Floyd Mayweather Jr. is coming out of retirement to put his 50-0 record on the line against Manny Pacquiao. Both fighters are legends in the sport and should create an entertaining fight. Can Pacquiao actually threaten Mayweather Jr.? That’s questionable considering he wasn’t able to do much against him in their first matchup in 2015. Since then, Mayweather has shown he hasn’t lost a step but Pacquiao has. At any rate, it’s boxing, so either fighter has a puncher’s chance. Let’s take a closer look at the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao II odds and analyze the rematch.
Mayweather never looked like he was in trouble the first time he fought Pacquiao back in 2015. He was his usual patient self throughout the fight, picking his spots and avoiding getting into any real danger. That defensive play led the champ to victory, with two judges scoring it 118-110 and 116-112, respectively.
Since that first meeting, Mayweather has recorded two wins, including beating Andre Berto in 2015 and then knocking out Conor McGregor in their highly anticipated clash in 2017. Mayweather promised after his victory over McGregor that it was his last fight, but it’s easy to understand why he would come back for one more bout. He still looks extremely good in the ring, as his elite conditioning and fighting style have allowed him to age gracefully without losing much over the years.
At 50-0, there’s no way that Mayweather would risk his perfect record, so he’s clearly confident that he’ll win the rematch. That’s why we see the Mayweather vs Pacquiao odds listing Mayweather as the —260 favourite.
Pacquiao struggled to get to Mayweather the first time these two met, but there are plenty of reasons for him to think that he could earn some redemption in the rematch. First of all, Pacquiao has been in the ring with Mayweather before, so he should have a pretty good idea of what to expect this time around. Second, Pacquiao was hampered by a right shoulder injury in the 2015 fight, which he said was the reason why he only landed 81 punches in total. Pacquiao wouldn’t use the injured shoulder as an excuse, but the boxing experts all agreed that it seemed as though something was off in that initial clash.
Pac Man bounced back from that defeat with back-to-back wins over Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas before suffering a unanimous decision loss to Jeff Horn in 2017, which cost him his WBO Welterweight title. In July of this year, Pacquiao was back in action, beating Lucas Matthysse via seventh-round TKO to win the WBA Welterweight title, after which he called out Mayweather for a potential rematch.
Pacquiao clearly feels that he has a better chance of beating Mayweather now that he’s healthy than he did the first time around. According to the May. v Pac. odds, Pacquiao is a +200 underdog to do so.
Take a look at the Mayweather-Pacquiao prop bets, and you’ll see a number of intriguing options on the board, depending on how you think the fight will play out. For the number of rounds, the total is currently set at 11.5 with heavy juice on the Over at —325. 12 of Mayweather’s last 15 fights have gone the distance.
Boxing enthusiasts can bet on Mayweather to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification at +400 odds. Meanwhile, Mayweather is —125 to win via decision or technical decision. Seven of his last eight fights have been decisions. Pacquiao is also listed at +400 to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification. The prop betting odds for the first fighter to bleed have Mayweather at +120 and Pacquiao at —170.
If you’re interested in a fun prop that involves celebrities, you can bet on whether 50 Cent will attend the fight. He’s had longstanding beef with Mayweather Jr., but the two were once good friends. He’s currently at +350 to attend the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao betting rematch and at —625 to skip the extravaganza.
There are many different ways to bet on boxing if you want to put some money down on the fight. But before you place your bets, it’s important to understand how the boxing odds work.
The moneyline odds for the fight are as follows: Floyd Mayweather Jr. —260 Manny Pacquiao +200
When you see a minus sign, as you do with Mayweather here, that indicates the favoured boxer and displays how much you have to bet to win $100. In this case, a $260 bet on Mayweather odds would get you back $100 if he wins. On the other hand, the plus sign, which is for the underdog, indicates the amount of money you’d win if you bet $100. In this case, a $100 bet on Pacquiao would pay $200.
Of course, you don’t have to bet in $100 increments. This simply gives you an idea of how much you’ll win on either side, depending on your bet.
You also have other options to bet on that don’t involve picking a winner straight up. There are props, which focus on other events related to the fight. For example, which fighter will bleed first and will the fight end in a knockout are both examples of prop bets.
Another option is to bet on the total, which focuses on how long the fight will go. In this case, it’s set at 11.5 rounds, so if you think the fight will be short, you would bet the Under. However, if you think the fight will last beyond the 1:30 mark of the 12th round, then you would bet the Over. This way, you can still stake some money on the fight without the pressure of trying to predict the winner.
It’s important to keep in mind that neither fighter is known for their knockout power. Mayweather had won seven straight bouts via decision dating back to 2011 before beating McGregor via TKO. Of course, McGregor was a converted mixed martial artist without an extensive boxing resume. Pacquiao, meanwhile, is coming off a TKO win over Matthysse, but his seven previous fights had all gone to decision. There is a very good chance that the rematch between Mayweather and Pacquiao will end up going the distance.
Sharp bettors are expected to back Mayweather here. He’s looked the same throughout his career, with minimal decline. As for Pacquiao, he’s 6-4 in his last 10 bouts. If you think Mayweather will win but don’t want to bet on the moneyline at —260, you have another good option in the prop: Mayweather via decision. This allows you to bet on Mayweather at —125; both fighters are past their prime, so they might not have the type of power that they once had. On top of that, Mayweather has never really been known for his knockouts. 27 of his wins were by knockout but most of those came early in his career. 12 of his last 15 wins were by decision, so there could be value in that prop. Keep checking back at Bodog Sportsbook for more props as we approach the fight.
*Odds as of November 1, 2018