Manny brings favorite’s tag to Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao stepped out of his gray Navigator after a four-hour ride from Los Angeles and was met by his loyal supporters at The Hotel of Mandalay Bay.

Pacquiao looked happy to be back in Las Vegas still as the heavy favorite for the fourth and last chapter of his classic rivalry with Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez.

The fight is set Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the MGM.

Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee were ushered in to their 60th floor suite where they were met by more of their family members, friends and their own friends.

They arrived in glitzy Las Vegas at around 9 p.m., in splinters, on board the Team Pacquiao bus and around 30 other vehicles.

A sumptuous dinner of Filipino food was laid out for everybody. It’s a tradition that Pacquiao’s arrival in Las Vegas is met with a party.

Downstairs at the Sportsbook betting station, the bright yellow lights showed the 33-year-old Filipino boxer as the -370 favorite, meaning you need $370 to win a hundred dollars

Marquez, who doesn’t care about his age (he is 39), was at +280, meaning every $100 wager on the great counterpuncher will enjoy a return of $280.

That the fight will go past 11 rounds is at -255 and that it won’t last longer than 11 rounds is at +185, meaning more people are buying the idea of a longer night of boxing.

Marquez scoring a knockout is at 5/1 and him winning a decision is at 4/1 (a dollar wins four bucks). Pacquiao winning by KO is at 9/5 and via decision at even.

Still, there are those who will put some money on a draw, which isn’t really a far-fetched idea considering the closeness of the three previous battles.

A draw, if it happens, will pay $22 for every dollar.

There are many other ways to put one’s money in this fight, like Marquez winning by knockout in the opening round at 30/1 and Pacquiao on the same round at 22/1.

For late KOs, it’s Marquez at 15/1 and Pacquiao at 10/1 if it comes on the 12th and final round of the evening at the MGM.

It’s time to bet.