Fan favorite not sports books’ choice

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Maybe because he plays the role of a trash-talking villain, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has yet to win a majority of public support even while winning all of his fights.

Mayweather invites attention with his brash behavior and impressive boxing skills. But with Oscar De La Hoya in the opposite corner, the betting public pretty much is ignoring "Pretty Boy."

Mayweather is a minus-180 favorite over De La Hoya in their WBC super welterweight title bout Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden. However, the fan favorite no doubt is the underdog.

"I think people genuinely like De La Hoya," MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said. "Mayweather has never captured the fans like De La Hoya has, but really nobody has done that.

"Any fight with De La Hoya is a monster fight. He’s the draw."

De La Hoya tickets are being written at a 5-to-1 ratio, Walker said, and the line has plummeted since Mayweather opened as a minus-230 favorite in November.

In what is likely to be the largest-grossing event in boxing history, Mayweather said betting against him is a big mistake.

"I feel tremendous. I’m just ready to fight now," Mayweather said. "I’ve said what I had to say, and now the physical part comes.

"When you’re facing Floyd Mayweather, you’re facing the best, period. Oscar’s not even an active fighter. He’s a part-time fighter."

And that’s the dilemma facing De La Hoya’s supporters — the "Golden Boy" might show rust after fighting just once in the past two years.

De La Hoya (38-4, 30 knockouts) ended a 20-month layoff last May by defeating Ricardo Mayorga in six rounds. In his three prior fights, he lost to Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley and won a controversial unanimous decision over Felix Sturm.

"Let’s be realistic. Here’s a guy who realistically lost three of his last four fights," said Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s business adviser and strength coach. "Oscar really lost the Sturm fight. We know what happened in the Hopkins fight — he laid down — and we know Mosley beat him.

"Floyd goes out and dominates all of his opponents anyway, so it’s going to be no different come Saturday night."

Mayweather (37-0, 24 KOs) is moving up to 154 pounds to challenge the bigger and stronger De La Hoya, who has more knockout power with his left hook.

The line is minus-260 that the fight will go 12 full rounds, and that’s what handicapper Dave Cokin expects.

"I think this is a fight that goes the distance and nobody gets hurt," Cokin said. "I believe that the decision, whichever way it goes, will be steeped in controversy, and that would ensure a rematch.

"I have a gut feeling that Oscar wins a disputed a decision, and we do this again come November or December. Why not? If they can each make another $25 or $30 million, why leave that on the table?"

Walker said De La Hoya-Mayweather, a matchup expected to exceed $100 million in gross revenue, could generate a Super Bowl-type wagering handle for MGM Mirage books.

"That’s how big I think this event will be. This is the fight of the decade," Walker said. "It’s been so long since we’ve had electricity surrounding these boxing matches, and we’re going to get it here.

"I’m so happy about this fight. I think we’ll write an astounding amount of money. Whether the fight lives up to the hype, I’m not going to say."

The line could drop more if De La Hoya wagers continue to dominate, but most of the bets — especially the largest ones — show up in the last 24 hours before the fight.

Both boxers are getting 9-2 odds to win by knockout and 18-1 odds to win by a 12th-round knockout.

Ellerbe said Mayweather, who took the WBC welterweight title with a lopsided decision over Carlos Baldomir in November, has good reason to be confident.

"Oscar’s got as much chance of winning this fight as I do of becoming the President of the United States," Ellerbe said. "Betting on Oscar De La Hoya is just taking your money and throwing it right in the garbage."