Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

IT’S up there with the greatest rivalries in world sport, the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao saga rolls on and we’ve got all the betting information you’ll need.

The two fighters have battled with the war of the words, but it’s time to strap the gloves on to see which fighter is the best welterweight in the world.

Mayweather will be looking to establish his future Hall of Fame career with a win to keep his unbeaten record in tact, whilst Pacquiao is looking to re-establish himself in the boxing world.

This fight has been years in the making and now is the best time to find value in the market.

Best bookmaker for betting on boxing

Bovada.lv have the early markets already up with very competitive prices for both fighters. They are offering one of the best prices in the world for the favourite Floyd Mayweather so sign up now for the best value.

Their easy-to-use website features all the latest boxing fights under the “Boxing” banner and it is easier to place a bet than some other websites.

The history between Floyd and Manny

Dubbed as “Fight of the Century” the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight takes place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas where both fighters will be putting their reputations on the line.

Five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather will be looking to protect his undefeated record against Manny Pacquiao who has lost five bouts in his career, but “Pac-Man” has an incredible tally of 38 knockouts.

The fight was meant to take place in early 2009, but contract negotiations fell through between the two camps but they have now agreed to the conditions and the fight will get underway in May, with the likelihood that a second and third fight will ensue. The main issues in the past have been the purse split, drug testing and fight location.

The sheer size of this fight is indescribable – in 2010 the failure to make the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight was named “Event of the Year” by The Ring magazine.

When the deal was made:

On December 12, 2014, Mayweather proposed a deal with Pacquiao to fight for the first time on May 2, 2015. He also cited his frustration that since negotiations initially took place, Pacquiao had since lost twice to Marquez and Bradley, and that Pacquiao was no longer “on his level”.

“Let’s make this fight happen for the people and for the fans. Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. May 2nd,” quoted Mayweather.

Pacquiao agreed to the terms of the contract and on February 20, 2015, Mayweather announced that the fight was official.

The fight is expected to reach record pay-per-view records and the ticket prices are expected to be in the range of $3,500 to $250,000 and the PPV is expected to be around US$89.95 and US$99.95 for high definition quality.

Fighters will be fighting for the WBC, WBO and WBA Super welterweight titles.

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao head-to-head market

The amount of money taken on this fight will break records and the bookmakers weren’t shy when they released their Mayweather vs. Pacquiao markets.

With his unbeaten record and public image, it was no surprise that Floyd Mayweather opened as the short favourite, but there has been plenty of support for Pacquiao at the more value price.

Multi-bet and parlay players will be looking at Mayweather’s odds as a possible parlay inclusion, or there is the option of “Method of Victory” which gives bettors better value with a little more risk.

For a full breakdown on all boxing betting types head to “How to bet on boxing”.

Head-to-head market:

• Floyd Mayweather – $1.36 (-275)
• Manny Pacquiao – $3.25 (+225)

In mid-February, Mayweather opened as high as a -275 favourite at some bookmakers and as low as -240 at others. The books said that all the early money has been “light, touristy and almost all on the underdog”.

94 per cent of the money has been on Pacquiao but a $1,000 bet was the biggest action seen so far. Notable sportsbook director, John Avello, states that whilst the early action is small, expect it to pick up.

“This is the kind of fight that we’ll take a lot of big bets, seven figures.”

Bookmakers are expecting a total of $30 million and higher to be bet on the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight but the Mayweather-Maidana fight only generated mid six-figures.

“Both fighters have attracted quite a bit of money through their careers; Pacquiao even more so,” Avello said.

“At one time, his following, the Filipino community was coming in and betting his fights for a lot of money. I think there will certainly be underdog money here. There’s no question about that.

“We get a lot of guys who come in and lay $30,000 on Mayweather to win four or five thousand and they do it every time he fights. The price on Mayweather is going to be so small, I would imagine a lot of big bets coming in on him.”

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao exotic markets

Bovada are currently offering three exotic bet types for this fight. The first is “Total Rounds” where bettors must select an over/under option.

• Over 11 1/2 – (-300)
• Under 11 1/2 – (+200)

The clear favourite is that this fight will go the distance – 12 rounds – but the price is very short with bookmakers. Both fighters possess knockout power, with Mayweather knocking out his opponents in 26 of his 47 victories, with Pacquiao holding advantage with 38 knockouts from 57 fights.

That being said, both fighters are nearing the end of their careers and they have lost some of that knockout power. The -300 for Over 11 1/2 looks about right and it will be a popular option for parlay players.

The second option is “Will the fight go the distance?” and this is the more value option compared to the over/under. In the over/under bet, the fight must go past the 1 minute and 30 second point in the final round, but the likelihood of someone getting knocked out in the final minute-and-a-half is very slim, therefore this option possesses more value.

• Yes (Fight goes the distance) – (-285)
• No (Fight does not go the distance) – (+225)

Punters are getting better value for the “Yes” option compared to the Over 11 1/2 at -300.

The final exotic option offered is whether or not the pay-per-view will surpass 3.15 million buys. Bovada are offering an under/over betting option.

• Over 3.5 million PPV buys – (-250)
• Under 3.5 million PPV buys – (+170)

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Tale of the tape