MANNY Pacquiao strutted his way Tuesday night into the lobby of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and, as expected, received a warm welcome from some 1,000 fans, mostly Filipinos who waited anxiously to see their idol in person.

And as soon as Pacquiao, together with his entourage, set foot in Sin City, the betting odds suddenly intensified to his favor illustrating a mismatch of sorts when the Filipino bomber trades punches with Miguel Cotto for the latter's WBO welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

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Based on the latest odds, Pacquiao is now installed as a big 3-1 favorite to beat Cotto and win an unprecedented seventh world crown in different weight classes.

The latest odds at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino was immediately posted as Pacquiao, American trainer Freddie Roach, conditioning coach Alex Ariza and the rest of Team Pacquiao arrived in Vegas.

The 30-year-old Pacquiao, who hails from General Santos City, was earlier installed as a 2-1 favorite to win the fight scheduled for 12 rounds.

Cotto arrived at the MGM Grand some 60 minutes later and was also greeted by his followers, though his reception was relatively less enthusiastic with that of Pacquiao's entrance.

Pacquiao is basically the faster boxer, but Cotto is the bigger, younger and the heavier-handed between the two ring warriors.

Pacquiao is unfazed.

"I believe in myself. I don't want to say anything before the fight. My motivation? I am fighting for the people who love boxing," Pacquiao was quoted by Fightnews.com as saying.

According to Roach, they have already designed the perfect fight plan against Cotto and that it's just a matter of executing this come fight night.

Cotto, on the other hand, does not mind the odds favoring Pacquiao. The Puerto Rican is also oozing with confidence as the fight draws near.

"I'm prepared for the speed of Manny," Cotto told Fightnews.com. "I have equal hand speed and prepared well with my sparring partners."

The final press conference will be held Wednesday, while the official weigh-in is set Friday. (CRAM)