CEBU CITY—Betting on the upcoming fight between boxing champions Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has reached as much as P300,000 in Cebu.
In some cases, Pacquiao appears as the underdog where bettors stand to receive more should he win in what is dubbed the fight of the century.
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. pose for the media after their official weigh in at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday. REM ZAMORA
A businessman has placed an P8,000 bet on Pacquiao but will stand to receive P10,000 if the Filipino wins, according to a broker, who has asked not to be named.
But he said there were two businessmen who had placed a wager of P300,000.
Betting here, however, is not limited to the wealthy.
Security guards, taxi drivers and hotel personnel have also placed their bets ranging from P100 to P500.
A businessman from Lutac, Naga City, said he and his friend had placed a total bet of P5,000 for Pacquiao.
Their joint bets had been accepted by a bank employee.
The businessman said he was confident Pacquiao’s power punch would bring him to victory.
A Cebuano engineer had also put his P10,000 on Pacquiao. Another engineer had put a bet of P10,000 on the Filipino boxer even if he felt his opponent would win in the match.
“To bet on Mayweather is not patriotic. I placed my bet on Pacquiao even if I had doubts whether he would win because I am a Filipino. So I’ll support a Filipino,” he told Inquirer.
Home court advantage
A taxi driver, 53, admitted putting his P50 on Mayweather “because he is an American and the fight will happen in America. The judges may favor him because of home court advantage.”
He clarified he was not being anti-Filipino but rather putting his money on the boxer whom he believed would win.
A hotel staff member, 44, said he was placing a P100 bet on Mayweather because the American had both weight and height advantage over Pacquiao.
His friend who had accepted the bet said there was only one reason why she placed her money on Pacquiao.
“A lot of people had said I look like Jinky,” she said laughing, referring to Pacquiao’s wife.
A security guard says he is betting his P100 on Pacquiao because he is a Filipino.
Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, chief of the regional investigation and detection management division and acting regional chief of directorial staff of Police Regional Office-Central Visayas, warned the public and even the policemen against betting.
“It is immoral and illegal,” Lawas said.
Lawas said policemen could be charged administratively and criminally if caught betting. Civilians could also be charged criminally, he said.
But he admitted the case would only prosper if there was evidence.
“No evidence, no case,” Lawas said. RC
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