Boxing

What Happens to Your Bet When a Boxing Match Ends in No Contest?

What Happens to Your Bet When a Boxing Match Ends in No Contest?

Last weekend, Daniel Valladares and Ginjiro Shigeoka stepped into the ring together in Osaka to contest the IBF Strawweight title. Given his incredible undefeated start to his career so far, Shigeoka was the overwhelming favourite to come away victorious in the fight.

However, the boxing match ended in a no contest decision, with an accidental head clash occurring in the third round.

For those who bet on Shigeoka, what happened to their wagers? Did they lose everything? Or was their money refunded? We look at the rules from most major bookmakers surrounding no contest decisions in boxing, and what typically happens for punters in these scenarios.

How a No Contest Occurs in Boxing

In boxing, and any other combat sport such as mixed martial arts, fights can end in three different ways: Win, draw, or no contest.

By far the most common result is a win, with draws only occurring when a fight goes the distance and the judges are unable to decide who has won the fight. However, an even more rare result is the no contest ruling.

A no contest result will be declared in a boxing match when something ends the boxing match, which is out of either boxers’ hands. Technically, this could look like a whole range of different circumstances, but most commonly is due to an accidental head clash between the two boxers. When this is severe enough to cause a fight-altering injury to one of the contestants, the fight is unable to continue, and the bout is declared a no contest.

Other examples of no contests that have occurred in the past include referees accidentally hurting boxers when they intervene to break up clashes, outdoor fights being rained off, or the ring falling apart.

Boxing no contest

What Happens to a Boxing Bet When a No Contest Occurs

In the case of Daniel Valladares vs Ginjiro Shigeoka, the Japanese home favourite was paying incredibly low odds of 1/7 (1.14). Those familiar with boxing will know that this means Shigeoka was overwhelmingly likely to win here.

In these instances, given that the odds are so low, what often happens is punters will wager large amounts in order to generate enough of a return. For those who put down a cool $10,000 or so on Shigeoka to win @ 1/7 (1.14), does that mean that their entire bet has been lost since Shigeoka didn’t win the match?

Thankfully, no. Most major sportsbooks tend to treat no contest rulings as a push, meaning that no pay outs will occur, and all bets will be returned to the punters.

Exceptions to the No Contest Pay Outs From Major Bookmakers

There are two exceptions, however, to the way that major bookmakers treat no contest rulings.

Firstly, if the timeframe for a wager has already passed by the time a no contest is ruled, the bet is still lost. For example, those who bet on Shigeoka to win in Round 1 still lose their wagers, since the no contest ruling occurred in the third round.

Secondly, if the no contest ruling is called after the match has occurred and the bets have been settled, then bookmakers typically won’t give a refund. Sometimes, no contests are called retrospectively, if one of the contestants fails a drug test. In this case, the sportsbook may already have paid out bets, and those pay outs will be final, even if the result changes after the fact.

For those who bet on Valladares vs Shigeoka, talk of a rematch is imminent, so stay tuned for our betting preview when that clash arises.


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