- Mario Barrios is a -240 favorite to defend his welterweight title against former champion Manny Pacquiao.
- Pacquiao is now 46 years old and will be fighting for the first time since 2021.
LAS VEGAS – A boxing legend returns this weekend as Manny Pacquiao officially comes out of retirement to challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC Welterweight Title. Here are the odds for the match set to take place in Vegas on Saturday night.
Pacquiao vs Barrios Match Odds
- Pacquiao +195
- Barrios -240
Legal sports betting sites favor Barrios to defeat Pacquiao in his return to the ring, which should come as no surprise given the age difference and Barrios’s status as reigning welterweight champion.
The question is; does Pacquiao actually have any chance to pull off the upset?
Recent Performance
Pacquiao has been retired for four years, losing his last match to Yordenis Ugas by unanimous decision. He had struggled prior to his retirement, losing five of his last thirteen bouts which would account for more than half of his career losses.
Now 46, it remains to be seen how much gas Pacquiao has left in the tank.
Mario Barrios, just 30 years old, holds a professional record of 29-2-1 with his only two losses coming against Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman, both currently top five in their weight class in the world.
His last fight came against Abel Ramos, which ultimately ended in a draw, resulting in Barrios retaining the welterweight title.
The one flaw for Barrios that could open the door for Pacquiao to sneak out a win is his recent lack of knockout power. He has not finished a fight with a KO/TKO since 2020.
What The Odds Are Saying
Boxing betting sites largely expect this fight to go the distance, giving -145 odds for the fight to surpass 10.5 of the 12 possible rounds.
The most likely outcome according to round betting is a win for Barrios by decision at +200, followed by Pacquiao by decision at +450. Outside of a decision, the shortest odds are for Barrios to win by stoppage in the 8th or 9th round at +1200. Pacquiao has no lower than +4000 odds to win via stoppage in any round.
While many would like to see Pacquiao win in his return and break his own record for the oldest fighter to ever hold the welterweight title, it is hard to imagine him doing so with such a significant age difference.
That being said, bettors should lean towards Barrios by decision at +200 for the best odds. Pacquiao has been knocked out just three times in his professional career and, as previously mentioned, Barrios has not recorded a knockout in five years.
