Pacquiao, entourage back in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS—After stops in Cowboys territory, Manny Pacquiao and his growing entourage made a homecoming of sorts in this glitzy gambling capital, the site of some of his most memorable victories.

Pacquiao and wife Jinkee took the lead of a 15-vehicle convoy that made the 360-kilometer, four and half hour ride from Hollywood to the Mandalay Bay, where the Filipino icon stays during fights here.

Pacquiao is scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight crown on May 7 at the MGM Grand Arena. It will be the first time since 2009 that Pacquiao will fight in this casino-lined city.

The pound-for-pound king’s last two fights—dominating victories over Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey—were held in Arlington, Texas, in a football stadium that the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL calls home.

Team Pacquiao members and supporters were herded into his 60th floor suite at the adjacent hotel, where they partook of a sumptuous dinner of beef steak, caldereta, nilaga, chicken adobo, pancit, steamed fish and steamed rice.

Pacquiao was a regular fixture in this desert oasis, where he has fought 11 times, the last in 2009 when he stopped Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto to become the first boxer to collect titles in seven weight divisions.

It was also here that Pacquiao stamped his dominance with successive knockouts of David Diaz at 135 pounds, the legendary Oscar De La Hoya at 145 pounds and Ricky Hatton at 140 pounds.

Pacquiao hopes to add Mosley to his string of Las Vegas successes.

Pacquiao and Mosley will be officially welcomed Tuesday morning at the MGM Grand’s main hotel lobby.

Pacquiao is currently on a 13-victory streak. He hasn’t lost since dropping a decision to Erik Morales in 2005. He defeated Morales twice later and kicked off a run capped with his victory over Margarito last year, which allowed him to set the pound-for-pound bar higher by becoming boxing’s first eight-division champion.

As of Monday evening, Las Vegas odds have Pacquiao a -800 favorite, with Mosley a +500 underdog, meaning an $800 bet on Pacquiao will net just $100 while a $100 wager on Mosley will earn $500.

Oddsmakers also picked Pacquiao to deal Mosley his first knockout loss, with a $220 bet netting just $100.

That betting line seems possible since bettors are heavily putting money on the fight not lasting the distance.