It's almost that time.
Friday's weigh-in will pave the way for Manny Pacquiao to contest for Yordenis Ugas' WBA (Super) welterweight title Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
And as with any significant boxing bout, there are plenty of bets to be made. Here, DAZN News takes a look at some of them.
Odds for Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas
Manny Pacquiao: -350
Yordenis Ugas: +250
(Odds via BetMGM)
As of Thursday, BetMGM has installed Pacquiao as the -350 favorite to defeat Ugas. That means a $350 bet on the boxing legend can land you $100 if he indeed edges the WBA (Super) welterweight titleholder. Meanwhile, Ugas has been labeled the underdog at +250, spelling that a $100 wager on the Cuban fighter can net you $250 if he finds a way to beat Pacquiao.
That being said, Ugas, especially on a late replacement for Errol Spence Jr., is a very live underdog. The celebrated Cuban fighter has built a notorious reputation for being relentless, rugged and durable in the ring. Take his first world title shot against then-WBC welterweight champion Shawn Porter for instance. Porter was ruled the split-decision winner by judges but many felt like Ugas did enough to earn the victory in that March 2019 tilt including Pacquiao's longtime trainer Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao vs. Ugas prediction
Lelinwalla's pick: Manny Pacquiao
Best odds: Ugas by KO/TKO/Technical decision or DQ: +900
I expect Pacquiao to keep an aggressive, forward-fighting Ugas off balance with his bouncy rhythm while scoring points with those lightning-quick punches of his.
That and his veteran savvy should be the recipe for a points win over the Cuban — even if it comes on a hard-fought, tight decision.
That being said, I don't say that with the utmost confidence because of some of the other factors involved. First of all, I can't stress enough how dangerous and how much of a live underdog Ugas is. That's compounded by Pacquiao's 42 years of age and the fact that although he looked excellent in a win against Keith Thurman that the July 2019 bout was more than two years ago.
Father Time is undefeated and Ugas could very well be just the man to drive that adage home against the icon. Therefore, while I'm going with Pacquiao on points in what very well could be a split decision, it might be worth it to roll the dice on Ugas winning by KO, TKO, Technical decision or DQ with +900 odds.
More Pacquiao vs. Ugas odds
Will the fight go the distance?
Yes: -150
No: +110
Method of victory
Pacquiao on points: +110
Ugas on points: +450
Pacquiao by KO/TKO/Technical decision or DQ: +160
Ugas by KO/TKO/Technical decision or DQ: +900
Tie: +2000