Keith Thurman is going to bet on himself to defeat favorite Manny Pacquiao in their WBA welterweight title fight Saturday.
Thurman this week told reporters he had not yet placed bets on his Las Vegas encounter with Pacquiao. This is because the odds in recent days had been shifting towards Pacquiao, a man with an extraordinary record. He has won 12 world titles in eight different weight divisions.
“When they are right”, said Thurman, a World welterweight champion unbeaten in 30 fights, “I’ll jump right in and bet”.
“We are waiting because so many people are betting Pacquiao,” Thurman explained. “I went to the bank … we got the money ready, but we haven’t gotten the (betting) tickets yet. The odds are still shifting.
“We’re going for the overall victory and then we’re going for a first-round and a second-round knockout, Also we’re betting on a lucky-number-seven round knockout.”
The odds were close, but Pacquiao was certainly the favorite of the New Jersey bookies on Thursday, July 18. Sportsbooks like 888sport had him at -152 (13/20) as against Thurman’s +125 (5/4).
The favorite has switched places
Just two weeks ago when Pacquiao arrived in Las Vegas to prepare for the fight, the odds were the other way around.
At that time, Thurman was the favorite. 888sport had him at -148 (4/6) and Pacquiao at +118 (59/60) and PointsBet at -141 (5/7) and +115 (8/7) respectively.
In short, Pacquiao and Thurman had switched place so if you are going to put your money on the crafty Philippine senator do it now. This is especially so if you believe what his US coach Freddie Roach is saying.
Regarded as one of the greats of his business, Roach has referred to Thurman’s claims as “nothing but bluster”.
“Manny Pacquiao is going to win by knockout in nine rounds and then he’s going to ask Mayweather for a rematch,” Roach told ESPN Deportes this week.
The seemingly ageless 40-year-old ‘Pacman’ fought Mayweather in 2015 but in a rare defeat was outclassed in 12-rounds
Roach has since claimed that the main reason for Pacquiao’s poor performance against Mayweather was a shoulder injury.
“With a healthy Manny without injuries, the story will be different. Let’s see if Floyd decides to come back when he sees Manny (as he is now).”
