The waiting is finally over, as Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr finally meet this Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Entering fight week, Mayweather Jr is still the favorite paying (-225), with the comeback on Pacquiao at (+185). The over/under for the scheduled twelve round bout sits at 111/2, with the over paying (-310) and the under at (+255). A close look at the over/under reveals that the books and the money are thinking this fight is going to go the distance. So you have to take the rhetoric coming from both camps about a knock out with a grain of salt. The camps are engaging in the usual fight week nonsense. The latest came from Floyd’s uncle Roger, his former trainer and a former world champion himself. He predicts a KO in less than five rounds for Mayweather, stating “I can’t see nothing that Pacquiao can do”. For his part, Pac-man trainer Freddie Roach is also predicting a KO for his man, and he further elaborated that id the stoppage doesn’t not come, that Pacquiao would win every round. Well, someone is going to have to do something in this fight to make it worth the hype and the money. But at the end of the day, knock out talk is just more nonsense from both camps. Mayweather’s last KO was against Victor Ortiz in September of 2011, and that one really doesn’t count for obvious reasons. Ricky Hatton was his last stoppage prior to that, back in December of 2007. Pac-man’s last stoppage came in November of 2009, when he stopped Miguel Cotto. Neither man has KO’d anyone in over half a decade, so it is time to show it and stop telling us about it. The numbers being tossed around for the fight are astronomical. Nearly half a billion dollars will be divided up by all the interested parties, with Pacquiao clearing $100 million and Mayweather approaching $200 million in income. The tickets for the live event are sold out, and on the re-sale market they are going for up to $100k each. The PPV in high definition will be $99 which will rake in millions more. With all this money being poured into the fight, the promised KO or at the very least, a fight for the ages is a must. Several of the other fights on the seven bout card are getting attention at the sport books, and the ten rounder between Featherweights Leo Santa Cruz (29-0-1) and Anthony Settoul (20-3) may wind up with a wide line being thrown up as well. The WBO World Featherweight title bout between challenger Gamalier Rodriguez (+1900) and champion Vasyl Lomachenko (-3800) see Lomachenko come in an overwhelming favorite. Lomachenko is one of the most decorated amateur boxers of all –time and at just (3-1) as a pro, he has fast-tracked his way to a world title with his flashy, high volume precision style. In a ten round bout, the vacant USBA Super Middleweight Title is on the line between unbeaten prospects Jesse Hart (16-0) and Mike Jimenez (17-0). Hart, a decorated amateur who comes from a boxing family, is a big favorite at (-1050) over Jimenez who has his own amateur history and pro team but has not had the grooming that Hart has had. Hart made his pro debut ion the Pavcquiao versus Timothy Bradley I undercard.
