Manny Pacquiao isn’t winning over many people by choosing to fight Timothy Bradley for a third time, in his retirement bout.
Still, when one of the best fighters of the generation steps into the ring, people pay attention. And gamble. So even though the fight is still about two months away, BookMaker has early odds for you to consider.
Bet on Pacquiao-Bradley odds at BookMaker.eu
Timothy Bradley Jr. +220
Manny Pacquiao -265
Over/under 10.5 rounds, over -315, under +260
ODDS ANALYSIS
The odds at BookMaker show Pacquiao as a significant favorite. Even though the record between them is 1-1, most people believe that the Filipino superstar handily won both fights. It’s clear that oddsmakers aren’t expecting much to change in his last fight. And while Pacquiao has a reputation as a knockout artist, he hasn’t KO’d anyone for years, leading to an over at -315 for 10.5 rounds.
HERE WE GO AGAIN
Most boxing fans look at this matchup with disdain. What kind of statement does it make for Pacquiao to fight a guy that he’s clearly beaten twice? But really, this fight isn’t as bad as it appears to be.
Consider their last outings. Pacquiao looked horrible against Mayweather, although he blamed it on a shoulder injury that he hid going into the fight. On the other hand, Bradley looked awesome against Brandon Rios in November. You could make the argument that Rios isn’t anywhere close to the fighter he used to be, but it’s still impressive that Bradley was able to earn a TKO over him in nine rounds.
Plus, Bradley is one of the more established boxers in the division. There were a lot of people that wanted Manny to face the up-and-coming Terrence Crawford, but the young fighter doesn’t have the name value that Bradley has. Plus, Crawford is the type of ambidextrous puncher that could give him a ton of problems. Does anyone really wanna see Pacquiao lose his last fight?
Although this is a fight that Pacquiao should win, I don’t think it’ll come as easy as many expect. He’s just a few months removed from shoulder surgery, so we have to factor in how fast his 37-year old body has recovered. His power has waned to the point where he hasn’t knocked out anyone since 2014. And while he’s plenty quick, we haven’t seen the hyperactive movement we fell in love with for a while.
Since his loss to Pacquiao, Bradley has only gotten better. He slipped up with a draw to Gabriel Chaves, but earned impressive wins over Jessie Vargas and Rios to bounce back. His career is trending upward, while Pacquiao’s is about to end. Don’t be surprised if this fight becomes a grueling, back-and-forth battle.
THE EARLY PLAYS
Bradley at +220 is tempting. We saw in their first fight that leaving an outcome to the judges can be a dicey proposition. If Bradley can make it a close fight - and I believe he can - then it could easily end in his favor. For now, the safe play is Pacquiao, but if Bradley’s line shifts anywhere around +275, a small bet makes sense.
The safest play here is the over at -315. Neither man has the power to realistically end this fight early. There’s always the possibility of the perfect punch, but considering that both previous fights ended in decision, the under on 10.5 rounds doesn’t inspire much confidence. Access Bookmaker to get the best Boxing odds and predictions.
