The Toronto Maple Leafs know how important good defense is to their chances, and it’s the same in every sport, even an individual sport like boxing, where the goal is to not get hit as many times as your opponent. Here are a few things to look for in a solid defensive boxer.

Head Movement

Head movement is critical to being a good defensive boxer as you can fool your opponent into throwing a punch in a certain way with the slightest of feints, which opens up a punch for you. If you can establish your head movement in the early rounds, your opponent is going to get frustrated and start pushing, which usually means a mistake.

Footwook

Of course, footwork is crucial to defensive boxing as you have to be able to circle your opponent quickly and never give them a clean target to hit. You can move in and out quickly, and having good footwork will keep you off the ropes and out of the corner, which is when a lot of fighters get in trouble.

Quick Hands

One of the biggest reasons Floyd Mayweather Jr. is always a sports betting favorite is because of his ridiculously quick hands, and a quick and stiff jab to an opponent’s face when they think they’re just in range to unleash a power shot is a strong deterrent against doing it again. If you can snap off a quick shot to keep your opponent off balance, it is a good weapon in raising your chances at betting websites.

Your favorite baseball blog may try to differentiate between a slugger and a player that hits for average, and there are subtle nuances in each style. The same holds true for boxing and you’ll see a lot of different types get into the ring. How can you tell the difference between a brawler and a pure boxer?

The main factors for sports betting online players to watch for when trying to tell these styles apart is footwork and overall movement, because a brawler will simply stand in the pocket and trade blows until someone goes down, which may not be the smartest or safest way to win a belt, but it is entertaining for the fans. Then you have the fighters that are pure boxers, who utilize all the punches in their arsenal and like to move in and out, “stick and move”, as it were. These fighters are all about technique and using everything they have to win a fight, not just depending on their ability to take a punch and their power.

Of course, some of the best fighters are the ones who can fight both ways, because you’re not going to be able to fight your style all the time. The great ones are adaptable and can use either weapon when it needs to be used, so go back and watch old footage of a boxer to see if you can nail down their style before you lay a sports bet on them.

Even those checking out NHL hockey news like to dabble in the sweet science, better known as boxing, and these are the five fights that would draw in everyone from hardcore fight fans to casual observers.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao

This doesn’t need to be explained much; they’re the pound-for-pound kings who rule the 147-pound class, but they can’t seem to get together for a number of reasons on both sides. This is a fight that would cause the sports world to stop; even baseball betting players would get in on it.

Vitali Klitschko vs. Wladimir Klitschko

These brothers have lorded over the heavyweight division, and there is less of a chance of this happening than Mayweather-Pacquiao. Vitali will likely retire soon, but even still, they will never fight.

Brandon Rios vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa

This fight was supposed to happen as Gamboa was going to move up from 126 pounds to 135 to meet Rios, but he backed out of a deal and is being sued by Top Rank. He was undefeated at 126 and doesn’t even know when he’ll fight next.

Sergio Martinez vs. Miguel Cotto

Martinez is the king at 160, and would likely have to drop to 154 to take on Cotto, who will fight Mayweather in May. Cotto and Martinez are both all-action guys and it would be a fun fight to watch.

Andre Ward vs. Lucien Bute

Ward rolled through the Super Six Classic with ease, and he should take on Bute, another undefeated fighter who is in action in May, but then he could take on Ward in what would be a fantastic matchup for sports betting online sharps.

Even March Madness fans like to get it on some boxing action every once in a while, and they would see a number of different styles throughout the course of one card. Southpaws aren’t thought to have any major advantages or disadvantages from right-handed boxers, but there are a few currently that are among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the boxing game.

Of course, Manny Pacquiao is the most well-known southpaw in boxing (if he were an option in March Madness betting, he’d be a No.1 seed) as the first eight-division champion in history. Depending on who you talk to, “Pac-Man is the pound-for-pound king, but his last performance against rival Juan Manuel Marquez left a lot to be desired and the fight with Floyd Mayweather still can’t get done, so he’ll fight Tim Bradley on June 9^th; look for him to be a sizeable favorite.

Middleweight Sergio Martinez has gained notoriety for his 2010 knockout of Paul Williams, and the Argentine has been the class of the middleweight division for two years now with his crowd-pleasing style. But his best punch is a right hook and that is why being a southpaw isn’t really important anymore; you have to be able fight with both hands now to be among the elite in the world, and most top-end boxers now can defend left-handed shots as well as they do orthodox punchers. Their ability to land with both hands is the real key to Pacquiao and Martinez’s success, boxing in the ring and for sport betting sharps.