Combat sports betting is all about placing bets on those great sports that pit fighter against fighter in a competition of agility, wits and strength, such as boxing, amateur wrestling, kickboxing and fencing. Obviously, boxing is the most popular combat sport to bet on! And betting on boxing is easy because you can get the odds of any given match online or even place your bet on the high street.

Early British versions of boxing didn't have any rules and there were no divisions for weight classes or limits on the amount of time a round lasted. There was also no referee and that resulted in a lot of deaths in the ring.

The first set of rules for boxing came in the year 1743 and was called Broughton's rules, after the boxer who invented them, Jack Broughton. Those rules are similar to the rules which govern boxing these days. For example, under the 1743 rules, if a man went down and couldn't continue the fight after a count of 30 seconds the fight was over and the other boxer won.

Hitting a man when he was 'down' (which is now a popular saying) or hitting someone below the waist were also illegal and padded gloves like the ones which boxers wear these days were also introduced. Betting on combat sports such as boxing is exciting because it's so visceral and energy-packed. You can eagerly watch the action unfold and it's hard not to cheer on the fighter you've placed your bet on.