Betting lines: Pacquiao favored over Matthysse

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao, at 39, is trying to downplay his chances against WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse, four years younger and hungrier.

“I’m the underdog in this fight,” said Pacquiao, who announced two days ago the title clash for July 15 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

American promoter Bob Arum looked at the fight as a tough fight.

But based on the early betting lines for the title fight, Pacquiao is the man to to beat, not a heavy favorite, but the favorite.

Sports.bet.com.au, Australia’s premier online betting website, has placed Pacquiao at 1.47 and Matthysse at 2.55.

Converted to the American system, Pacquiao is at -213, meaning you need to put in $213 to win $100.

For Matthysse, it’s +155, meaning a wager of $100 wins $155 or a return of $255.

The first licensed bookmaker in Australia gave Pacquiao a winning probability of 68 percent compared to Matthysse’s 39.2 percent.

Pacquiao is not known to count on the odds, often saying that it all goes out the window once the bell rings.

The odds, according to Bob Arum, is all about the money coming in for one fighter and the other.