07 Boxing / Betfair Education / 18 March 2008 / Leave a comment

Boxing has been around for millennia in one format or another. This combat sport has been dated to prehistoric times, but since 1867, the modern sport of boxing has been governed by the Marquess of Queensberry rules.

In ancient times different civilisations had differing rules. Rather than been divided by size or weight, fighters competed against each other until a knockout, abandonment, or even death. Fighters often used strips of hardened leather rather than gloves, thereby avoiding too many serious injuries. Some fights were decided by taking alternate punches at each other (decided by the tossing of a coin!).

Nowadays, a boxing match is usually split into 12 rounds, each lasting three minutes. There are numerous methods of victory such as Knockout (KO), Technical Knockout (TKO), Stoppage (by referee or trainer) or Decision (by referee or judges). TKOs are when a fighter is unable to continue due to injury. However there is sometimes a '3 Knockdown Rule', whereby a TKO is assigned if one fighter gets knocked down on three occasions in the same round. These rules are usually displayed at the start of a televised bout.

What should you look for?

Having knowledge about your boxers is extremely helpful when looking to place a bet. The styles of the fighters involved should influence your decision to a great extent. You should form your own answer to numerous questions that can be crucial in making a good bet. Do the fighters look for knockout punches? Do they look to land point scoring punches? How well can they take a punishing blow? How well do they take body shots and facial blows? How well do they avoid punches, or avoid being hit cleanly? Are they able to adapt their styles should they need to? Is the boxer a southpaw (i.e. one who leads with a right hand)? At what stage of his career is the fighter - beginning, prime or end? What is the optimum weight for the boxer? How is their fitness? How strong are they mentally? How much do they want to win?

These are just some of the questions that need answering. Watching previous fights can help immensely, but as in all sports, every new day is different.

Most boxers have a favourite punch they like to land. Should this punch be working well on the night, the boxer is likely to grow in confidence, thereby improving their chances of victory.

Also important, can be the judges. American judges are famous for liking an attacking aggressive style, and often award points for the boxer who attempts to attack the most.

Links

Below are some useful websites that are worth looking into for boxing in general:

www.thering-online.com - Ring Magazine Online "The Bible of Boxing".

www.boxrec.com - Great for Boxing Stats.

www.eastsideboxing.com - Another useful information site.

www.secondsout.com - News and Views.