Oddsmakers favor Mayweather; Fortune says Pacquiao has goods to prevail

HOLLYWOOD—Las Vegas oddsmakers have installed Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the prohibitive favorite to beat Manny Pacquiao when they clash in the Fight of the Century on May 2 (May 3 in Manila) at MGM Grand Garden Arena in the gambling mecca.

As of Thursday, Sportsbook Bovada tabbed Mayweather at minus-210 and Pacquiao at plus-70.

This means that a $210 bet on Mayweather earns just $100 if the American wins while a $100 wager on a Pacquiao victory rakes in $170.

Despite the oddsmakers’ preference for their flamboyant countryman, however, Pacquiao’s conditioning coach Justin Fortune said he can’t imagine the Filipino losing to Mayweather.

Fortune, a former heavyweight boxer, said all Pacquiao needs to do is listen to chief trainer Freddie Roach, especially on fight night, “and everything else would fall into place.

“He should listen to Freddie, especially during the fight itself,” Fortune told Filipino sportswriters Thursday as Pacquiao made his early-morning run. “Roach surely knows how to beat Mayweather.”

After reviewing Mayweather’s previous fights, which netted him 47 victories against no defeats, Roach devised several strategies designed to take the world’s highest-paid athlete out of his comfort zone.

Fortune believes that Roach’s plan, combined with Pacquiao’s outputs, guarantees success in the mega fight that is projected to gross between $300 million and $400 million.

White hairs

Shortly before doing abdominal strengthening exercises at Pan Pacific Park here, Pacquiao noticed a few white hairs in his beard but laughed it off.

“[Signs of] wisdom,” grinned the 36-year-old Sarangani representative.

The eight-division world champion later tried the mouth guard he would be wearing against Mayweather, who will wear a mouth guard coasting $25,000 for the fight.

Pacquiao gave Dr. Ed de La Vega, a cosmetic and restorative dentist who dabbles as a boxing cutman, the thumbs-up for the tri-color mouth guard.

No counterattack

Assistant trainer Nonoy Neri, who joined Pacquiao’s run, said Manny wants “to prevent” the 38-year-old Mayweather “from establishing position and launching counterattack.”

Late in the afternoon, after a much-needed nap, Pacquiao went to chief trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in a jovial mood as he prepared to spar for at least 10 rounds.

To Pacquiao’s disappointment, he was instead met by technicians from the United States Anti-Doping Agency, for another drug test in which four vials of blood was extracted from him.