Pacquiao vs. Matthysse 2018: Final Odds and Predictions for Title Fight

Manny Pacquiao will step into the ring once again on Sunday, when he goes head-to-head with Lucas Matthysse for the WBA welterweight title in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The 39-year-old will be competing in his 69th professional fight just over a year since his most recent bout, against Jeff Horn, resulted in the seventh defeat of his career.

Matthysse, four years his junior, holds a 39-1-4 record and he will be making his first defence of the WBA (regular) welterweight title he won in January against Tewa Kiram.

Pacquiao is 21-50 to win the bout, according to OddsShark. Matthysse, meanwhile, is 41-20.

Having not fought since July 2 last year, Pac Man could be suffering from ring rust when he steps into the squared circle with Matthysse.

At his age, the effects of a prolonged period without a fight are likely to be more profound, although he still looks quick in the glimpse he offered us of his training via Twitter:

We've also been able to peak behind the curtain to see how Matthysse has been preparing for the fight:

Out of the Argentinian's 39 career wins, 36 have come via knockout, which is befitting of the punching power he possesses.

By contrast, Pacquiao has not managed to stop an opponent in his past 13 bouts, stretching back to his fight with Miguel Cotto in 2009.

He's still able to land a high volume of punches, as he did against Horn last year. The Filipino landed 182 punches on the Australian, 90 more than Horn, per CompuBox (h/t ESPN Stats & Info).

Despite that, the judges controversially awarded the fight to Horn in a unanimous decision:

While Pacquiao can count himself unfortunate not to have won, it was a stark reminder that he no longer has the power to put down opponents, even if he can land plenty of strikes.

Pacquiao's experience can help him ensure the fight goes the distance, but Matthysse will likely have edge if it does go to a decision.

Prediction: Matthysse wins via split decision, 115-113, 116-112, 113-115