Upsets in boxing: betting on underdogs in Boxing can pay-off

A considerably large portion of punters love to bet on boxing fights because of the dynamic nature of the sport and the volatility of the bouts, which make predictions all too difficult, yet highly challenging and interesting. And this is something that all bookmakers around the world have realized, justifying the generally large portion of boxing betting markets offered. In fact bookmakers in many countries have embraced boxing betting and have treated it as one of the most popular sports to bet on. Austrian bookmakers are no exception to the general rule, given that Austria is a country where boxing is not only popular but  also mainstreamed betting-wise. 

Boxing: an unpredictable, interesting sport for betting

What is interesting in boxing is that it is quite difficult to make forecasts. Too many boxing fights have taken a surprising turn in the end, causing shock to fans and watchers alike.

We’ve seen several bouts unexpectedly won by underdogs exhibiting tremendous strength, stamina, skills and determination. And we’ve also seen several fights in which the clear favorites have been defeated due to their own incapacity, lack of style, low morale or even ineffective strategies. 

Either way, boxing fights can never be taken for granted when it comes to predicting the winner. Of course, this is true for all sports games, but in boxing there is far more ‘liquidity’ during the course of a fight, which can be conducive to the fight’s outcome. 

Because of this volatility, boxing betting becomes more fun and challenging for punters. Boxing betting requires a strategic approach much more than it requires plain predictive ability and plain betting skills. It is one thing to be good at predictions, have a systematic method for making forecasts and generally possessing strong betting skills and another thing to devise and use a strategy in betting. 

Upsets in boxing

One major contribution in this strategic approach to boxing betting has to do with unexpected, unanticipated upsets. Upsets in boxing have been at the forefront of fans’ interest and boxing analysts’ attention, as they have frequently changed the course of boxing history! 

Some of the biggest boxing upsets of all times include Tyson’s defeat to Douglas back in 1990 and later on to Holyfield in 1996, Lewis’ loss to Rahman in 2001 and Klitschko’s loss to Sanders in 2003, and more recent turnaround fights as well like the unexpected victory of Ruiz Jr over Joshua in 2019, the surprising win of Fury in his fight against Klitschko in 2015 or Bivol’s victory over Canelo earlier this year (in May 2022). 

And the list is non-exhaustive as there are literally too many cases to cite. So, as bettors, upsets are something that you should take into consideration when you decide to bet on boxing. 

Search for upsets in order to bet on boxing

If you go through past records of boxing fights you’ll surely come across shocking twists in fights that resulted in completely and 100% unanticipated outcomes. Underdogs beating absolute favorites is not uncommon in boxing and this is in fact owed to the volatility of the sport. 

Boxing can be unpredictable in ways that we can’t imagine. There are so many examples in boxing history teaching us a lesson on this. Boxing upsets are in fact frequent and they have been causing major turnarounds in fight nights. 

So, one thing that you should incorporate in your boxing betting strategy is the search for upsets. Certainly, going for the favorite in a boxing fight may seem the rational choice for a bet, but it is not always the most financially lucrative option (not to say it is hardly ever the case of financially attractive choice). Betting on the favorites – which as we’ve seen are by no means a standard or a guarantee for a winning bet – has less risks but has also much less opportunities for bigger return on investment. 

Going for upsets is riskier, but given the right criteria for making a decision, they can prove very valuable choices. The rate of upsetting favorites is so high in boxing that it is naive to neglect underdogs that have realistic potentials in triumphing at the end of a fight!

And it becomes much more short-sighted and myopic to ignore underdogs when there is an increased value in betting on them – that is giving higher return on investment. 

So, watching out for potential upsets is a very good strategy in boxing betting, as long as you are prepared to do a detailed research, collect data and information on the professional boxers, create their profiles and assess their prospects of upsetting the favorites!

This is a paid guest post.