This weekend, boxing's pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao takes on tenacious jr. welterweight ruler Ricky Hatton in a highly-anticipated clash at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino and televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View. Get a full breakdown of the fightÂ… why it's important, what will happen when the bell rings and who will walk out of the ring as the victor. Check it out!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN...
As years pass, it seems like the biggest fights are the ones that mean the least in their respective weight classes. I'm not talking about fights that the hardcore fans eagerly anticipate. I'm talking about the super-fights, the ones with crossover appeal, the battles that your co-workers are talking about…De La Hoya–Pacquiao, Mayweather–Hatton, De La Hoya–Mayweather, Hopkins–De La Hoya…all huge events with endless promotional budgets, but in the end, what did they really mean in their weight classes? What did they really mean when it came to creating clarity in the sport? Short answer: nothing! They were made to sell pay-per-views, not to create clarity.
Well, for once we have a super-fight that isn't just all about being a financial success. It's a fight between the two best fighters in a weight class that both are expected to continue campaigning at after this fight. Manny Pacquiao may be fighting for the first time at 140 pounds, but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn't call him one of the top two junior welterweights in the world. Currently, the distinction of being the best junior welterweight in the world belongs to Ricky Hatton. He is the champion and no one would dispute that. Whether he is a better fighter than Manny Pacquiao is where the question lies and on Saturday, we will get our answer.
For Hatton, a win here erases the disappointment that still exists from his loss to Floyd Mayweather back in December of 2007. Right or wrong, Hatton believes that if he does beat Pacquiao, he puts himself into a position for a rematch with Pretty Boy Floyd and at this point, that's what he is fighting for. Who knows? If this fight is entertaining enough, maybe there will be enough demand to see him fight Pacquiao again. After all, a good fight could only make for a better rematch. While a loss would be crushing to Hatton mentally, it would do little to kill his box office status back home, where he could fight just about anyone in front of a crowd of 50,000. In the end, Hatton views this fight as a must win, but regardless what the outcome, he would still have plenty of junior welterweights lining up for a chance to share the ring with him.
For Manny Pacquiao, it would seem as though a win over Hatton is somewhat of a foregone conclusion. I have talked to a lot of hardcore fans over the past few weeks and so many of them take PacMan without so much as a pause. "Pacquiao in under 9…way too fast"; "Pacquiao early…he is going to bust Hatton open and end it"; "Manny…EASY!" I get the sense that they are counting down to Pacquiao–Mayweather and should Manny come up with the win, so will he. 140 pounds sure looks like the right weight for Pacquiao right now and outside of an event against a smaller welterweight like Floyd or even Cotto, we can expect him to stay here. Valero will be arriving soon, Marquez will probably stay at 140 if he jumps for a one off against Floyd at 144 pounds and Hatton will still be here. Should Pacquiao lose, it would set the ideal stage for the third fight with Marquez, regardless of what happens in the rumored Mayweather–Marquez fight. Keep in mind, however, that Manny wouldn't be limited to that. Not much unlike Hatton, he would have fighters lining up for a crack at him.
WHEN THE BELL RINGS...
The good news here is that this one isn't going to take long before we start seeing some action. Hatton will attack and he will do so well before the end of the first round, but expect him to do it with a little more tact than what we have grown used to. This won't be a bumrush scenario at all. Hatton is going to jump on Pac to let him know who the stronger man is, but he will do so behind a jab with some head movement and with his guard up. Conversely, Pacquiao is going to look to show Hatton that the only time he is going to back up is when he chooses to. Pacquiao does not like fighting in reverse. He is at his most effective when he is coming in behind his right jab and straight left. Neither punch is all that effective when he gives up momentum, so expect to see more in-fighting and more circling from Pacquiao; catch Hatton on the way in, side-step to create a little room and then fire off two and three shots. This should make for an interesting clash of styles, as well as provide good sustained action.
Floyd Senior says Hatton is going to the body. Believe him!
