Irish boxer bet on himself to lose, won anyway

Irish boxer Steven Donnelly has revealed he actually bet on himself to lose a fight he ended up winning at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Donnelly was one of three boxers who received "severe reprimands" from the IOC for placing bets on their matches, but he was the only one who wagered on his own.

He placed eight low-stakes bets all up, two of which were on his opponent, Mongolia's Tuvshinbat Byamba.

Donnelly ended up winning in a split decision to qualify for the quarter-finals.

His explanation was that 'he had bet without intending to cheat by losing his match to win his bets, rather, winning the bets would be some compensation in the event he lost his match'.

He's clearly a better boxer than punter.