Pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao has opened up as high as a 9-to-1 favorite to defeat future Hall of Famer Shane Mosley when the two meet on May 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Just to put it in perspective, Pacquiao was tabbed as a 5-to-1 favorite to defeat Antonio Margarito, who was coming off of a subpar 10-round unanimous decision victory over little known Roberto Garcia. It was Margarito's first fight in nearly 16 months after serving a year suspension following his 9th round TKO loss to Mosley.
Despite Mosley's less-than-stellar showing against Sergio Mora and Floyd Mayweather, it's a bit surprising to see Pacquiao so heavily favored over a guy who still punches hard, still has decent hand speed, has never been knocked out and actually stopped Manny's last opponent. To put it in even more perspective, Pacquiao was just a 4-to-1 favorite when he first moved up in weight to defeat lightweight titleist David Diaz, who a lot of critics considered to be nothing more than a gatekeeper. Essentially, oddsmakers are viewing Mosley as a journeyman. If you like to bet, it might be worth putting down a little somethin' somethin' on the underdog...especially if you're a Shane Mosley fan.
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