posted March 14, 2008 at 20:59 in Other Articles

On Saturday, Manny Pacquiao, who some might consider the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, will face off against Juan Manuel Marquez in a rematch, this time for the WBC super featherweight (130-pound) title at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

BetUS Boxing Betting Odds:

WBC Super Featherweight (130-pound) Title

March 15 -- Las Vegas

MANNY PACQUIAO -220

JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ +180

OVER 11.5 ROUNDS -170

UNDER 11.5 ROUNDS +130

For boxing betting purposes, let's size up the contestants:

PACQUIAO (45-3-2, 35 KO's), the -220 favorite at BetUS Sportsbook, has won titles at 112, 122, and 126, and will be going after a championship in his fourth different weight division. He has two wins over both Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. And to say he is a national hero in his native Philippines would be a massive understatement, although he's only fought twice there in the last five years.

A southpaw, Pacquiao comes at his opponent from all angles, and carries power in both hands. Interestingly, he has been able to take some power with him as he's moved up in weight; after moving to 126 pounds (the featherweight level), he has scored knockouts in five of his last seven wins.

MARQUEZ (48-3-1, 35 KO's), the +180 underdog at BetUS, is part of one of the great sibling combinations in recent boxing history, along with brother Rafael, a junior featherweight champion. He failed in his first attempt at a world title (WBA 126-pound) in September of 1999 when he was beaten on a decision by Freddie Norwood, but has lost only one time since. Marquez has been in nine world championship fights since the Norwood defeat, losing only to Chris John on a very controversial decision in Indonesia.

Of course, these two fought before (May of 2004), in a celebrated and controversial fight in which Marquez went down three times in the first round, then came all the way back to salvage a draw. Pacquaio won by five points on John Stewart's scorecard; Marquez won by five points on Guy Jutras' scorecard, and Burt Clements had it even at 113-113.

Pacquiao may have accomplished a bit more since then, although it can be argued that Morales and Barrera were past their prime by that time, beaten up from fighting each other.

By the way, it should be mentioned that Marquez is the champion here, and that this rematch comes at a higher weight limit than the last one. What can't be discounted is that once Marquez settled down the first time, he got much the better of Pacquiao, enough to make up a lot of points. So if he can avoid a slow start, he may prove quite capable of handling the southpaw. In a spirited fight with Rocky Juarez last time out, I thought Marquez looked sharp, although some criticized him for having too hard a time with the former Olympian.

He is as solid a fighter as they come, and maybe even ideal to counter what Pacquiao is able to throw at him. Not to disparage Pacquiao in any way, but since I feel the price is attractive, I'll side with Marquez, the +180 underdog in the BetUS boxing betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: MARQUEZ TO WIN (+180) **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

Betting on boxing has never been so easy and you can get your bets in now in the BetUS sportsbook. Go to Other Sports: Boxing. Find tons of props on the fight and the fighters in the Future / props section as well!

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com is a former manager, matchmaker and color commentator in professional boxing. He currently pulls no punches in the BetUS Locker Room)