Robert Guerrero's odds of knocking off Floyd Mayweather have improved, but that doesn't mean you should be running to the put a lot of money on the challenger.
The two had their final pre-fight event before stepping in the ring on Saturday—the weigh-in. Surprising no one, both fighters came in at or close to the 147-pound limit (h/t Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated):
Considering the amount of money on the line, it was extremely unlikely either would fail to make weight. They were hovering close to the limit a week ago and had very little left to do.
Following the weigh-in, the odds seem to have slightly moved in the Ghost's favor.
According to Sports Rumble yesterday, the odds for Mayweather were at -750 on Bovada, but that's since moved to -700. Guerrero's seen his move from +475 to +450 following the weigh-in. While that's not much movement from either side, it's still movement. The odds wouldn't change if there wasn't that minute hint of doubt from bettors.
The underdog is still pretty good value should he manage to pull off the historic upset. At those odds, though, you're pretty much throwing your money away. Few will be expecting Guerrero to offer much of a threat to Mayweather.
Even at 36 years old and out of the ring for a year, Mayweather has shown little signs of slowing down too much. Age will eventually catch up to the unbeaten fighter. For the time being, though, he looks to be a far superior fighter than his opponent.
Unless he showed up at about 250 pounds, Mayweather was always going to be the heavy favorite coming into the fight following the weigh-in. He's one of the best fighters in the world, and Guerrero isn't skilled enough to counter Money May's great speed and defense.
Considering the weigh-in was the last chance the promoters had to convince fans to buy tickets to the fight or tune in on pay-per-view, there was bound to be some drama. ESPN's Dan Rafael was a bit skeptical as to the reason behind the ardent promotion:
Of course, nothing could top Guerrero's father, Ruben, at the pre-fight press conference. He unleashed a profanity-filled rant toward Mayweather and called him a "woman-beater" (h/t David Mayo of MLive.com).
Unless Mayweather fights a talent like Canelo Alvarez or a star like Manny Pacquiao, he won't remain a high box-office draw. Fans have already seen so many great Mayweather fights that it's hard to warrant throwing $60 down when he's such a heavy favorite.
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