Big-money wagers come in late on challenger

Some heavyweight support showed up for Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the sports books Saturday, but Oscar De La Hoya remained the clear choice for the majority of bettors.

Mayweather was a minus-170 favorite about two hours before their WBC super welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden, won by Mayweather by split decision.

"We’ve taken several six-figure bets on Mayweather, but the money on De La Hoya is still overwhelming that," MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said.

Tickets on De La Hoya were coming in at a 5-to-1 ratio most of the week, Walker said, but the biggest bets made Saturday were on Mayweather.

Walker said the largest wager on De La Hoya was $90,000, as of two hours before the fight. Most of the small wagers were on De La Hoya at plus-150, but it’s normal for the underdog to attract more action.

"That’s not to disparage Mayweather," Walker said. "Every big fight at the MGM or Mandalay Bay, we need the favorite to win."

Mayweather, who entered the fight 37-0, opened as a minus-230 favorite in November. But De La Hoya’s popularity is unsurpassed in boxing.

"The action we’re getting on the fight is unreal," Walker said. "It’s really a megafight in every sense of the word, and I think people are betting accordingly. People who normally bet $100 are betting $1,000 this time."

The odds on De La Hoya to win by knockout dropped from 5-1 to 3-1, and the odds on it ending in a draw dropped from 12-1 to 8-1.

"If De La Hoya wins by knockout, we’re in bad, bad shape," Walker said.