The Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao Fight: Clash Between Two Great Boxers
April 8, 2009 by admin
Filed under Manny Pacquiao
When the match between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao was sealed last January, there have been many speculations from both camps about who will win. Considering that both boxers have good track records, it is difficult to tell exactly who is the more powerful, or who has a greater chance of out powering the other.
If you follow the press releases taken from both camps, each has a good story to tell, harsh words to hurl at the other, and even plans to pursue after the much-awaited fight.
However, it you go down to a more personal level and listen to what each of the two boxing heroes have to say, you can get a better picture of how they really feel about themselves and about the other.
On one occasion Pacquiao admitted that he has to be prepared more for this fight than what he did prior to fighting Oscar de la Hoya. He considers Hatton as a great opponent and that he should not underestimate the Brit’s strength and power.
Speaking before his fans at the Trafford Center in Manchester, Pacquiao said that Hatton will surely give him more problems than De la Hoya did. Pacquiao has given special attention to his every fight, and he is man enough to say that this one against Hatton will need even more of his attention and self-confidence.
He looks at Hatton’s record of 1 loss in 45 fights and with 32 knockouts as great and something of value. Hatton has won titles in the light-welterweight and welterweight classes. With all of these, Pacquiao has to see to it that he has got what it should take to face a great British boxer.
On Hatton’s assessment of Pacquiao, he is not scared of Manny. Given the Filipino’s well-decorated career, Hatton takes it only as a challenge. According to the Manchester native, the May 2 fight will be “a fight between two nice men”.
However, he continued, the two nice men will just be challengers that are willing to do anything and put everything to win once they get inside the ring. He considers both of them as both aggressive, but Pacquiao is not someone who would cause him to worry about.
The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada will be the deciding ground as to who between the two confident boxers will win the light-welterweight showdown. Great fights have been staged in this arena, but this May 2 fight will be different. It is because this will also be a match between two trainers, Pacquiao’s Freddie Roach and Hatton’s Mayweather, Sr.
In several instances, the two hurled biting words against each other, if only to prove that their wards are the best among the rest. The result of this much talked about fight will reveal which trainer did his best in order to win the title. It could be said that whether it is Hatton or Pacquiao who will win, the contention would be that the trainer of the winner is the “better one”.
The Next Manny Pacquiao Fight: Will it Be Pound for Pound or Real Strength?
April 8, 2009 by admin
Filed under Manny Pacquiao
“Get ready for some beating” for the next Manny Pacquiao fight. This statement from Floyd Mayweather Sr, Ricky Hatton’s trainer, surely put a message across to Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao – that they could expect a great fighter in Hatton.
Considering that Pacquiao moved up two weight divisions and easily beat Oscar dela Hoya in December, Hatton is also up to face a determined fighter who is considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. However, the trainer does not consider such circumstance as a reason to fear the Filipino boxer.
Mayweather has repeatedly claimed that the May 2 clash between the two boxing superstars will put Hatton back to no. 1 again. Such display of confidence might have sprung out of Hatton’s decision to change his fighting style, one that would combine strategies that he used to stop Kotsya Tszyu and Paul Malignaggi.
There is even a plan that after defeating Pacquiao on May 2, Hatton will try to do a match with Marquez. Such plan, if accomplished, will put back Hatton’s boxing career in the ring again, and will give him a big chance to win back the no. 1 spot.
Furthermore, Mayweather Sr. said that Pacquiao is not likely to bear the tremendous power and strength of his boxer. He aptly describes Hatton as the fighter that has real strength, and that Manny was tailor-made for his British opponent.
Of course, Freddie Roach would not just close his mouth as if he need not comment on Mayweather’s harsh words. Throwing back some punches, the Hall of Fame Trainer still insisted that Pacquiao will knock out Hatton some time in the later rounds. Roach belittled Mayweather for claiming that he (Mayweather) was the best trainer.
He went on by saying that Mayweather has never trained his own son Floyd Mayweather, Jr. On being the trainer of Oscar dela Hoya, Roach said that the boxer has already won four world titles before Mayweather became his trainer. In other words, Roach would like to say that the trainer claims achievements that are not really his own, or, to be blunt, he has never achieved anything.
As a morale booster to each of their wards, their belittling words hurled at each other’s camp serve as encouragement. On one occasion Pacquiao was man enough to admit that he expects a lot of problems from Hatton, much more than what he expected from Golden Boy dela Hoya. As a proof, the Filipino legendary boxer is back in thick training, more than what he has done before in his previous fights.
On the other hand, Hatton knows that Manny does not fit into his bullying fighting style that has become his trademark. To equalize Pacquiao’s tremendous speed, he will rely on his hand speed and punching power. One problem though is the issue that since Hatton is used to his old style, it would be difficult for him to stop Manny who is very much aware of his “weakness”.
For sure, boxing aficionados will enjoy this great fight between two of the world’s no. 1 boxers in their own right. Whether this fight will favor Hatton or Pacquiao, every punch will be a piece of victory for the boxing world.
