OH BROTHER, A KLITSCHKO IS A BIG BOXING BETTING FAVORITE AGAIN

Boxing betting fans will have to decide whether to take another very short price or take a chance on an improbable longshot when Vitali Klitschko risks the WBC version of the world heavyweight championship against Shannon Briggs in Hamburg, Germany, Oct. 16. Vitali, who has not lost in over seven years, is half of boxing's reigning brother act with younger sibling Wladimir, unbeaten since 2004, owning the IBF and WBO versions of the heavyweight title.

Vitali (40-2, 38 knockouts) opened as a massive -2000 favorite (bet $2,000 to win $100) to take care of Briggs (51-5, 45 KOs), the +1200 underdog (bet $100 to win $1,200). Klitschko, now 39, has been spectacular since returning from a four-year "retirement" in 2008, dominating foes such as Samuel Peter, Juan Carlos Gomez, Chris Arreola, Kevin Johnson and Albert Sosnowski. And on each of those occasions, "Dr. Ironfist" has rewarded those gamblers fearless enough to lay the huge number.

Briggs, 38, who held the WBO heavyweight title for a short time back in 2006-07, has been very active of late, fighting three times within a span of six weeks in April and May. But the total time Briggs spent dispensing inferior opponents Rafael Pedro (28 seconds on April 13), Dominique Alexander (20 seconds on May 21), and Rob Calloway (one minute, 36 seconds on May 28) is less than three minutes. That said, Briggs, who boasts 27 first round knockouts, appears to have at least a puncher's chance to spring a colossal upset.

Oddsmakers at sportsbooks tend to agree that the fight will not go the scheduled 12-round distance. The total for the bout is 9 1/2 rounds but boxing betting enthusiasts have to lay -185 on the "under." The other option is to take +145 on the "over." Another sportsbook is using 6 1/2 rounds as the total with "over" the -140 favorite and "under" the even money underdog. So bettors get to choose their poison.

Given that 93 of the boxers' combined 96 bouts have ended in a stoppage, sportsbooks also are offering a proposition on knockdowns. You can lay -450 that only one fighter—and you don't have to specify which one--is knocked down, take +300 that neither boxer hits the canvas, or try to hit a +3300 longshot that both fighters are knocked off their feet.

What's more, many sportsbooks are offering boxing betting fans a prop on how the bout will end. You have to lay -600 that Klitschko wins via knockout, TKO or disqualification but you can get a "plus" on any other result, including +450 that Vitali wins by decision; +1000 that Briggs succeeds by stoppage; +3300 that Shannon gets the nod from the judges; and +4000 that the fight ends in a 12-round draw.

More ambitious gamblers may try their luck (it's difficult to see how skill plays a role here) in trying to pick the exact round the stoppage comes. There are 24 possibilities and odds range from +900 to +10000, depending on the fighter and the round. For example, a Klitschko KO of Briggs in Round 1 is worth +1200; Klitschko by stoppage in Round 6, +900; and a Klitschko win in Round 12, +1400. Since he's a large underdog to win the fight, the odds on Briggs are longer, including Briggs by KO in Round 1, +10000; Briggs by stoppage in Round 6, +8000; and Briggs by knockout in Round 12, +10000.

Many sportsbooks also are offering the easier to hit but far less rewarding group round betting. In this prop, as opposed to just one round, gamblers receive a group of rounds. For instance, Klitschko by stoppage in Rounds 1-6 is worth +120; Klitschko by KO in Rounds 7-12 gets you +125; Briggs by knockout in Rounds 1-6 returns +2000; and Briggs by stoppage in Rounds 7-12 is +1800.

Of course, like the individual rounds bet, if the fight goes the distance, the house is more than happy to pocket all wagers.

Klitschko, who joins Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis as the fourth boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times, is expected to handle Briggs. But heavyweights are unpredictable and Briggs packs lethal one punch power, factors which could cause boxing betting fans to contemplate abandoning the favorite in search of bigger, but far riskier, payday.