Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao face off at the official weigh in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Photo by Rem Zamora/INQUIRER/
LAS VEGAS—The odds remained stacked in favor of Floyd Mayweather Jr. a few hours ahead of his super showdown with Manny Pacquiao on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) for the unified world welterweight crown at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Betting stations have installed Mayweather at minus-200 and Pacquiao at plus-170, despite the arrival of some Filipino high rollers.
The betting odds mean that a $200 wager on a victory by the undefeated American will earn just $100 while a $100 bet on a Pacquiao win will net $170.
With both fighters unable to post a knockout win for the past few years, bets that the Fight of the Century will go the full 12-round distance get a handsome payback: a $100 wager wins $320.
Mayweather last stopped an opponent in 2011, when he sneaked in two punches to the unsuspecting Victor Ortiz, who was apologizing for an intentional headbutt. Before that, Mayweather’s last knockout win was against Briton Ricky Hatton in 2007.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, posted his last knockout in 2009, when he stopped Miguel Cotto in the 12th round of their World Boxing Organization 147-pound title bout.
In a television survey held during the official weigh-in, however, Pacquiao surprisingly emerged the favorite to beat Mayweather.
Fifty-nine percent of those polled chose the Filipino World Boxing Organization king while 41 percent sided with the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council champion.
To spice up the undercard bouts, the WBO featherweight title clash between champion Vasyl Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine, and Gamalier Rodriguez (25-2-3, 17 knockouts), was inserted.
Another featured bout pits rising featherweight Leo Santa Cruz (29-0-1, 17 KOs) against Jose Cayetano (17-3, 8 KOs).
Pacquiao received a warm, electric welcome during the official weigh-in, drawing loud cheers when he made his way to the ring, when he stepped on the scales to register 145 pounds and when his relaxed, smiling face was shown on the wide screen.
“The fans deserve a great fight,” Pacquiao said, eliciting a huge roar from the crowd. “Whether you are fans of Mayweather or fans of Pacquiao, you deserve a great fight.”
In contrast, Mayweather, who weighed 146 pounds, was booed lustily.
Pacquiao tipped the scales at 145.