Bell Rings for Start of 2011 Boxing Betting Season
January 9, 2011
Boxing betting fans can get involved in the biggest fight of the young 2011 season when undefeated world champions Devon Alexander "The Great" and Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley duke it out at the 140-pound weight limit before HBO's cameras in Pontiac, Michigan, Jan. 29.
Bradley (26-0, 11 knockouts), who holds the WBO junior welterweight title belt, opened as the favorite, although prices varied greatly at the more than dozen books surveyed. In fact, we found Bradley as high as -250 (bet $250 to win $100) and as low as -175. The latter number is significant because some books were offering Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs), the WBC super lightweight champion, as high as +187 (bet $100 to win $187). So, a savvy bettor, by weighting his bets with Bradley at -175 and Alexander at +187, could gain an advantage.
Bradley, 27, who won his first world title in 2008, is coming off two impressive performances. In December of 2009 he schooled undefeated interim WBO champion Lamont Peterson, sending him to the canvas for the first time in 27 bouts, on his way to a unanimous decision. In July of 2010, Bradley moved up to 147 pounds, winning a 12-round unanimous decision over undefeated top 10 welterweight Carlos Abregu.
Alexander, 23, had two career-defining victories last year, an eighth round knockout of then IBF champion Juan "Iron Twins" Urango in March, and a 12-round unanimous decision title defense triumph over Andriy Kotelnik in August.
In addition to straight betting, sportsbooks are offering a number of other ways to bet the Alexander-Bradley fight, including a rounds over/under. As has become the custom lately, bettors have several options, from a low of 5 1/2 rounds, where the "over" is -2500 and the "under" is +800, to a high of 10 1/2 rounds where the "over" is -700 and the "under" is +400. The most popular distance seems to be 9 1/2 rounds where the "over" is -800 and the "under" is +450. There's also a proposition on whether the fight goes the scheduled 12 full rounds with "yes" listed at -555 and "no" offered at +333.
Many sportsbooks also have a proposition on how the fight will end:
Bradley by decision- 125
Alexander by decision+ 250
Bradley by KO, TKO or DQ+ 550
Alexander by KO, TKO or DQ+ 650
12-Round draw+2500
Another option is to bet via group or individual round. Group betting, where a gambler gets a group of three, four or six rounds, depending on how the fight is divided, offers the greater potential for success but at a lesser return. Individual round betting is far more difficult but the rewards are greater, as well.
For example, if the fight is divided in half (two brackets of six rounds each) a win by Bradley in rounds 7-12 is worth +850. If the fight is divided in thirds (three brackets of four rounds each) a Bradley victory in rounds 9-12 is worth +1100. If the fight is divided in quarters (four brackets of three rounds each) a Bradley win in rounds 10-12 is worth +1400. So essentially, boxing betting fans get to choose the bracket that's most comfortable for them. Gamblers also can wager on the group of rounds without naming a winner. For example, picking the fight to ends in rounds 7-12 gets you +550; either boxer in rounds 9-12 is worth +800; and a win by either man in rounds 10-12 pays +900.
Boxing betting fans with a four-leaf clover or rabbit's foot in their pocket also may opt to pick the winning fighter in the exact round. Here, odds range from a low of 40/1 for a Bradley victory in round 7, 8, or 9 to a high of 100/1 for an Alexander triumph in round 12.
For the player, the disadvantage to both group and individual round betting is that if the fight goes the distance, the house pockets all the money.
Some sportsbooks also have a prop on whether no one is knocked down (-275), exactly one fighter hits the canvas (+200) and if both fighters are taken off their feet (+2800). You also can get 80/1 that Bradley wins within the first minute of the fight and a similar price on Alexander scoring a 60 second or less knockout.
If you're feeling truly silly, in what is the equivalent of the football coin flip, boxing betting fans decide if the Alexander-Bradley fight is won in an even (-120) or odd (-120) numbered round.
