The fight the world wants to see is Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., and we all know that. The handicappers in Vegas know it, too. Art Manteris, the vice president of sports book operations for Station Casinos, opened a line with Pacquiao as an 8-5 favorite, and that has already moved down a bit.
Several $20,000 bets were put down on Mayweather, forcing the line down to 7-5 in the early going, said Art Manteris, the casino operator’s vice president of sports book operations.
"It’s been pretty decisive in the early going," Manteris said. "I think I made the line a little too high but that’s the nature of the business."
Manteris said he made Pacquiao the favorite based largely on the public perception of his big win over Cotto. Most of the early bets, he said, came from professional handicappers, who thought the line was too high.
The same article from Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press quotes Mayweather from one of his interviews recently, and I'm sorry, but look, this is ridiculous:
"Tell Manny Pacquiao to be his own man and stop letting everyone, including his loudmouth trainer, talk for him," Mayweather said. "I am my own boss, speak for myself and tell it like it is. If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight me, all he has to do is step up to the plate and say it himself."
Remember when Floyd was getting shredded by freaking R.A. the Rugged Man, and all he said was, "Boxing doesn't work like that!" and "I don't decide who I fight!" He has bosses when that suits him. He doesn't when he feels like sounding fearless. It's just hilarious that he either doesn't expect people to notice these inconsistencies, or he himself doesn't notice them.