Both boxing and MMA are among the most popular sports among bettors. Due to the wide publicity and small number of likely outcomes, they are suitable for both inexperienced players and knowledgeable bettors.
Boxing has been known since ancient times. The adrenaline, spectacle and excitement of boxing have allowed it to remain a trendsetter to this day. But mixed martial arts appeared on the betting market relatively recently. In the second half of the 90s, MMA was designated as a separate sport.
Despite the similarity of the rules of the encounters, MMA and boxing have significant differences. This should be taken into account when choosing a sport for betting. What are the fundamental differences that affect betting probability?
Successful boxing bets
Bookmakers offer a fairly wide betting line to boxing fans. The main bets – the victory of one of the athletes – are more suitable for beginners. They have great patency at low coefficients. There is less risk of losing a bet, but you can’t usually expect to win big either. Experienced bettors prefer specific bets: in this case, the chance to find a value bet increases significantly. Large offices offer to make the following bets:
- what round will be the winning one;
- how many rounds the fighters will spend in the ring;
- whether the fight will end ahead of schedule;
- whether there will be knockdowns and their total number.
Unlike MMA, boxing has clear rules. The fight consists of 12 rounds of 3 minutes each with a one minute break in between. Special attention is paid to fighting technique: no throwing, grappling or choking techniques are allowed.
Even if you have information about the physical and moral form of the fighters, their past performances, motivation and attitude towards each other, this is not a guarantee of success. The number of sensations in world boxing is growing every year, which makes it difficult for the bettor to choose the outcome of the fight.
Why bettors love MMA?
Mixed martial arts did not immediately become popular among those wishing to bet on sports. Initially, they were cruel and bloody battles, for which they received the eloquent name “fights without rules”.
To attract an audience, the organizers of the competition had to tighten the rules for holding meetings: a time frame appeared, as well as the division of fighters into weight categories.
Today, MMA betting successfully competes with boxing, creating a wide response through marketing tricks. The choice of sporting events is quite extensive, and the gambling line-up offers a huge number of all sorts of options.
Routine battle consists of 3 rounds of 5 minutes each. If a title fight is planned, then the number of rounds increases to 5. This nuance should be taken into account when choosing the total rounds.
As in boxing, classic bets on one side to win come first. A draw in martial arts is so rare that bookmakers often ignore this outcome or offer very high odds.
For sophisticated players, specific rates are provided:
- total rounds;
- victory in a certain round;
- how the fight will end (choke or painful hold, knockout, victory by decision of the judges);
- whether there will be a knockdown and how many times.
Currently, the fights involving the most titled athletes are held within 3 organisations:
- UFC is the largest organization in the world under the leadership of Dan White;
- Bellator is the second most popular;
- ACA is a Russian coalition of fighters.
In individual sports, it is crucial to analyse not only the characteristics of the chosen athlete, but also their opponent. Consider the specifics of betting on meetings involving athletes ranked at the top of the world rankings.
Alexander Usyk – strong chin, technical blows
The Ukrainian fighter in his 35th year since 2021 is firmly entrenched in the world rankings, competing in his first heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. The main characteristics of his performances are his good blow technique and incredible stamina. Alexander got up and continued to fight even after the most devastating blows.
Alexander’s main tactic is a long series of technical blows, which almost always resulted in his victory by a referee’s decision. His fights rarely ended with a knockout, as Usik perfectly holds even the most powerful blow, but he is almost incapable of knocking out his opponent.
Saul Alvarez – marketing product
The Mexican boxer entered the professional ring at the age of 20. The coaching staff, managers and promoters put all their efforts into reinforcing the title of “unbeaten”. And not always this title corresponded to the real situation.
At 31, Saul is recognised as the best boxer by the writers of The Ring magazine. He is also the world middleweight champion since 2021. He has been ranked number one on several occasions in the rankings of the highest paid athletes.
During his career, Saul repeatedly enjoyed the suspicious leniency of the judges. A similar situation developed in the duel with Floyd Mayweather, Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara. Even in the event of an obvious defeat, there will always be at least one judge who will disagree with the general opinion.
That is why betting on the victory of Saul’s opponent on points is almost pointless. At the same time, knocking out Alvarez is also unrealistic: he got up even after the blows of Gennady Golovkin.
Tyson Fury – British Pride
The 33-year-old boxer has incredible agility and punching technique. Despite excellent preparation and the desire to win, fights involving Fury rarely ended ahead of schedule. His blow can hardly be called “smashing”, but Tyson himself will withstand any attack. Therefore, bets on victory by the decision of the judges have the highest patency.
Teofimo Lopez – Top Rank’s marketing ploy
Another professional boxer whose victories are the result of the work of an entire staff. Quite often his performances were so overrated that it became a topic of discussion for a long time.
That’s why it’s very difficult to win on points. But a knockout is a realistic outcome for Lopez: he is one of the most powerful blows in the light-heavyweight division.
Andy Ruiz is the calm one
The calm, balanced American boxer is deservedly considered a true professional. The former world heavyweight champion shows amazing speed and powerful blows. However, throughout his career, he has been haunted by a serious problem – a tendency to gain weight. As soon as a boxer exceeds certain numbers on the scales, his performances almost always end in a complete fiasco.
That is why before betting on a fight with Ruiz, it is worth familiarizing yourself with his physical form at the moment.
