Punters lump on Manny Pacquiao ahead of Floyd Mayweather showdown
Bookies predict Las Vegas duel will be a record-breaker
Tuesday 24 March 2015 18:00, UK
Punters continue to pile into Manny Pacquiao ahead of his highly anticipated showdown with Floyd Mayweather on May 2, live and exclusive on Sky Sports Box Office.
Sky Bet have already seen massive interest in the fight and are predicting it could be the highest-staking bout in their history, topping the Froch v Groves II fight last summer.
So far, 79% of customers have sided with underdog Pacquiao who has been cut from 11/4 to 2/1, while the unbeaten Mayweather remains 4/9 favourite.
Sky Bet's Dale Tempest said: "This is a fight that has already captured the imagination of the boxing public and our stakes so far are reflecting that.
"Last year, we were blown away by interest in the Groves v Froch fight but already stakes for Pacquiao and Mayweather's fight are well ahead of what we were anticipating, with the fight still five weeks away."
Pacquiao remains a huge loser for Sky Bet in the round betting, with the Filipino boxer 40/1 to inflict a first-ever defeat on Mayweather in the eighth round proving popular with the online bookmaker.
The 36-year-old is also receiving plenty of support in the outright market at 5/1, while Mayweather is currently friendless in the betting with less than 1% of bets on the 8/15 available on a trademark points win.
Tempest added: "It's going to be huge, and likely to be our biggest grossing fight ever, although if Pacquiao becomes the first man to beat Mayweather, we'll be running for cover."
