Point Spread
A handicap applied to one side in sports like football or basketball to even the playing field. The favorite “gives” points and must win by more than the spread; the underdog “gets” points and can lose by less than the spread (or win outright) to cover. *(Note: Boxing matches typically do not use point spreads.)*
In a hypothetical scenario, Fighter A -3.5 means he must win by more than 3.5 points on the judges’ scores for spread bets to win, while Fighter B +3.5 can lose by 3 or fewer and still cover.