Ricky Hatton has very quick feet; quicker than Pacquiao's in fact. It is easily the most underrated aspect of the Hitman's game. Hatton can close the distance in the blink of an eye and begin working inside. If that doesn't work, he can just turn it ugly and begin roughing his opponent up. The use of the jab will be important though because coming in without firing it while shortening the distance is a recipe for disaster and both Hatton and his trainer know that. Once he is backed up, Pacquiao will often give up his body and this is exactly what team Hatton is hoping for. The key will be getting inside while making Pacquiao give up real estate. If Hatton can do that with consistency, Pacquiao is going to be in a very uncomfortable position.
Freddy Roach says he expects Pacquiao to get Hatton out of there with in 3 rounds. Believe him!
Pacquiao can be downright lethal if you come to him while he has momentum behind his right jab and straight left. Give PacMan an opening and his handspeed and reflexes will exploit it in brutal fashion. It's clear that Roach not only expects Pacquiao to have openings to exploit at will, but he also expect Hatton to willingly deliver them to him from the opening bell. Give Pacquiao a few rounds worth of holes to fill with his fists combined with an opponent who walks to him and you'd be hard-pressed to find a guy capable of lasting a full two, let alone three rounds. But this will require Hatton to either forget everything he has worked on or Pacquiao to loosen up that defense and make firing the jab dangerous by countering it. The key will be maintaining space and creating openings where they may not exist immediately, whether it be through neutralizing the jab, utilizing angles to side-step and create space or getting Hatton to become more focused on lunging in than using a consistent jab and guarding himself while pressuring.
This fight will start quickly and the pace will be maintained throughout. I am not one of the people who expect a quick night, in fact, I don't expect this one to end inside the distance at all.
Along the way, both men will have their moments, both men will be hurt and both men will be frustrated. Pacquiao's frustration with Hatton's style will be evident. There will be times when Manny looks like he doesn't know what to do with Hatton. It's hard to prepare for a guy who has extremely fast feet, can close the distance incredibly fast and is willing to mug a guy on the inside if he is unable to fight on the inside. It's a taxing style to deal with and Pacquiao will need to be prepared for that. With Hatton, his frustration will be evident when he can't quite shorten the distance and Pacquiao is able to get off in combination while he looks for ways to get inside. Pacquiao's handspeed and explosiveness is not something you can train for, no matter whom you spar with, and unless Hatton is prepared to walk through hell to get Pacquiao fighting his fight, he is going to find himself wearing down before the championship rounds.
Guessing the flow of this fight is no easy task. There are just so many variables at play. Nonetheless, assume Hatton will have some success early as he works away at Pacquiao, looks to bring the guard down with body work and roughs up the smaller man. For the first time in his career, Hatton will step in the ring as the taller fighter. How that affects things is anyone's guess, but I think it will embolden the Manchester native. The goal will be to turn Pacquiao into a far less explosive version of himself with consistent body punching, some inside roughhousing and constant, smart pressure. While the plan may look good on paper, Pacquiao will find his range and become increasingly accurate as the fight wears on. Hatton's consistent risks will eventually lead to some of the openings Pacman is looking for and, in time, he will find them, but not without having to deal with the Hitman making him pay a price for being in there.
All along, the fight will remain close, the flow will consistently change, there will be action, there will be dead spots when action slows on the inside and most importantly, there will be some drama.
THE CALL...
When this fight was announced, my initial reaction was actually to tab Hatton. I thought that his style would be a real problem for Pacquiao and he would rough up the smaller man and make it into his kind of fight. As the fight approached, I began to waffle a bit and found myself thinking Pacquiao would cut Hatton up on the way inside en route to a late stoppage, say somewhere around the 9th. Now, here we are, two days before the fight and I find myself struggling. I know why each fighter should win this fight and I know why each fighter should lose this fight. The only thing I remain confident in is that Ricky Hatton, at +215, is a damn good bargain.
Styles make fights and even though I have this voice that keep telling me Hatton is going to be all wrong for Pacquiao, I am going against it saying that great fighters like PacMan find a way, even when they are forced to deal with an opponent that is all wrong for them. Regardless of the fact that at times, Pacquiao won't know what do with Hatton, I will say that his flashier combinations and probably some drawn blood will sway the judges as he wins a close, hard-fought, potentially arguable decision. Could be a majority decisionÂ…could be a split decisionÂ…but it will not be easy no matter what anyone tells you. When it's all said and done, the first major pay-per-view event of the year will have delivered and not only will the fight deliver in event status, but it will also deliver in entertainment value.