Oddsmakers lock Pacquiao as 7-1 favorite

[clevfan]

Oddsmakers lock Pacquiao as 7-1 favorite

by Bev Llorente, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau | 03/13/2010 11:33 AM


LAS VEGAS - Every time Manny Pacquiao fights, fans from all over the world flock to Sin City for a weekend of boxing entertainment, and in the process, pour millions of dollars in revenue to the city.

Even with Pacquiao’s fight set to happen in Texas, casino owners are still confident that Pacquiao’s Saturday fight will still bring in gambling dollars to Las Vegas.

Most casinos have set Pacquiao’s odds at 7-to-1 that he will beat Joshua Clotttey. This is lower than the 8 to 1 odds set earlier, but still higher compared to Pacquiao’s previous fights. Betting $700 will win $100, while betting $100 for Clottey wins $500 dollars. With such high odds in favor of Pacquiao, some gamblers are not bothering to bet for the Filipino champion.

Pacquiao fan Chris Bermudez says he is not betting on his boxer this time.

“You have to put $800 just to win one hundred dollars. If I put $3,000, how much am I gonna win? It’s not worth it. I support Manny; I just don’t have the money to pay for it right now,” said Bermudez.

“Money is kind of tight right now,” said Luis Santos, who echoed Bermudez’s statement. “I just want to keep it easy, watch the fight, and support Manny.”

Round proposition betting for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight opens to the public today. This lets fans bet based on the length of the fight, and gives them a chance to earn more money on their bets.

Fight fan Joe Cortez says by betting on the rounds, he’s betting smart.

“I’m betting that the fight is gonna go under 9 rounds. Its plus-180, so you win close to $200 for a $100 bet. Either way, if Clottey wins, I win; if Pacquiao (wins), I win. It’s a for-sure bet,” Cortez said.

[clevfan]

Pacquiao heavily favored to win; lesser betting noted

By Calvin Cordova
Cebu Daily News

First Posted 08:34:00 03/13/2010

With Filipino boxing sensation Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao heavily favored to win against challenger Joshua Clottey in ‘The Event’ on Sunday, several Pacquiao fans are having a hard time finding bettors.

Although Clottey has a height and reach advantage over Pacquiao, the odds are still heavily stacked up in favor of the Filipino boxing hero.

Eric, who works in a construction firm, said his boss is willing to bet P200,000 on Pacquiao but there are no takers.

“The P200,000 would only win P60,000 but no one is biting. Some fans believe that Clottey has no chance of beating Manny,” Eric said.

The odds were also in his favor when Pacquiao went up against boxers Oscar Dela Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.

Many believe that Pacquiao (50-3-2) remains the heavy favorite when he clashes with Clottey (35-3) on Sunday at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas before a sellout crowd of 45,000.

Another Pacquiao fan, Randy, a taxi driver, said no one among his fellow taxi drivers was willing to place a bet on Clottey.

“Clottey is unknown to many. That's why some boxing fans are afraid to place their bet on him,” said Randy in Cebuano.

A worker at the Bureau of Customs said his co-workers, who are for Pacquiao, put up a combined P50,000 but have yet to find takers.

Some boxing experts said the Pacquiao-Clottey fight lacked in luster compared to the previous fights of the Filipino boxing hero, who will put his welterweight world title on the line against the 32-year-old Ghana native.

“Maybe. And the reason being is that Clottey is way below of the class of (Floyd) Mayweather and Pacquiao in terms of marketability. Pacquiao and Mayweather lang gusto ng mga tao eh,” said Manila-based and veteran boxing analyst Dennis Principe.

“Skill wise, he's inferior compared to Manny. Clottey can only have an advantage in intangibles like being more motivated in gaining financial windfall in beating Manny,” Prencipe said.

Pacquiao has won his last 11 fights with his last victory coming at the expense of Miguel Cotto, who scored a split decision win over Clottey.

In other Pacquiao fights, the betting offers would have flooded the inbox of every boxing enthusiast’s cellular phones. But in this latest fight, the betting is close to nothing, said boxing enthusiast ABC President Eugenio Faelnar who won all his bets on Pacquiao.

Faelnar is willing to wager as much as P150,0000 on the People’s Champ but nobody is biting.

