Exclusive - Bookmakers report suspicious Burns v Cook bets to Gambling Commission

What appears to be an attempted betting coup on the outcome of Ricky Burns v Nicky Cook has been reported to the Gambling Commission by leading bookmakers.

Bets tumbled in on Scotsman Burns to successfully defend his WBO super-featherweight title on Saturday night by way of third round stoppage, or for Burns to win in rounds one to three.

Those punting on a third round stoppage proved wildly optimistic as the former champion was halted after just 93 seconds. 

The ending – which began a mere six seconds after the first bell – was incredibly bizarre, even by boxing’s standards.  Dagenham man Cook twisted to one side as a Burns body shot landed and went to ground, gesturing that he’d injured his back. Sky Sports commentator Jim Watt immediately suggested that the fight was over as Cook tried to battle through the pain of what was later diagnosed as a prolapsed disc.

Cook's obvious agony was ended after his father and trainer, Paul, threw in the towel.

Just after 4pm on the afternoon of the fight, a poster on East Side’s forum started a thread stating that bookmakers had suspended some of their markets on the bout, particularly with reference to Burns winning in round three, as bets poured in and odds tumbled.

In fact, one bookmaker had suspended their market as early as Friday afternoon.

A BoxRec poster on a similar thread claimed he had tried to stake a substantial wager on a Burns stoppage and was refused the bet.

A spokesperson from Coral Bookmakers told BoxRec News, “Following a series of bets placed in betting shops in the East London area on Burns to win in rounds one to three that did not fit the usual betting patterns for a fight of this nature, we took the decision to suspend betting on Friday afternoon.

“The Gambling Commission has been notified, and we will provide any information we have to them if required.”

A William Hill spokesperson confirmed that they had taken an amount of bets which was totally out of the ordinary for a market and contest of this nature. They have also reported the matter to the Gambling Commission.

David Williams of Ladbrokes said: "We laid an unusual number of bets on Burns to win in the third round. Many of the bets were struck across our shop estate rather than online and the gamble gathered momentum all day long on Saturday, forcing the odds in from 25/1 to just 3/1.

“Ultimately, the gamble went astray and these particular bets are increasingly frequent as pre-fight bravado takes hold. We saw it during the Haye-Klitschko fight when the world and his wife wanted to back a Haye win in round six. Saying it is one thing but completing it is another and punters have had their fingers burnt lately."

How terribly unpatriotic of some East London punters to lump on a Scotsman to beat one of their own by early stoppage. And, like the fight itself, both sad and bizarre.