Boxing and betting always go hand-in-hand, perhaps a little too closely at times. In the early 1970s, betting on boxing was more popular than betting on the NFL, but allegations of fixing fights and horrendous judge's decisions turned many people away from the betting aspect of the sport. Boxing uses money lines and is pretty straight forward in regards to betting, as the odds will be given next to each boxer's name.

On boxing bets, your fighter must win the fight or you lose your wager. If the fight is declared a draw, bets on both fighters are declared losers and the sportsbook, as well as any bettors who wagered on the draw, win.

Boxing Proposition Bets

Because a number of fights figure to be pretty one-sided, the bookmakers will generally come up with several proposition bets on major fights. The most popular of these is the over/under for how long the fight lasts. The wager works in the same manner as an over/under bet in sports betting, but instead of betting there will be over or under a certain number of points scored, you are betting over or under a certain number of rounds taking place.

If you bet on a fight to go over 6 rounds, for example, you will win your bet as long as both fighters are in the ring for the start of the seventh round. If you wager on the under six full rounds, you will win your wager provided the fight is stopped anytime prior to the bell signaling the end of round 6. If the fight is stopped between the end of the sixth round and the beginning of the seventh round, all over/under bets would be declared losers.

The other main proposition wager for boxing matches is betting which fighter will win by a stoppage or knockout. For this bet, you will only win if your fighter scores a knockout or the referee stops the bout and declares him the winner.

Boxing Betting Odds

2011 promises to be a great boxing year. It started off with even more rumors about the long awaited match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr; however, it was promptly announced that the fight would not be happening any time soon. But boxing betting opportunities remain unaffected, as several top level fights have been confirmed for the next couple of months.

2012 Boxing Events

Marcos Maidana vs Devon Alexander

Date: Feb 21, 2012

Against all common sense that isn't to do with money, Marcos Maidana has accepted the reality that his February 25 HBO fight against Devon Alexander will have to take place in St. Louis, where Alexander has been on the hometown end of friendly scoring in fights against Andriy Kotelnik and Lucas Matthysse. The show will take place at the Scottrade Center.

Orlando Salido vs Juan Manuel Lopez

Date: Mar 24, 2012

The long-awaited rematch between WBO featherweight titleholder Orlando Salido and Juan Manuel Lopez is tentatively set for March 10 in Puerto Rico, according to Miguel Rivera of BoxingScene.com. Showtime would televise.

Erik Morales vs Danny Garcia

Date: Mar 10, 2012

The previously scheduled fight between WBC light welterweight champion Erik Morales (52-7, 36 KO’s) and #1 ranked World Boxing Council contender Danny Garcia (22-0, 14 KO’s) has been moved to March 24th, according to the 35-year-old Morales, who revealed the information on his twitter.

Victor Ortiz vs Andre Berto

Date: June 30, 2012

In April 2011, Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto gave boxing fans one of the best fights of the year, with both men hitting the canvas twice before Ortiz rallied to victory and captured Berto's World Boxing Council (WBC) Welterweight World Championship.