“Before, in one of Manny Paquiao’s fight, I bet as much as P150,00 but now not even a single peso bet was offered,” he said.

His smallest bet was P10,000 during the Paquiao-Hatton fight when almost everyone was on Manny’s side.

“Even my peers who used to bet on Manny’s fight also told me that no one offers a bet,” Faelnar added.

He said some bets might happen in the last minutes before the game or on the day of the game itself.



Mediaman and satellite communications enthusiast Edgar Escalante of ABS-CBN decided to transfer his birthday party to the day of Pacquiao’s fight.

“My birthday is on March 16 but I didn’t mind moving it to March 14. What better way of spending my birthday with my family and friends than on the day of Manny Paquiao’s fight?”

With his self-installed satellite dish and a big screen, Escalante believes his birthday will be as explosive as the fight itself.

According to Fr. Expidito Torrevillas II, secretary to Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, his nationalism and patriotism are intensified whenever he watches Pacquiao’s fight.

“I don’t really enjoy watching someone getting beaten hard. To me, that’s just too brutal in a way. But if you ask me if I watch his bouts, I do but not because of the brutality but because of nationality,” he said.

Cebu City Police Director Patrocinio Commendador Jr. has ordered his men to put up checkpoints and conduct roving during the fight of Pacquiao to prevent lawless elements from taking advantage of the siuation.

He cited the robbery that transpired hours after Pacquiao’s bout with Cotto.

Commendador said they would secure all public areas that will put up widescreens and the malls.

[clevfan]

Tonight's fight will Pacq punch

By GEORGE WILLIS
NY POST
Last Updated: 5:33 AM, March 13, 2010



ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey stood face-to-face in the center of Cowboys Stadium yesterday, posed in the traditional boxing stare down after weighing in for tonight's WBO welterweight championship fight.

Clottey looked slightly taller and more chiseled, but that matters little to Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach, who have made a habit of dominating bigger foes like Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto.

"Size doesn't win fights," Roach said. "Skill does."

Pacquiao (58-3, 38 KOs) has shown plenty of skill in recent bouts, capturing back-to-back Fighter of the Year honors with an impressive run of victories over former world champions like Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Angel Cotto.

Having won a sanctioned or linear championship in a record seven weight divisions, Pacquiao has parlayed a bright smile and lethal fists to become an icon in the Philippines and the savior of his sport.

"He has broken into the general conscience of people around the world," said Bob Arum, whose Top Rank promotes Pacquiao. "He truly is a crossover star."

All that could come to an end in tonight's pay-per-view ($49.95) showdown against Clottey, a rugged slugger from Ghana, who was the second choice after talks of a Pacquiao fight with Floyd Mayweather fell through over blood-testing for performance-enhancing drugs.

Clottey, who is based in The Bronx, yearns for the type of respect Pacquiao has gained.

"If I beat Manny Pacquiao, I'm going to be very much happy because he is the best fighter out there," Clottey said. "He is the man now and he's giving me a chance to fight him, and if I beat him, I'm going to be on top of the world. It will be very important to the people in my country."

Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) is known for his tight defense -- elbows and arms tucked tightly against his body, his gloves protecting his chin. He is economical with his punches, almost to a fault, preferring to land when he can do damage instead of punching for show. He likes to lure his opponents into an offensive flurry, waiting for an opening to unleash his powerful uppercut.

"I will throw punches that cause damage," Clottey said.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, is a southpaw blur of ferocity -- always on his toes, bouncing like a piston while firing punches from all angles. Occasionally, Pacquiao may want to feel Clottey's strength, something he did against Cotto. But few have been able to deal with Pacquiao's blend of speed and power, and unless Clotty tags him early, this is a fight Pacquiao should win easily.

"He's good at what he does, but he does the same thing over and over again and he's very predictable," Roach said of Clottey. "He's going to try to change for this fight, but once he gets in he will revert back to it. We are 100 percent ready for his style. He's resilient. The beginning of the fight is going to be very hard because he is a very good opponent and he likes to fight. We will break him down and I am confident the fight will not go 12 rounds."

It's hard not to agree with Roach, who predicted the quick KO of Hatton and the late stop of Cotto. Pacquiao will run for a congressional seat in the Philippines in May, prompting some to speculate this might be his last fight. But why quit when things are just getting good.

PREDICTION: Pacquiao by decision.