Bradley narrows betting odds gap with Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr. pose for photos during their final press conference at the David Copperfield Theater inside MGM Hotel in Las Vegas. Pacquiao and Bradley fight for the third time on April 10, Sunday (Manila time). PHOTO BY REM ZAMORA

LAS VEGAS — Either the bettors feel Timothy Bradley has gotten better or Manny Pacquiao is on the decline.

Instead of the odds getting bigger for Pacquiao as the fight nears, the gap is actually shrinking a little.

As of Wednesday night, three days before Pacquiao-Bradley III, the sports book at MGM Grand Garden has listed the Filipino ring icon as a -230 favorite and the American a +180 underdog.

It means a $230 wager on Pacquiao will win $100 while a $100 bet on Bradley will earn $180.

That’s a significant change from the opening line figures of -260 for Pacquiao and +220 for Bradley on Jan. 16.

This development is rather surprising as Pacquiao has always been a hot bettors’ choice in this city of lights, fun, gambling and entertainment.

In their first encounter in 2012, Pacquiao was the solid favorite at -450 as against Bradley’s +330.

The grudge rematch put Pacquiao at -280 as against Bradley’s +240.

The knockout/decision/draw proposition for the 12-round HBO pay-per-view welterweight bout remained unchanged, however.

A draw is considered very remote with 30/1 odds while Pacquiao winning by decision is listed as even.

Pacquiao by knockout is listed at 7/2 while Bradley by knockout is at 11/2. Bets of Bradley by knockout in round one will be the most lucrative with the odds at 50/1.

READ: We won’t chase KO, says Roach

For those siding with Pacquiao, the best bets would be knockouts in rounds one and two, both placed at 40/1.

Meanwhile, Freddie Roach raised no objections for the officials chosen by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to officiate Pacquiao-Bradley III

Robert Byrd will be third man on the ring with Burt Clements, Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld acting as judges.

Clements drew concern at first as he was the judge that deprived Pacquiao of victory in his first battle with Juan Manuel Marquez in 2004.

Scoring the first round at 10-7 instead of 10-6 following the three knockouts scored by Pacquiao, Clements’ total resulted in a 113-113 split draw, depriving the three-time fighter of the year of victory.