British boxers are attracting more bets around the world than ever before
Britain has produced its fair share of boxing legends throughout the sport’s colourful history. Nigel Benn, John Conteh, Ricky Hatton, and Joe Calzaghe are just a few British boxers that have been world titleholders over the past few decades, leaving behind a far-reaching legacy across the globe, not just within these shores. Of course, there’s also three-time world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, who is still a driving force in boxing today, long after his paid punching career has finished. With five current world champions, Britain has always played such a crucial role in making boxing the wildly popular sport that it is today. And British boxers are at the forefront of today’s boxing scene.
From online betting sites in Saudi Arabia to the modern sportsbooks in New Jersey, British boxers draw a massive amount of wagering action. Moneylines, round totals, and method of victory are some of the most common boxing wager types although bookmakers usually add a slew of prop betting opportunities for bigger fights. Betting on the colour of a fighter’s trunks or whether he’ll be wearing sunglasses when he enters the arena can add excitement to the pre-match proceedings, so let’s look at a few British boxers who are currently dazzling in the spotlight of bookmakers around the world:
Luke Campbell
London 2012 Olympic bantamweight champion Luke Campbell (19-2, 15 KO) moved up in the lightweight rankings and dished out a bit of revenge when he scored a unanimous decision over Yvan Mendy on September 22, 2018 as a -390 favorite. The WBC Silver lightweight champion had hoped that his victory would quickly lead to a shot at the WBC world title but he has been in a frustrating holding pattern instead. It appears the 31-year-old southpaw from Hull will fight soon but it will probably be another warm up. You can get yourself great odds and £30 worth of free bets at Ladbrokes when his next fight is announced.
Kell Brook
Kell Brook won the IBF Welterweight title in 2014 and held on to it until Errol Spence Jr. knocked him out by in May 2017. He bounced back to win the vacant WBC Silver super-welterweight title in March 2018 before improving his professional record to 38-2 with a unanimous decision over Michael Zerafa last December. Brook has long called for the fight with domestic rival Amir Khan, but it appears he will have to settle with a late spring bout with Jessie Vargas. No matter who Brook goes up against, the fight will attract bets at top sportsbooks like Redbet which is now accepting wagers on the upcoming fight between Errol Spence Jr. and Mikey Garcia who is listed as a +350 underdog.
Billy Joe Saunders
Billy Joe Saunders has made a name for himself both inside and outside of the ring with his controversial antics. Hatfield's Saunders (27-0, 13 KO) held the WBO Middleweight title since December 2015 but he vacated the belt after a failed drug test in the build up to his clash with Demetrius Andrade, which was subsequently cancelled. Saunders returned to the ring last December with an easy win over a clearly over-matched Charles Adamu. A surprise to many, having campaigned at 160lbs his entire career, Saunders announced his move up to super-middleweight in order to face Shefat Isufi for the vacant WBO super-middleweight belt. Paddy Power has Saunders listed as an overwhelming favourite, despite the Serbian winning titles at cruiserweight and light-heavyweight. Parlaying Saunders with an Amir Khan upset win over Terence Crawford would make an interesting and potentially profitable bet.
Callum Smith
28-year-old Liverpudlian Callum Smith has done nothing but win money for his backers and rack up titles since his first professional fight back in November 2012. Those who bet on Smith at +135 for his last fight in September 2018 were delighted when he knocked out George Groves to improve his unblemished record to 25-0. While it’s not quite a done deal yet, promoter Eddie Hearn says 'Mundo' might defend his title and perfect record in May. 888Sport is watching closely and will be one of the first online bookmakers to offer odds on Smith’s next fight.
Dillian Whyte
Dillian ‘The Villain’ Whyte (25-1, 18 KO) currently holds the WBO International and WBC Silver heavyweight titles. He was priced at -345 at Betfred when he successfully defended those titles last December with an 11th round KO win over Dereck Chisora. He was recently ranked the fourth best active heavyweight in the world by The Ring magazine. 'The Brixton Bodysnatcher' wants another shot at former conqueror Anthony Joshua and the heavyweight titles he holds, and he’s also interested in fighting WBC king Deontay Wilder, but neither scenarios are expected to pan out in the immediate future with both fighters scheduled to face Jarrell Miller and Tyson Fury, respectively. Instead, a bout against WBC mandatory Dominic Breazeale, who would be a +230ish underdog at Betfred, has now been ordered.
Tyson Fury
Things couldn’t have been better for Tyson Fury as 2015 came to a close. He had just won a unanimous decision over long-reigning champ Wladmir Klitschko in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history to capture the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles. Things quickly went downhill as he struggled with severe personal issues, ballooning up to 28stone in weight. However, he’s back to form and has a massive chip on his shoulder after his last fight against a slightly favored Deontay Wilder resulted in a controversial split decision. Boxing fans are anticipating the rematch, which has been ordered by the WBC, and reports from the titleholder Wilder has suggested it is 100 per cent done, despite a recent turn of events casting doubts over that. Such a fight would undoubtedly generate tons of betting action. Three of Fury’s last four matches have gone the distance which makes an early round knockout victory bet for his next fight a risky proposition.
Anthony Joshua
Unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has just 22 professional fights under his belt but he’s won them all and 21 of those victories came by knockout. He holds the IBF, WBA (Super), and WBO heavyweight titles as well as the fringe IBO title. He handed Dillian Whyte his only loss and convincingly ended Wladmir Klitschko’s illustrious career with an 11th-round TKO in April 2017 in Wembley Stadium. Joshua will put his titles on the line on June 1st against 23-0-1 Jarrell Miller. Despite Miller’s record and weight advantage, Joshua is a -770 favorite at 32Red. Taking advantage of 32Red’s 100% Profit Boost promotion should make a bet on Anthony Joshua a lot more palatable. Five of Joshua’s last six fights have resulted in TKO victories which makes a wager on that particular method of victory a strong bet.