As the end of April neared, the anticipation for the highly-anticipated rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao grew. Since their first encounter in May 2015, the boxing world has been on the lookout for the next big fight. Thanks to the efforts of Top Rank (PRM), who negotiated and orchestrated the first fight, as well as Mayweather’s and Pacquiao’s camps, which worked together to make the rematch happen, the fight and its surrounding events were spectacular. With tickets going for as high as $250,000 and pay-per-view prices reaching over $100, many wondered if betting on the fight was a viable option. The answer is a resounding “yes, you can bet on the Mayweather-Pacquiao II fight and win!”
The Odds Are In Your Favor
With so much hype and publicity surrounding the fight, it was only a matter of time before sportsbooks opened and began taking bets. For those who bet on the first fight, the opportunity to bet on the second bout was too good to pass up. As April 26th approached, and just three days before the fight, many bookmakers still hadn’t released the odds for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao II. In fact, some oddsmakers weren’t even sure if the fight was going to happen at all. And, for good reason – the first fight was a lot closer than the scorecards might have indicated. In the end, Mayweather won a majority of the fights, with Pacquiao taking home the WBC, WBA and The Lineal titles. Despite the scorecards, the fight was incredibly competitive, and even the most diehard Mayweather or Pacquiao fans might not have predicted that the first fight would have been so close.
A More Level Playing Field
Although boxing fans have longed for a sequel to one of the greatest fights of all time, there was one major difference between the first and second fights: the spread of information. Thanks to the advancements in technology, fans were able to follow the action more closely and more accurately assess the probability of certain outcomes. This enabled them to have a better understanding of the game and make smarter (and hopefully better) bets. For instance, during the first fight, with many news organizations blacked out, fans had to turn to social media for information. On Twitter, for example, users began using the #MayweatherVsPacquiao hashtag to keep track of everything that was happening. After the fight, when scores of articles and videos were released online, it was all anyone could do but scroll through the massive haystack of content to find the relevant information. Some fans went so far as to watch the entire fight multiple times, in full, before making their bets. Ultimately, this may have helped them get a sense of how the fight would play out, and, as a result, have an advantage over those who didn’t do their research before placing a bet.
Research The History
Although the rematch was nearly three years in the making, the hype and publicity surrounding the fight made it feel almost like it had just happened. This is partly because the last time Mayweather and Pacquiao fought, it was such a long time ago that many people were barely aware of what a rematch even meant. Since then, the two fighters have faced each other once, with Pacquiao emerging triumphant. Despite all of this, Mayweather is still undefeated and remains the king of the sport. For those who backed him in the first place, there’s still hope for a payoff if they did their research and know what to look out for. In other words, they can lay a solid bet that Mayweather will win again.
Create A Plan B
Although much of the sports betting world may have been waiting with bated breath for the outcome of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, there were still a large number of people who placed wagers on the first fight, thinking that Mayweather, despite his record, would eventually be beaten by Pacquiao. As it turned out, those people would have been wise to create a plan B because, when the dust settled, Mayweather was the clear favorite in the second fight. Those who bet on Pacquiao may have won an early pot, but they ultimately lost big time because they didn’t know how to adjust their wagers, or how to hedge their bets, after seeing how the first fight played out. If they had simply stuck with their original wager, they would have made a lot more money in the long run.
Use The Tools At Your Disposal
Given the size of the potential payoff and the intrigue surrounding the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, it’s no wonder that so many bookmakers got involved. As a result, there were more choices for people who wanted to bet on the fight than there were seats at the fight itself. This also made it easier for fans to place wagers since there was so much opportunity to do so. Those who didn’t want to attend the fight but still wanted to wager on it had the choice of placing a bet on their mobile phones or on online betting exchanges, where they could find all the information they needed. Many fans chose the latter since it was so much easier and, as a result, more convenient. For those who prefer to wager from the comfort of their homes, online betting exchanges were the perfect place to do so, as long as they were operating legally in their jurisdiction. Those who used illegal services to place bets on the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight risked their money and, ultimately, could lose it all. However, as long as bookmakers are respecting the line and keeping within sports betting limits, everything should be fine.
Set A Respected Line
Aside from the legal and financial risks involved in illegal betting, people placed wagers on the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight simply because they wanted to back the winner. Given the immense popularity of the fight and its surrounding events, people expected that the lines would be fairly high, if they weren’t already. As a result, those who wager on behalf of others (usually friends, family members and coworkers) may have had an advantage, in that they knew how much people were willing to wager on each side, based on past performances. For example, many people might have wagered $100 on Mayweather, simply because that’s what they’d seen others do in similar situations. In the end, of course, Mayweather walked away with the WBA, WBC and Lineal titles, proving once again that, when it comes to betting, he’s the best of the best.