How to Bet on Gennady Golovkin vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez
By Loot, Boxing Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Fights like the September 16 Gennady Golovkin vs. Saul Alvarez fight spikes interest among bettors. While the popularity of boxing as a betting sport has waned with each passing decade, big superfights like this always attract considerable wagering interest. Opinions can be very strong when it comes to top fighters like Alvarez and GGG and that usually results in a frenzy of betting action. And naturally, we want to get a piece of the action. So let's talk about how to bet GGG-Canelo, from the bare basics to the more elaborate wagers you can make.
Different Bets: In big fights like GGG vs. Canelo, the number of bets you can make increases dramatically. In lower-level championship fights, you can usually just pick a winner and make a wager on how long the fight will last, along with a smattering of prop wagers. In superfights of this nature, the betting action kicks up a couple notches. In addition to betting the winner and how many rounds the fight will last, you can bet on how a fighter will win, whether knockdowns will occur, which round a fighter will knock out his opponent, and more. In this article, we're going to break down all the different bets you can make on Golovkin vs. Alvarez. Let's start with the simplest of all boxing bets.
Picking a Winner: The simplest one. Just pick who will win the fight. Let's look at the current odds for GGG-Canelo and show you how it works.
Gennady "GGG" Golovkin -185, Saul "Canelo Alvarez +160
How Picking a Winner Works: In picking a winner, you see each fighter with a set of odds—one with a minus-sign (GGG) and one with a plus-sign (Canelo). A minus-sign means Golovkin is the favorite and the number you see is how much you need to bet in order to win $100. Canelo's odds show a plus-sign, which means he's the underdog. The number you see is how much you would win if you bet $100. It's just an easy way to express the odds, with it revolving around the $100 mark. Naturally, you can bet any amount and the odds would just break down proportionally. Also note that this style of indicating odds is also used for all the other bets you can make on the fight.
So if you bet on GGG at -185, you would need to put up $185 to win $100. A $100 bet on Canelo at +160 would earn you $160 is he won. And a word about winning as it pertains to boxing betting—what is announced in the ring is the result the sportsbook uses to determine the outcome. In other words, if a fighter gets popped later for a drug test or is hours after the fact, they realize there was an error in the cards, the announcer's proclamation at the end of the fight is binding.
Quick Reference Guide for Boxing Odds
Plus Sign: Indicates an underdog and the number you see next to the plus-sign is how much you win if you bet $100.
Minus Sign: Indicates a favorite and the number you see next to the minus-sign is how much you need to bet in order to win $100.
Totals: This is where the bookie sets a number for how long the fight will last. You have two choices—whether the fight will be shorter or longer than the number the bookie posted. You either go over or under. Let's look at the early total for Canelo vs. GGG.
Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez, Total: 9.5 (Over: -215, Under: +170)
You see the number is 9.5 rounds. You just pick over or under. If you go over, you will need to bet $215 for every $100 you want to win. If you don't think the fight will last 9.5 rounds, you would win $170 for every $100 you bet.
Key Point: The number of 9.5 means 9.5 completed rounds. It doesn't mean halfway through the ninth round. Nine and a half completed rounds would put the line in the sand at 1:30 of the tenth round. If the fight ends at 1:29 of the 10th round or earlier, a bet on "under" wins. If the fight lasts 1:31 into the 10th, a bet on "over" wins.
Prop Bets: A good way to look at prop bets is to look at it like details within a fight. It's less about "what" and more about "how" with props. You bet on details of a fight and how you specifically see the fight unfolding. For the most part, prop bets force you to make a more-exact prediction. And as a result, the payouts can be very handsome indeed. In addition, prop bets are listed closer to fight-time, meaning you have a lot of time to make a prop pick. Let's look at the prop bets you will see for GGG-Canelo.
How a Fighter Will Win: In this bet, it's not enough for a fighter to simply win, but you have to determine how that victory will be scored. The bet will look like this:
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez Wins Inside the Distance: +850
In the above bet, you simply bet whether Alvarez will win before the fight is over. It can be by KO, TKO, disqualification, or a technical decision win inside the distance. You can even get more specific.
Golovkin Wins in Round 3: +2500
In bets like the one listed above, you pick the exact round a fighter will win. And since you're forced to be so specific, the payouts can be handsome, as this bet pays 25-to-1.
STOP WASTING YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY AND BET GGG-CANELO AT DISCOUNTED ODDS! STOP LAYING INFLATED ODDS! START LAYING ONLY BETTER ODDS TODAY AT THE WEB'S BEST SPORTSBOOK: 5DIMES
Round Ranges: In bets like this, you can pick whether something will happen or not in a range of rounds. Here is an example:
Fight Ends in Rounds 9-12: +411
In this bet, you get over 4-to-1 on whether the fight will end in rounds 9, 10, 11, or 12. And naturally, a decision doesn't count, as the fight has to end before the final bell for this bet to win. These range bets can also be used for specific fighters and when that fighter will win the fight.
Revised Totals: While you can bet on the regular total, whether the fight will go 9.5 rounds, you can also bet on a different round with revised odds if you think you have a good read. Here's an example:
Alvarez/Golovkin Starts Round 7: -517
Alvarez/Golovkin Doesn't Start Round 7: +377
Note: These are just the prop bets that are available now. More will likely be posted closer to the fight occurring.
Where to Bet: If you're going to the fight, you can certainly bet at any of the books in Vegas. For the vast majority of us, however, that is not an option. That makes online books the ticket. And if anything, the variety of bets you can make on a fight is not as robust in a brick-and-mortar book. Online offers the best selection of bets and all it takes is a mouse-click see odds from a different book to make sure you get the best odds. Did you know... that you could be wagering on the Golovkin vs. Alvarez fight at discounted odds? There's a better than good chance that you're laying inflated odds with your book. Stop overpaying TODAY by making the switch to 5Dimes Sportsbook! You will be so glad that you did!
