In the lead-up to any major boxing bout, you will normally hear a fighter telling the world exactly what round they intend on stopping their opponent whether it be by way of technical knockout or knockout.
A good example of this was when Tyson Fury boldly declared that he would stop Deontay Wilder in the opening two rounds of their second showdown in Las Vegas in February 2020.
It’s fair to say that Fury’s prediction was met with a large degree of skepticism by bettors owing to the high odds of this outcome. However, from the first bell on the night, the towering heavyweight took the fight to a shell shocked Wilder who was eventually stopped in the seventh round.
While Fury’s exact forecast was out by a few rounds, any fight fan who bet on the Englishman winning in the seventh would have still taken home a tidy profit owing to how much value is on offer in round betting in boxing.
So what exactly is this phenomenon?
Round betting
There are three separate round betting markets that you can access before a fight – the first is simply called ’round betting.’
In the round betting market, you will be given the opportunity to pick which round a specific boxer might win throughout their match.
This means that a boxer will be allocated a price on when they could potentially win their bout with odds provided on rounds one through to the last round of the clash. Depending on what type of bout it is, the number of rounds in this market will vary.
So let’s say it’s a world title fight, a boxer will be given odds on all twelve rounds they could win in but if it is a crossover exhibition match or undercard encounter, there might only be six rounds listed in the round betting market.
Group round betting
The second round betting market is called ‘group round betting’.
The difference to round betting is that you are not required to pick a specific round but rather a group of rounds when a fight may come to an end.
For instance, you will be offered the chance to bet on a boxer winning the contest between rounds 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 or 10 -12. With group round betting, you are essentially benefiting from a larger degree of flexibility and not restricted by having to choose a precise round.
While your margin for error would have increased, there would also be a drop in price and potential payout to reflect the relative safety net that group round betting affords you.
What round will the fight end
The third and final market for round betting is called ‘what round will the fight end.’
The notable distinction between the two previous round betting markets is that you are not betting on a particular boxer to win the fight during a specific period. Rather, you are simply betting on which individual round the overall contest might end between two fighters.
In essence, when you opt for this market, you are expecting a thunderous affair that is too close to call but will in all likelihood, end with a stoppage at some point.
Put differently, it is an acknowledgment that either boxer is capable of stopping the other within the allocated rounds of the match. You just have to select when this time might occur.
The benefits and drawbacks of round betting
The truth is that round betting requires an in-depth understanding of the ebb and flow of a boxing match. In addition to this, it also pays to know a boxer’s preferred strategy as well as the record they carry coming into a bout.
In other words, if a boxer has built up a reputation for going through the gears and seeing off their opponents in the second half of a fight then it wouldn’t make sense to bet on them winning in the early rounds.
The main draw of predicting the exact round, group of rounds or when the fight will end, is that potential returns are bigger as the odds are significantly longer.
However, with higher odds naturally comes higher risk which is important to keep in mind before choosing the round betting market.
Whether you plan to access the round betting market or make any other boxing bets in the future, please read through these safe and responsible gambling tools first which are designed to help you stay in control.
18+ | begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly
