Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao Boxing Betting Odds, Matchup Preview
The Fight of the Century is a little more than a week away, and the anticipation is rapidly building around the world for what is expected to be the most heavily bet boxing match ever between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao for the unified welterweight championship May 2 in Las Vegas.
The unbeaten WBA and WBC champion Mayweather (47-0) is set to take on WBO champ Pacquiao (57-5-2) in a fight that has been in negotiations for more than five years, and bettors and books alike simply cannot wait until the boxers finally enter the ring.
"Since I have been in the business, no match has come close to the amount we have taken already on the fight,” Kevin Bradley, Sportsbook Manager at online sportsbook Bovada, said in an interview Wednesday. “And there is no doubt it will be the biggest ever, just hard to tell how big since there has not been a fight of this magnitude in ages."
Bradley also said his book is seeing 50-50 betting action on the fighters, although the fact that Pacquiao is a popular public underdog could end up costing them a lot of money. Mayweather is currently a 10-21 favorite (or -210, bet $210 to win $100) at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark, while Pacquiao is 17-10 (or +170, bet $100 to win $170), which obviously has a more appealing reward.
“With Pacquiao paying out almost 2-1, the risk is growing on him,” Bradley said. “And no question, we will need Mayweather.”
In addition to simply taking Mayweather or Pacquiao to win, other ways to wager on the fight include props that involve picking the round and exact outcome. Mayweather has won each of his past five fights via decision, a result Bradley said he would definitely welcome, considering his book has a lot more liability on Pacquiao winning by knockout.
“Props will determine a big part of how we do on the fight,” Bradley said. “Ideally, we will need Mayweather by decision, which is currently priced at -140. A first-round knockout by (Pacquiao) would be a disaster.”
Two of Mayweather's last three fights have resulted in majority decisions, which pays out at 14-1 odds, while a unanimous decision in his favor is only worth 11-10. Pacquiao has scored 38 knockouts in his career, and a first-round victory for him is at 33-1 odds.
Quotes were obtained first-hand.
