Oddsmakers at Bovada.lv told Examiner.com Friday that the so-called “Hollywood Dream Match” between cagey veteran and late night show host Jimmy Kimmel and Canadian crooner Justin Bieber looks like it will be a nightmare for the older entertainer.
“They won’t be accepting any wagers as this is just show biz chatter at this point,” Bovada spokesman Jimmy Shapiro told me.
“But our experts hypothetically would make the betting line plus 300 for Kimmel and minus 400 for The Biebs. Should it ever transpire, I wonder if Beiber’s buddy Floyd Mayweather Jr. would work his pal’s corner.”
Speculation about a fantasy fight between the gabfest host and the former teenage heartthrob came when Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather’s “Fight of the Century” opponent May 2 in Las Vegas, made his 11th appearance on Kimmel’s show.
Given Pacquiao’s penchant for crooning (he’s arguably boxing’s worst world champion singer since the awful days of Smokin’ Joe Frazier and his band, the Knockouts) and Bieber’s constant shadowing of Mayweather, the subject was a natural one.
So much for fantasy fights.
Kevin Bradley, sports book bossman for Bovada, prefers to speak on the Floyd-Manny wagering and compares it to the wild wagering on the Super Bowl:
“We have been holding Mayweather -210 and Pacquiao +170 for over three weeks now and we feel it is quite solid with almost even action on both sides. With Manny paying almost 2/1, our risk on him has been steadily growing and there is no question we will need Floyd to win on May 2.
“The props we offer such as method of victory or exact round take such a significant amount of money that it will definitely account for a good chunk of the overall action and play a role in how the book does. Ideally, a Mayweather win by decision which is currently at 5/7 would be the ideal situation, while a situation such as an early Pacquiao KO would be a disaster for the book.
“This will no doubt be the biggest boxing match we’ve ever booked. It’s hard to gauge the magnitude of this as there really is no comparable fight. With the Kentucky Derby being on the same day along with NBA and NHL Playoffs, it wouldn’t be a shocker if betting on May 2 fight is as big as the Super Bowl.”
