Here’s Manny Pacquiao’s advice to those putting their hard-earned money on him: Just don’t bet your house on it.
“Sa mga gusto pumusta, dahan-dahan lang,” said Pacquiao last Sunday, eliciting a burst of laughter from those present in the boxer’s pre-departure press conference in Makati.
Pacquiao took a 12-hour flight that evening, and quietly arrived in Los Angeles (also on a Sunday evening). He said he plans to visit the Wild Card Gym and sweat it out Monday.
Pacquiao has remained the underdog, and should stay as that, for his Dec. 6 “Dream Match” with the taller, heavier but older Oscar dela Hoya at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao was listed as +180 yesterday, and Dela Hoya as –240. This means that a $100 wager on the Filipino wins $180, and for the 1992 Olympic champion, you need $240 to win $100.
When MGM opened the betting lines more than two weeks ago, just right after the biggest fight of the year was sealed, Pacquiao was at +135 and Dela Hoya at –155.
The gap, however, may narrow a bit once the Pinoy high-rollers start putting their money in.
“May fans din naman tayo ( We have fans, too) ,” said Pacquiao.
Pacquiao has always been the favorite — against Erik Morales (at least in their last two fights), Hector Velasquez, Oscar Larios, Marco Antonio Barrera, Jorge Solis, Juan Manuel Marquez and David Diaz.
For the first time in nearly three years, he’d climb the ring as the underdog.
He doesn’t mind at all.
“Mas masarap ang dehado kasi magpu-pursigi ka sa training kasi nga dehado ka (It’s better to be the underdog because it will make you train harder),” said the Pinoy southpaw.
Pacquiao, the reigning WBC lightweight (135 lbs) champion, will face Dela Hoya in a 12-round, welterweight (147 lbs) contest expected to generate $100 million in revenue.
And for this he has vowed to work longer and harder in training.