet on:
- Wagering on the exact round without the winning fighter
- Wagering on the exact round + the winning fighter
For example, take a look at the individual round betting(exact round+winning fighter) options from the BetMGM sportsbook for the Ohara Davies(ENG) fight against Ismael Barroso(VEN) on Jan 07, 2024.
In this example, if you believe Davies will win in round 6, you bet $5 to get $55 and a net profit of $60(your initial wager + $ 55 bet payout). The same applies to the rest of the options.
2. Exact Round + Method of Victory
It means you should predict the exact round and how the fight will end(we will explain the method of victory later.)
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3. Total Number of Rounds (Over/Under)
This one is our old O/U friend! You should predict whether the fight will end before(under) or after(over) the number set by the bookmaker. For instance, O 4.5 -135 and U 4.5 +110. If you bet under, the fight should end in 4 rounds or less for your bet to win, while for the over, the fight must end in 5 rounds or more for wagers to pay out. This is a fairly safe betting option; you don’t have to select the winning fighter.
4. Fight Goes the Distance
In this type of wager, we are concerned with the completion of all rounds. In other words, you bet on whether you think all the rounds will be completed or not. You may see different sentences in different sportsbooks when it comes to the fight distance. But all of them have the same meaning. For example, at Betonline you will see “Will the Fight go the Scheduled Distance?,” while BetMGM lists the odds under the “Will the fight go full 12 rounds” section.
|
Will the fight go the distance? |
|
| Yes | +160 |
| No | -225 |
In the above example, the fight is less likely to end after the scheduled number of rounds; hence, yes is listed as the underdog. If you bet $10 on yes, and the game ends after the scheduled number of rounds, you win $16 and get a net profit of $26. On the other hand, if the fight ends anytime sooner than the scheduled distance, and you already wagered $10 on No, you win $4.4 and a net profit of $14.4. It is a relatively risky round bet in boxing, and you should consider making it if you are confident that both fighters are good enough to hang on until the very end.
5. Grouped Round Betting
This one is pretty much self-explanatory. You should predict which fighter will win a group of rounds. Some sportsbooks like Betonline add the method of victory to round group bets.
Calculating the odds and payouts are the same as other round bets. But pay attention to the bigger numbers. Bigger numbers represent longer odds, meaning the outcome is less likely to happen, but the payout will be bigger if it happens.
6. Method of Victory
Method of victory is one of the unique concepts in boxing and MMA. Method of victory means how the fighter won the round and fight. There are various possible results for a boxing round and fight and you may see different options at different sportsbooks. Here are the most common methods of victory for round betting in boxing:
- KO: It stands for Knockout.
- TKO: Technical Knockout is when the referee stops the fight out of concern for either one of the fighters’ safety.
- DQ: It stands for Disqualification. A fighter can be disqualified for repeated fouls or a serious rule break. In this case, the referee instantly ends the fight.
- ND or NC: No Decision/ No Contest happens when an accidental foul or an unusual and unexpected event happens before four rounds are completed.
- RTD: Retired outcome often happens between rounds and is when a fighter refuses to continue the fight or their trainers decide not to continue due to safety concerns.
7. Alternative Round Group
Some sportsbooks offer the widest selection of rounds to bet on in the Alternate Round Group Betting section. The lines are typically for rounds 1-6 and 7-12. In other words, you will predict that the fight will end in the first or second half. It is practically similar to soccer halftime bets.
Tips To Consider Before Placing A Round Bet
In addition to everything we have explained so far, you should consider the following factors if you want a winning round bet:
- Records of injuries: you have to keep an eye out for the fighters’ stats and injury records because if a fighter is injured, they may be more likely to lose by a KO or during the first couple of rounds.
- Weight class: heavyweight fighters tend to have more knockouts. Keep that in mind while placing round bets on heavyweight fights.
- Fighter record and strengths: fighters with a lot of knockouts in their resume will be very likely to finish the fight in the first round. But this is not the only determinant; you must monitor their overall performance, form, style, etc.
- Referee: Referee also matters as some do not stop fights easily.
Wrap-Up: Where Can You Find The Best Round Odds?
The best online legit US sportsbooks offer lines for different bouts. But not all of them have the same betting options or odds. Hence, it is important to shop for the best lines. Where can you find the best lines to shop? At top bookies like Betonline, FanDuel, BetMGM, Sportsbetting.ag, and DraftKings. Round betting in boxing isn’t rocket science, but it takes time and effort to reach a level where you can make money. Learn the basics, figure out the fighters, and do your homework. With a little practice, you might just score a knockout win on your bets. Remember, it’s about more than just who throws the hardest punch. It’s about when they land it.
