The fights may be separated by more than 3,000 miles and the Atlantic Ocean but boxing betting fans will be able to view both ends of a championship fistic doubleheader on HBO, April 16. On the left side of The Pond, in Mashantucket, Connecticut, it's Andre Berto versus Victor Ortiz for Berto's WBC welterweight title. Across the ocean, Amir Khan risks his WBA super lightweight belt against Paul McCloskey in Manchester, England.
Berto (27-0, 21 knockouts) opened as a consensus -350 favorite (bet $350 to win $100) to beat Ortiz (28-2-2, 22 KOs), the +250 underdog (bet $100 to win $250). The Haitian born Berto, who now fights out of Miami, won the 147-pound belt in 2008 by stopping Miguel Angel Rodriguez and has successfully defended the WBC belt five times since then. The list of title defenses includes victories over former champions Steve Forbes, Luis Collazo, Juan Urango and Carlos Quintana.
Ortiz, a southpaw, has won four of his last five fights with one draw and owns victories over former champions Vivian Harris, Nate Campbell and Carlos Maussa.
The Berto-Ortiz bout is scheduled for 12 rounds with the total set at 9 1/2 rounds for betting purposes. Gamblers who bet that the bout will go over 9 1/2 rounds lay -135 while those who believe the fight will go under 9 1/2 rounds lay -105. You can also take +140 that the fight goes the full 12-round distance or lay -180 that the bout is halted before that.
As has become the custom, there's also a "Method of Victory" prop on the Berto-Ortiz fight. Berto by KO, TKO or DQ is +120; Berto by decision is +185; Ortiz by KO, TKO or DQ is +333; Ortiz by decision is +700; and you get +3300 if the bout ends in a 12-round draw.
Many sportsbooks also are offering group and individual round betting. Group round betting, where a gambler gets a series of rounds, is more predictable but less rewarding. For example, the price on a Berto win in rounds 1-6 is +350; Berto winning in rounds 7-12 is +250; and Ortiz win in rounds 1-6 is +700; and Ortiz in rounds 7-12 is +900.
Choosing an individual round is far more difficult but the payoffs are greater, as well. For instance, you can get a minimum of 16/1 on Berto scoring a stop of Ortiz in round 8 or round 9 and a maximum of 33/1 if Berto scores a first round knockout. The individual round prices on the underdog Ortiz range from 25/1 to 50/1, depending on the specific round.
In Manchester, Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) opened as an overwhelming -1000 favorite over McCloskey (22-0, 12 KOs), the +600 underdog. Some books even had Khan, who won the WBA 140-pound title from Andriy Kotelnik in 2009 and has defended it three times since, as high as a -1400 favorite. McCloskey, who like Khan was born in the UK (Northern Ireland) has stopped his last five opponents but most experts feel this is a big step up for the 31-year-old southpaw.
Given that there are two British fighters involved, UK sportsbooks are giving the wagering public plenty of options. In fact, there are six--that's right, six—totals for the scheduled 12-rounder, including 5 1/2, 6 1/2, 7 1/2, 8 1/2, 9 1/2 and 10 1/2 rounds. You can pick your poison but if you're looking for a true over/under it's probably 8 1/2 rounds where bettors lay -120 on either over or under.
As for method of victory, Khan by stoppage is the only result where gamblers have to lay a price, -275. Khan by decision is +33; McCloskey by KO, TKO or DQ is +800; McCloskey by decision is +2000; and a 12-round draw is a robust +4000.
Sportsbooks also are offering group round wagering: Khan 1-6, +120; Khan 7-12, +185; McCloskey 1-6, +1400; McCloskey 7-12, +1400.
As for individual round betting, you can get at least 10/1 if you can predict the exact round of a Khan KO and 66/1 or more if your crystal ball tells you when McCloskey will score a knockout.
Nothing suggests a parlay like a TV doubleheader so incase you're wondering, a winning $100 parlay on the favorites would earn a profit of $41.43 while a $100 parlay on the underdogs would net a bettor $2,350. Mixing it up, a Berto-McCloskey $100 parlay is worth $800 while an Ortiz-Khan coupling yields a profit of $285.
Boxing betting fans certainly have plenty of options.
