With its unpredictability and intense action, Boxing presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities for online betting enthusiasts. 

Smart betting on boxing matches requires a love for the sport and a disciplined approach to analyzing fighters, understanding betting markets, and managing one's betting portfolio. This article aims to guide novice and seasoned bettors through the intricacies of making informed decisions in the boxing betting landscape.

Understanding Boxing Styles and Matchups

• Analyzing Fighters' Styles: The first step in making smart bets is to understand the boxing styles of the fighters involved. Boxers can be broadly categorized into styles such as sluggers, swarmers, out-boxers, and boxer-punchers. Each style has its advantages and disadvantages against the other. For instance, a swarmer, who relies on close-range pressure and high-volume punching, may struggle against an outboxer known for maintaining distance and utilizing superior reach. By analyzing how these styles match up, bettors can gain insights into the likely course of the match.

• Evaluating Head-to-Head Matchups: Beyond styles, looking at direct and indirect head-to-head matchups is crucial. Direct matchups include previous fights between the two boxers, if applicable, offering clear insights into how their styles interact. Indirect matchups involve analyzing how each fighter has performed against similar styles. This analysis can uncover patterns, strengths, and weaknesses that may not be apparent from general records or rankings.

Researching Fighter Backgrounds and Training Camps

• Assessing Physical Condition and Training Camp Reports: A boxer's physical condition can significantly influence the outcome of a fight. Information on a fighter's training camp, weight-cut process, and injuries are vital. Training camp reports and social media can provide clues about a fighter's preparation and physical readiness. A well-prepared fighter in peak condition is likelier to perform to their potential.

• Understanding Psychological Factors: The mental state of a boxer is as crucial as their physical condition. Confidence, motivation, and focus can dramatically affect a fighter's performance. Changes in coaching staff, personal issues, or public statements can offer insights into a fighter's psychological readiness. Bettors should consider these elements when evaluating a fighter's prospects.

Mastering the Betting Markets

• Knowing the Types of Bets: Online boxing betting is not limited to picking winners. Understanding the range of available bets, such as money line bets, round betting, method of victory, and over/under rounds, allows bettors to find value beyond the obvious. Each type of bet requires different strategies and insights, from predicting the fight's duration to foreseeing the winning method.

• Finding Value Bets:

• Compare odds across different bookmakers to ensure you get the best bet value.
• Look for discrepancies between your analysis and the odds provided. Sometimes, public sentiment can skew odds in favor of popular fighters, creating value bets on the underdog.
• Consider prop bets that might offer higher value based on your fight analysis, such as betting on a specific round for a knockout.

Betting Discipline and Bankroll Management

• Setting a Betting Budget: One of the fundamentals of smart betting is never to wager more than you can afford to lose. Setting a budget for your betting activities helps manage your bankroll effectively and ensures that betting on boxing remains a fun and sustainable activity.

• Adopting a Selective Betting Approach: Not every fight offers a good betting opportunity. Being selective, focusing on fights where your research indicates clear value, and avoiding betting on every major event can increase your chances of success. Patience and discipline in waiting for the right opportunities are key.

Conclusion

Making smart bets on boxing matches online requires thorough research, strategic thinking, and disciplined betting practices. 

Bettors can enhance their prospects of making profitable bets by understanding the nuances of boxing styles and matchups, diligently researching fighter backgrounds and training camps, mastering the betting markets, and adhering to strict bankroll management principles. 

Remember, the goal is to win bets and make informed decisions that lead to long-term betting success. Through careful analysis and disciplined betting, enthusiasts can enjoy the thrill of boxing betting while minimizing risks and maximizing rewards.

Bryce Harper was the face of the Washington Nationals from the moment he debuted as a teenager, but the man who won the 2015 National League MVP would depart via free agency to their division rival.  Washington promptly won their first World Series in franchise history without him, but Harper has done all that he could to win his first ring.

Arriving in Philly in 2019, Harper had a good year with 35 Home Runs, 114 RBIs and an .882 OPS, but it had to be frustrating for the slugger as the Nationals won the World Series.  He shook that off with another good year in the shortened 2020 season (13 HR, .962 OPS), but 2021 was what they paid him for.

That year, Harper won the MVP (his second), blasted 35 Home Runs, and led the NL in Slugging (.615), OPS (1.044) and OPS+ (179).  As good as Harper was, this did not come with a trip to the playoffs.  Harper dealt with a UCL tear in 2022 that cost him significant time, but he led them to the playoffs, where he won the NLCS MVP.  Harper finally made it to the World Series, but was not on the winning side, and was now hurt.

Harper underwent surgery to repair the UCL, and he was playing mostly at DH, and later at First.  He could still hit (.900), and was again instrumental in a playoff run for Philadelphia, but doubt in his long-term viability arrived. Moving forward, the concern with Harper is his health and ability to play in the field, and as such he was moved to First Base in 2024.  The move worked, and last season, Harper returned to the All-Star Game, was sixth in MVP voting, and had his first 30-Home Run Season since 2021.

Could Harper have another MVP year in him?

After 126 Games with the New York Mets, Zack Wheeler signed with NL East rival, Philadelphia, which has been a good fit for both parties.

Wheeler’s first season was during the COVID year, but was good with a 4-2 record with a 2.92 ERA over 71 Innings.  For the first time in his career, Wheeler received Cy Young votes (12^th overall), and it set the stage for what is to date his best season on Philadelphia. 

Wheeler was the runner-up for the National League Cy Young, and he led the league in Innings (213.1) and Strikeouts (247), while posting a 2.78 ERA and 1.008 WHIP.  This was his first All-Star year, though not his only All-Star caliber campaign, as 2022 was good with a 12-7 record and a 2.82 ERA. 

In 2023, Wheeler finished sixth in Cy Young voting (13-6, 3.61 ERA, 212 SO) and won three Games in the post-season.  Last year, Wheeler was again an All-Star, and was second in Cy Young voting with a 16-7 record with a 2.57 ERA and a league-leading WHIP (0.955)

Wheeler is 35, and might not have much years in the upper-tier left in him, but we have seen other hurlers do so.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2023 revision of our top 50 Oakland Athletics.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Athletics had another awful year, where they not only lost a lot of games and were mocked for their lack of attendance.  Their time left in Oakland is questionable, and they remain in a perpetual state of rebuilding.  This led to another year, where we saw no new entrants and elevations.  Nevertheless, at the end of every year we always acknowledge that we took into account the past season.

As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) saw no changes:

1. Lefty Grove

2. Rickey Henderson

3. Eddie Plank

4. Jimmie Foxx

5. Al Simmons

You can find the entire list here.

We thank you for your continued support for our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.