Manny Pacquiao opens as favorite over Ryan Garcia

Manny Pacquiao opens as favorite over Ryan Garcia.

In the first fight odds that have been released for the potential Manny Pacquiao vs. Ryan Garcia matchup, Sports Betting Dime has Pacquiao opening as a -140 favorite over rising star Garcia, who is listed at +140.

Despite this fight not being on anyone’s radar just a few weeks ago, a fight between all-time great, Pacquiao, and fast-rising star, Garcia, appears to gain momentum with each day that passes.

While not officially announced, there seems to be a lot who believe the fight will be happening later this year, including Garcia himself, who teased the fight with a fan-made poster on his Instagram.

All of the buzz, and apparent negotiations between both sides, have prompted Sports Betting Dime to release their first lines for the fight.

The sportsbook sees the 42-year-old Pacquiao open as a -140 favorite, while Garcia is listed as a +110 underdog.

Pacquiao certainly deserves to open as the favorite despite his age. He has won titles in a record eight weight classes and has been campaigning at welterweight (147-pound limit) since 2009. His level of opposition is obviously light years ahead of Garcia’s, having fought countless fighters who have been inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Pacquiao’s skills are also on another level compared to Garcia even at his advanced age, as seen by his victory of then-undefeated Keith Thurman in 2019.

Garcia on the other hand fights at the lightweight (135-pound limit) division, and is relatively untested, despite coming off of a very impressive victory against a quality opponent in Luke Campbell.

Despite being outmatched in terms of experience and skill, Garcia possesses three major advantages over the aging Pacquiao. He has the faster hands of the two at this point in their careers, he is about five inches taller, and he has been more active.

Pacquiao deserves to be the favorite, he can come close to matching hand speed with Garcia, he is used to fighting taller opponents, and he is more than capable of putting on a boxing clinic against a fighter whose skills do not compare.

However, he has not fought since July 2019, and at 42 years old this long hiatus could very well catch up to him in the ring, especially when facing the fighter who most feel has the fastest hands in the sport.

The line reflects this, as Pacquiao is the favorite, but only slightly. It would not come as a huge shock if Garcia were to pull off the upset over the all-time great Pacquiao – Father Time is undefeated after all.