I have always been devoted to the noble art of boxing and boxing betting, a sport where two people duel like gladiators and at the same time respect each other as if they were brothers.
I remember my early days as a spectator, begging my father to let me stay late so I could watch my favorite fighters on TV. I have to admit that most of the time the answer was a resounding “NO”, since the duty of getting up early the next day to go to school tormented my little head. Even so, from the bed and with my eyes closed I tried to imagine the fight or the one I wanted it to be.
Leaving aside my more “sentimental and nostalgic” part, I suggest you remember those fights that every boxing fan would like to remember, those confrontations that gave you goosebumps and you lived each blow as if it were the last. And I confess that I would have loved to bet on some of the classics, but there were no online bets at that time. But luckily, now we can do it, so I recommend that you take advantage of the Sportium Welcome Bonus for it. They double your first income and registration is completely free.
Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman (Rumble in the Jungle)
Let’s go back to October 30, 1974 when in Kinsasa (Zaire), currently the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the most anticipated combats of the moment was coming. In the very heart of equatorial Africa, faced off against Muhammad Ali, an old outlaw whose best days had passed, and a young gladiator who to this day believed himself to be the king of the ring, George Foreman.
I thought it would be another KO for my collection until, in the seventh round, I landed a tremendous punch to his jaw. He then grabbed the back of my neck and whispered in my ear, “Is this all you got, George?” At that moment I knew that the fight would not end as I had planned.
Later, after a match where Ali landed fewer punches than his rival, but much more effective, he knocked out Foreman with a powerful punch to the face. The spitting image of a butterfly stinging like a bee, Cassius surprised with his strategy, leaving Foreman breathless and taking advantage of every possible moment to sting his torso.
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III
I don’t want to seem “obsessed” with Ali, but really the next fight that surprised me the most was against Frazier “3rd edition”, to classify it in some way.
It was the third time the two boxers had met, this time in Manila. The first, in 1971 (New York), Frazier was victorious on points. Three years later, it was Ali who won after 12 intense rounds. It was a full blown tiebreaker!
The two wrestlers entered the ring in the sweltering Filipino heat that felt like hell, and began trading blows in a way never seen before. The intensity was maintained throughout the fight and even increased, until finally, in round 14, Eddie Futch, Frazier’s trainer threw in the towel.
Ali had finally taken the win, and after a burst of “honesty”, he described his opponent as; “the greatest fighter of all time, after me”
Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield
Unfortunately, in this fight, the fighters did not respect each other as brothers, quite the contrary. Few are those who will not remember the second confrontation between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield in the Grand Garden Arena of the MGM hotel in Las Vegas.
That’s right, it was the day that “Kid Dynamite” entered the ring fasting and to fight hunger he decided to bite his opponent’s ear. Tyson had lost the world title the previous evening against “The Warrior” and came with the ambition to recover it. In a “give and take” match, where Holyfield was penalized for continuous head butting, emotions exceeded the limits of what was established, and after two failed attempts to bite his opponent’s ear again, “Iron Mike” was disqualified and penalized for twelve months.
Once the decision of the judges to annul the fight was communicated, a massive fight broke out inside the ring. After the match, a piece of Holyfield’s ear was found in the ring.
Diego Corrales vs Jose Luis Castillo
We are at the beginning of the 21st century, May 7, 2005, the American Diego Corrales faced the Mexican Jose Luis Castillo. Perhaps they are two names that do not carry much controversy, but the spectators who were able to enjoy this evening will remember them for the rest of their lives.
Both opponents began the fight on a ruthless level, landing and receiving repeated blows throughout an impressive nine rounds. Finally in the tenth round, Corrales, after being knocked down twice, took advantage of a 30-second pause to catch some air, and immediately began to launch consecutive series at Castillo’s face, leaving him defenseless and without the possibility of a reaction between the ropes.
Later there was a rematch that Castillo won easily. But the final and decisive fight, called “The war to settle the accounts”, was canceled because the Mexican exceeded the weight.
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao
What was going to be the fight of the century, where tickets were priced at 10,000 euros at the box office, turned out to be a great disappointment for many.
I remember this fight with special enthusiasm, not because of the spectacle offered, but because of the benefits obtained, since I was very lucky to hit my bet. I will not forget the accumulation of sensations that I experienced the day of the evening, I felt anger for the “tedious” fight that he just witnessed, where “Money” focused solely on the perfect defense to win his opponent and at the same time happiness for the benefits obtained.
The highest boxing bets made at Sportium were €10,000 for Floyd Mayweather and €20,000 for Many Pacquiao. The odds offered exceeded €150 per euro wagered.
The benefits obtained by both fighters were scandalous, the American pocketed nothing more and nothing less than 180 million dollars, while the Filipino followed with 120 million. It is not surprising that it is the fight with the highest income in all of history. And be careful, let’s not let our guard down, because it seems that the revenge is on the way.
McGregor vs. Mayweather “The Billion Dollar Match”
Finally! I was already tired of so much ado about nothing, and I think that more than one will feel identified with me. We have confirmation of the long-awaited fight between Conor McGregor and the undefeated champion of the ring. If you want to know more about this fight that has raised so much expectation, don’t miss this post where we break down the keys to the fight.
The odds are favorable for “Money”, since the boxer is expected to feel at home fighting in his modality. On the other hand, McGregor is in an impressive state of form and at only 28 years old he has won more than a dozen professional titles.
From my point of view, I believe that the Irishman is an exceptional fighter in the octagon, his mix of martial arts contains spectacular technique and power, however, I think that he has nothing to do in the ring against Mayweather since he only fights with the upper torso and by the rules of boxing, McGregor will be very limited in his movements. That said, without a doubt my bet will go in favor of “Money”.