Floyd Mayweather Jr. opened up a little over a 2-1 favorite in his super-fight with Manny Pacquiao and early bettors in Las Vegas have wagered their money on Pac-man.
Jimmy Vaccaro of the South Point Hotel on the south end of Las Vegas Blvd. said he hasn’t seen Mayweather odds drop this low this far out from in years.
“I’ve never seen Mayweather this low eight weeks out before the fight,” Jimmy Vaccaro said in an interview with Associated Press’ Tim Dahlberg (h/t ABC News). “This is as close as we get to a legitimate pick ’em fight since Mayweather fought (Oscar) De La Hoya.”
According to Vaccaro there were 150 tickets in favor of Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs)compared to just 10 on Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) in the days just after the long-awaited fight was announced.
If this pace keeps up the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout might be an even money fight by the time the May 2 bout takes place at the MGM in Las Vegas.
We’re not just talking mediocre wagers here Vaccaro said the South Point has taken a few bets in excess of $10,000, showing that the public sees the fight closer than most media do.
If Pacquiao is able to hand Mayweather his first defeat in 48 bouts, he won’t be the only big loser of the night if the money keeps pouring in favor of Pac-man.
“It’s a one-way attack on Pacquiao,” Vaccaro said. “We’re well into a six-figure loss right now if Pacquiao wins.”
The guys who move the lines more than anyone in Las Vegas are the “smarts”, or those who have a track record of winning bets, especially in big money situations. With there still being just under two months left until what should be the biggest fight in the last couple of decades, the “smarts” could shift the line back in Money May’s favor.
“The smarts really aren’t jumping in yet, they’re going to wait to see how low it goes,” Vaccaro said. “They’re telling you that they think it will get much lower.”
The Mayweather-Pacquiao bout is being called the Super Bowl of boxing, and is expected is shatter all kinds of monetary records and betting ones are no different. Betting amounts could reach around $50 million for the bout.
“Other than Super Bowl Sunday, the single day will be as big as we’ve written in years,” Vaccaro said. “Look for May 2 to be approaching the Super Bowl handle on Super Bowl Sunday, and that’s saying a lot.”
