Pacquiao favored in early fight odds

MANILA, Philippines - While there may be some confusion on the weight issue, what’s certain is that Manny Pacquiao will come in as the favorite against Josh Clottey on March 13 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

According to renowned sportsline setter Joey Oddessa, the 31-year-old pound-for-pound champion from the Philippines should be the early favorite against Clottey and that it should stay that way until the fight.

“I’d be comfortable betting Clottey at +270 so it’s a definite that Manny opens up somewhere around the 3-1 favorite region on this fight,” Oddessa told The Examiner.

At +270, it means that a wager of $100 wins $270.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach airing his confidence that they can deal Clottey his first knockout loss will not certainly pull the odds down, and give Pacquiao fans something better to put their money on.

Pacquiao has been favored in most of his recent fights, except when he fought Oscar dela Hoya last December. Against David Diaz, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, oddsmakers have given him the edge.

And Pacquiao made them look good, knocking out his most recent opponents.

“Pacquiao-Clottey is a tough, tough fight for both guys. It’s a damn shame that the Mayweather fight fell through as the betting action on that fight would have been possibly in the tens of millions,” Oddessa was quoted as saying.

“As for this new fight... it’s going to be close in the ring but the betting action has to go to Manny. He’s been on a tear and the bettors have been raking in huge payouts on the guy,” he added.

The Pacquiao-Clottey fight came to fore after negotiations for a Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. bogged down. However, there’s some uncertainty on the weight issue for the coming fight.

While Roach said there’s going to be no catchweight, and that Pacquiao will stake his WBO welterweight crown at 147 lb, the boxer’s adviser, Mike Koncz, was heard saying that it’s going to be 144 lb.

“That’s what the catchweight is for this fight,” Koncz was quoted by fighthype.com as saying.

It has to be resolved soon, but still it won’t change the fact that Pacquiao will be the favorite when he takes on Cotto -- whether it’s at 144 or 147 lb.