Ricky Hatton is at the peak of a brilliant career. But as far as the betting public is concerned, he’s a tomato can compared to Manny Pacquiao.
The northpaw from Manchester, England is the IBO and Ring Magazine light welterweight champion. There is one lone blemish on his 45-1 record: a 10th-round TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in the welterweight division, back in December 2007. Yet Hatton was priced at +210 as we went to press (for the latest lines, visit Bodog Sports) for Saturday’s massive title bout at the MGM Grand.
Pacquiao’s record is slightly less impressive at 48-3-2. And this will be the Filipino lefty’s first career fight at light welterweight, where Hatton faced all but a small handful of his opponents. But “Pac-Man” is easily the hottest commodity on the boxing market right now. He’s the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, a former title-holder at five other weight divisions and the man who sent Oscar De La Hoya into retirement with an eight-round beating last December.
That fight was at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, with De La Hoya coming down from 150 pounds (where he also lost to Mayweather) and significantly larger than Pacquiao at the opening bell. But size meant nothing in this matchup as De La Hoya was beaten from pillar to post until his corner threw in the towel. Despite the general consensus among analysts that De La Hoya’s size and reach would be insurmountable in this matchup, the betting public threw its support behind the Pac-Man and pushed the Golden Boy from -240 in September to -165 the night before the fight.
They’re expecting another beating on Saturday. The props market has even odds for Pacquiao winning this 12-round bout by KO, TKO, or DQ. Hatton is 3-1 to achieve the same result after having knocked out 32 of his previous 46 career opponents. This man throws some serious lumber; Mayweather was quick to praise Hatton after their megafight, calling “The Hitman” one of the toughest competitors he’d ever met in the ring.
His Dad was impressed, too. The outspoken, yet respected Floyd Mayweather Sr. is Hatton’s trainer for this bout, his second since replacing Billy “Preacher” Graham and guiding his new charge to a convincing 11-round TKO over Paul Malignaggi last November. Hatton is a better technical fighter under Mayweather’s tutelage and is physically more up to the task at 140 pounds. His betting value appears solid in this situation.
The argument for Pacquiao at -270 to win is that he’s an even better fighter with an even better mentor in Freddie Roach, the reigning Trainer of the Year as deemed by the Boxing Writers Association of America. It’s also reasonable to expect punters from the United Kingdom to weigh in more heavily for their hero than Pac-Man’s legion of fans in the Philippines. And even though his legend has grown very quickly over the past two years, this is still the first time Pacquiao will be headlining a card. The betting public at large is unfamiliar with his earlier body of work in the ultralight divisions.
The clash of styles in the ring also appears to favor Pacquiao. As a southpaw, he threatens to frustrate Hatton the same way Eamonn Magee, Luis Collazo and others have in the past. Promoter Bob Arum told reporters that Hatton is “lost” fighting southpaws. Mayweather has countered by bringing in promising Cuban-born lefty Erislandy Lara (who will also fight Chris Gray on the undercard) to spar with Hatton in Las Vegas. And the Collazo fight from which Hatton barely escaped intact was at 147 pounds.
This is a very good matchup on paper between two dedicated and prepared fighters. Pacquiao’s speed advantage, stamina and stance point toward a victory, but Hatton is certainly no slouch and is very much worth a look at these prices - the props market has Hatton at 5-1 to win by decision on Saturday compared to 21-10 for Pacquiao. And since this event is an HBO pay-per-view, we bring back Harold Lederman’s Scorecard Props; Pacquiao is -125 to outscore Hatton by at least 4.5 points on Lederman’s unofficial scorecard.
HBO’s broadcast starts at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. The undercard features a WBC super featherweight title between champion Humberto Soto and challenger Benoit Gaudet; again, check Bodog Sports for current odds.
Don’t miss out on one of the most anticipated matches of the year, check out Bodog Sports today! (USA bettors welcome too)
If you’re NOT US-based check out these two great sportsbook offers on this boxing bout:
This Round’s On US!
Ricky Hatton v Manny Pacquiao - Sky Box Office, Sunday 3rd 3am
Money-Back Special: If Ricky Hatton wins in the first 6 rounds Paddy Power will refund all losing rounds bets on this fight. Max refund E300/£200 per customer.
Knockout Payout
Ricky Hatton v Manny Pacquiao - If either fighter loses within the first three rounds, Betfred will refund all losing win single stakes on the Bout Win market as a free bet up to £250.
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