Bettors initially tagged Errol Spence Jr. as a huge favorite to beat Manny Pacquiao in their battle for welterweight supremacy on Saturday, August 21 (Sunday, August 22, Philippine time) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Younger, fresher and bigger, Spence was listed at -450 when the pay-per-view megabuck bout was announced.

Despite being boxing’s lone eight-division world champion, Pacquiao, already 42 and out of the ring for two years, was the clear underdog at +350.

Simply put, a $450 bet on Spence nets $100 if the unbeaten (27-0, 21 knockouts) World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation champion wins. A $100 wager on Pacquiao, on the other hand, earns $350 if the Filipino global icon prevails.

Since Pacquiao’s arrival in the United States on Sunday, however, the odds favoring Spence started to dwindle.

And after just three days of widely documented running and training sessions in Los Angeles, Pacquiao is proving his box office pull once again.

Pacquiao is now listed at +176 while Spence dropped by 50% to -225.

Though Pacquiao-Spence is unlikely to follow the trend of Pacquiao’s collision with Keith Thurman on July  20, 2019, betting analysts say the odds will continue to shrink as fight night nears.

The then-unbeaten Thurman was listed the slight favorite at -135 as against Pacquiao’s +115.

Buoyed by late bets from local supporters, Pacquiao became the favorite at -160 before the opening bell rang. 

Thurman wound up as +140 underdog and eventually yielded his World Boxing Association crown to Pacquiao, who at 40 then became the oldest welterweight king ever.

Pacquiao has always been a popular choice in Las Vegas, becoming the underdog only thrice, against the late Lehlo Ledwaba in his US debut in 2001, Oscar de la Hoya in 2008, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015.

Pacquiao was installed the favorite even against Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto, who paid him a visit at Wild Card Boxiing Club on Thursday. – Rappler.com