The Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas on May 2 is expected to easily shatter records for pay-per-view buys and gross ticket revenue, making this the biggest fight of all time in pure financial terms.
But there’s another way that the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao megafight will also likely become the biggest ever — betting. The “action” on the fight is already heavy, though Mayweather is listed by Vegas as a clear, if not overwhelming favorite.
If you want to place a bet on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight, the first piece of info you need are the odds. Currently, Bovada Sports puts Mayweather at a -200 favorite . That means a bettor must put down $200 to make a profit of $100 if Mayweather wins.
BetOnline.com has the lowest odds on Mayweather , making the undefeated 38-year-old a -192 favorite.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, ranges from a +160 underdog at YouWager.com , to +188 at William Hill . In other words, in the latter case, a bet of $100 will earn a profit of $188 if Pacquiao wins.
William Hill also has Mayweather as an especially heavy favorite at -225.
But betting on who wins and who loses is just one way — perhaps the least interesting way — to bet on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight, Most sports books also offer proposition bets. Those are bets on specific elements of the fight.
For example, bettors can put down money on the number of rounds that the fight will last. At Bovada , as at most sports books, the odds heavily favor the fight going the full 12 rounds. That sports book has the “over” at 11 1/2 rounds — a -285 favorite. But if the fight is stopped before 11 1/2 rounds for whatever reason, a $100 bet pays $170.
But the oddsmakers feel strongly that Mayweather will not stop Pacquiao. Bettors can get +500 odds on a Mayweather stoppage. In other words, a $100 bet returns $600 — the original $100 bet plus $500 profit — if Mayweather knocks out Manny Pacquiao, or wins by disqualification.
Do you think the fight will end up a unanimous draw, with all three judges scoring the fight exactly even? If so, you’re in luck. A $100 bet earns you a staggering $12,000 at the 5Dimes sports book — if you’re right.
Bettors can even place a wager on the number of pay-per-view buys the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight will sell. Bovada favors a total of more than 3.15 million. That’ll get you odds of -250. But any total under 3.15 million brings $170 on a $100 bet.
[Image: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images]