The Klitschko brothers, Vitali and Wladimir, may not be too exciting in the ring but they've been money in the bank for boxing betting fans. In fact, between them, the Klitschkos have won 23 consecutive bouts and have not lost in more than seven years. It will be with confidence, then that bettors rush the windows to back Vitali when he defends the WBC version of the world's heavyweight championship against challenger Thomasz Adamek in Wroclaw, Poland, Sept. 10.
Given his size and punching power advantage, it came as a bit of a surprise to some that the 6-7 1/2, 247-pound Klitschko (42-2, 39 KOs) opened as "only" a -500 favorite (bet $500 to win $100) over the 6 1 1/2, 215-pound Adamek (44-1, 28 KOs).
Not that Klitschko bettors are complaining.
Klitschko, who always is in superb physical shape, never has been knocked off his feet in his fistic career, a remarkable accomplishment for a heavyweight. What's more, Klitschko never has been behind in a fight. Even in his losing effort versus champion Lennox Lewis in 2003, "Dr. Ironfist" was ahead on points when the bout was stopped due to a nasty cut around Klitschko's eye.
The take-back on Adamek, a former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion who has won six straight bouts since moving up to heavyweight, is +350 (bet $100 to win $350). Clearly, the Polish-born Adamek will have the home crowd behind him, however getting close enough to land on the larger Klitschko surely will have to come at a price and other than running for 12 rounds, which seems more like a strategy for survival than victory, Adamek appears to have few avenues to success.
In addition to straight, man versus man, wagering, sportsbooks are offering boxing betting fans several other ways to find action of the scheduled 12-round fight. As has become the fashion recently, there are several under/over propositions available. Gamblers can choose a total of 5 1/2, 6 1/2, 7 1/2, 8 1/2, 9 1/2, or 10 1/2 rounds. Obviously, the shorter the distance chosen, the steeper the price on the "over" and, vice versa, the longer the distance chosen, the worse the price on the "under." For example, you lay -300 that the bout goes over 5 1/2 rounds or take +225 that it goes under 5 1/2 rounds. At 10 1/2 rounds, the "over" is +120 and the "under" is -160. If you're looking for a compromise distance, try 9 1/2 rounds, where the "over" is -110 and the "under" is -125. Gamblers also can lay -175 that the fight does not the full 12 rounds or take +130 that it does wind up in the laps of the judges.
Boxing betting aficionados also can wager on how the fight will end. You can lay -190 that Klitschko scores a KO, TKO or wins via disqualification, or take +330 that the Ukrainian giant wins a decision. Adamek by KO or DQ is worth +1400 while decision victory if offered at odds of +450. The best price is on a draw, +3300.
Some sportsbooks also will offer group round and individual round betting. In group betting, the house offers a bracket of rounds, where a bettor can get a grouping of six, four or three rounds for his money. For instance, Klitschko by stoppage in rounds 1-4 is +300; 5-8 is +250; and 9-12 is +350. On the other glove, Klitschko in rounds 1-3 is +400; 4-6 is +350; 7-9 is +350; and 10-12 is +500. You also can get prices on Adamek, of course, and there also are odds on either fighter winning by stoppage in a given group of rounds.
If you woke with a number in your head or are just plain feeling lucky, then individual round betting may be for you. Here, you choose the fighter and the exact round in which you believe that boxer will end the fight.
The chances of collecting on your wager are slim so the rewards are relatively large. For example, Klitschko by stoppage in round 10 is +1600, compared to the above noted +500 for rounds 10-12. The price for individual rounds for Klitschko is +1000 to +2500. Those bettors who feel Adamek will wind up as anything but Polish sausage can get +10000 (bet $100 to win $10,000) on any individual round.
Of course, if the fight goes the distance, sportsbooks happily keep all the money bet on these round propositions. Even so, there seem to be more than a fistful of attractive boxing betting odds available to bettors on the Klitschko-Adamek fight.
