The non-title, 10-round heavyweight collision between David Haye and Derek Chisora, on Saturday at Upton Park, London, is poised to break all British fight ‘in-play’ betting records.

With the most controversial bout in recent history sparking fever-pitch interest well beyond the usual UK boxing fan, bookies are expecting a flood of money to be wagered during the anticipated domestic grudge contest.

All the money in the build-up has been for the fight to go the distance – at evens – with punters predicting a much closer battle than some pundits. If that happens, in-play markets will see an estimated $70 every second being placed in the latter rounds.

“Punters can’t wait to see these two get it on,” said Alex Donohue, spokesman for UK betting giants Ladbrokes. “And the money so far suggests it will be far tighter than many predict. Should the fight remain close, though, we are expecting all in-play records to be utterly smashed.”

Former WBA heavyweight titleholder Haye, 31, enters the fight as the odds-on favourite, at 1/3; however that hasn’t discouraged an army of smaller backers rallying round 28-year-old Chisora at 5/2. A Chisora victory, by decision, is also proving popular at 7/1.

The special odds section market makes for particularly interesting reading. It suggests the fighters will touch gloves beforehand (1/8) but will not shake hands in the press conference afterwards (5/1)! And it’s 7/1 for the winner to beat either of the Klitschko brothers within a year.