LAS VEGAS ? Manny Pacquiao quietly slipped into the luxurious Wynn Hotel here late Sunday afternoon, carrying his expensive guitar and wearing a big, red tag as the overwhelming favorite in his coming battle with Erik Morales.
The boxer from Gen. Santos City used the hotel?s south entrance and managed to avoid a mild rush of fans and onlookers who greeted him in his previous visits to this gambling capital of the world.
In his training suit, Pacquiao arrived at the hotel with his lovely wife Jinkee and a bloated entourage of around 30 team members and die-hard supporters who traveled with him all the way from Los Angeles.
A convoy of six vehicles, including a 2006 Suburban, a couple of white Caravans, an Expedition, a BMW and the Navigator traveled nearly four hours and 300 miles from LA at a top speed of 100 mph.
Pacquiao stayed at the hotel lounge and briefly played the guitar before being ushered in to his elegant suite with two bedrooms, a massage room and a spacious living room with large sofas and a giant plasma TV.
The Filipino icon went straight to his room, almost unmindful that on the hotel?s casino floor, which features probably the biggest gaming space in Vegas, the betting screens continue to show his tremendous edge over Morales.
According to Sportsbook, the official and dependable betting station here, Pacquiao remains the overwhelming favorite with a bet of $210 winning just a hundred bucks.
On the contrary, a bet of $100 on Morales would win $180. No major changes in the odds are expected to come in the last six days heading to the fight set at the Thomas and Mack Center, a few blocks off the Strip.
“It may even go higher in favor of Pacquiao, and if that happens, his fans might think twice in putting their money in. Imagine betting $210 and winning only a hundred,” said a Pacquiao associate.
Unless they?ve already placed their bets, Filipino high-rollers planning to come over two or three days before the fight will even make the betting odds more miserable if you?re for Pacquiao.
“Pag pumasok pa ang pera nila, lalu pang liliit ang pera kay Manny (The odds on Manny may even go higher when their bets come in)),” added the visitor from Manila who mentioned the names of some Pinoy politicians.
Pacquiao was also installed as the favorite in his first two meetings with Morales, a former three-time world champion. But in the first, in March of 2005, the tables were turned by Morales? unanimous victory.
Pacquiao did not disappoint his fans when he got back at the 30-year-old Mexican in January this year, scoring a sensational 10th round knockout that paved the way for the coming rubber match.
NOTES: The next few days should the busiest ever for the popular website mannypacquiao.ph. Dong Secuya, who?s been diligently running the site since 2003, said they?ve recorded an average of 12,000 visitors the past few weeks, and he expects a record-high of probably 25,000 to 30,000 visitors on the day of the fight. To avoid or avert a possible breakdown, Secuya, a web developer, has been upgrading his main server every now and then. ?We cannot afford a breakdown or Pacquiao fans will get mad,? he said?. The official weigh-in for Bobby Pacquiao?s Sept. 16 fight with Hector Velasquez will be held at noon Wednesday at the Hard Rock Hotel while the final press conference for Manny?s battle with Morales will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Wynn Hotel.
