Ricky Hatton vs Manny Pacquiao In Las Vegas
Can Hatton Become The Best Pound For Pound Fighter In The World?
Apr 23, 2009
The excellent surroundings of Las Vegas, at the MGM Grand arena will be the location for the fight that every boxing fan will be tuning in for. Hatton, the Light Welterweight Champion will put his titles on the line against the best pound for pound fighter in the business, World Champion in four weight divisions Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather Defeat
Hatton has been here before though. His desperate desire for the prestigious “best boxer in the world” tag first led him to the supremely talented Floyd Mayweather Jnr. In 2007 Hatton was defeated for the first time in his career. Mayweather outclassed him on the night landing the knock-out blow in the tenth round. Now Hatton returns to the scene of the crime, looking to put memories of that night against Mayweather to the back of his mind.
That night Mayweather's punches were breathtakingly quick, at times Hatton didn't know where he was, until he hit the canvas with a large thud. Pacquiao has been classed as a similar fighter to Mayweather. Small, speedy, powerfull and patient, he will size his opponent up before going in for the kill.
Speed And Power
In his last fight Pacquiao easily dismantled legendary fighter Oscar De La Hoya, a defeat that effectively ended the career of the Goldenboy. De La Hoya couldnt handle his speed and power, he threw punch after punch which landed on De La Hoya's chin. Hatton also has a reputation for powerfull punching, 32 of his 45 wins have come via KO. Hatton believes he can counter Pacquiao's speed and power with his own quick forray of punches. In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Hatton said, "I respect Manny for his skills and all his power but I think he should be a bit more worried about my power.
The Worlds BestHatton's belief that he can achieve his dream is clear, this man strives to be the worlds best. In the same interview with Sky Sports he said, "We started training camp earlier, started sparring earlier, started running earlier. It's just because of the size of the fight. It's a fight I massively believe I can win. "A boxer can't get any higher if he's the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world, so I need to just go about my business more so than ever."
Hatton's Highs And Lows
Hatton is going to need to reproduce the same performances which led him to legendary victories against some of the most difficult opponents he has faced. Performances on a par with the Kostya Tszyu victory, the Castillio KO and the recent win against Malignaggi will be required here.
Before the victory over Paulie Malignaggi, serious question marks had been raised over Hatton. The damaging defeat to Mayweather, left experts wondering if a first defeat, would be to much to take for Hatton. His next fight saw him labour to a rather unconvincing victory over Juan Lazcano at the home of his boyhood club Manchester City. Has Hatton put these unconvincing performances fully behind him?
Consequences Of Defeat For Hatton
If Manny Pacquiao was to defeat Hatton on May 2nd what would be left for the Hitman? Hatton has achieved nearly all his dreams on the boxing stage. The one thing left in his career is to be titled the best pound for pound boxer in the world. If he was to fail again at this stage maybe it could be the end of the line for arguably Britain's best boxer in decades.
Who Will Win?
The fight will undoubtedly be close. Pacquiao will be moving up in weight to fight Hatton, but that doesn't seem to affect the Mexican. There was a huge size difference when he defeated De La Hoya. Both men are quick and contain powerfull punches, but Hatton will need to be aware of the threat Pacquiao poses. If Hatton goes in with the gung-ho approach which he did against Mayweather, Pacquiao will pick him to pieces. However, Hatton's switch in trainer to Flloyd Mayweather SNR seems to have helped him. There is now a little bit of nous to Hatton's approach. Expect a classic, it will be close but Hatton will take the fight by split decision.
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