Ricky Hatton could face Manny Pacquiao at Wembley

RICKY HATTON could face Manny Pacquiao in a Wembley showdown after the Filipino beat Oscar De La Hoya into submission in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao revealed he wants a crack at the Hitman and would be happy to do so in summer at a British stadium.

Sluggish De La Hoya was dominated from start to finish and it was over after he failed to come out for the ninth round.

Pacquiao said: "My job is to fight in the ring, arranging the opponents is my promoter's job.

"I can fight any time, anywhere. I can go to England to fight Hatton, no problem."
Hatton going head to head with Pacquiao would capture the imagination of the British boxing public and Wembley could stage the fight in about six months' time.

Hatton's father, Ray, has already confirmed the London stadium is one of several venues under consideration for the prospective light-welterweight clash.

Holding the fight in the UK would appeal to the legions of supporters who have spent a small fortune following Hatton in the United States and the gate receipts from a Wembley clash would be vast.

Hatton might also gain some advantage from having a home crowd behind him and he is apparently relishing the prospect of taking on Pacquiao, who turns 30 - Hatton's age - later this month.

Hatton said: "Manny has proved again he's pound-for-pound the No.1 in the sport and I still might get my dream of becoming the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world."
If promoters can arrange the fight, Hatton would expect one of the toughest contests of his career.

Pacquiao's confidence is soaring and having started his career at light flyweight, his achievement in moving through the weights and remaining a formidable fighter has convinced him he can take on anyone.

He mixed right jabs with straight lefts and completely overwhelmed De La Hoya, the 35-year-old so-called Golden Boy.

De La Hoya's left eye started to swell in the third round and became more and more bruised as the fight went on.

Pacquiao said: "After that first round, I felt confident.

"He was swinging for the big shot. After the second round when I heard the bell ring, I thought 'I got him'. He was just looking for one shot." Pacquiao completely dominated the seventh round, nearly knocking De La Hoya down with multiple combinations.

Referee Tony Weeks would have been justified in stopping the fight and the ring doctor warned De La Hoya he would not let him take much more punishment.
De La Hoya continued to get pummelled and looked defeated as he strolled back to his corner at the end of the eighth.

His team decided the fight should not continue just before the ninth round was set to begin.

Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, favours a clash with Hatton for his boxer's next challenge.

He said: "I know Ray Hatton. We'll sit down, we'll talk, that's probably the most logical fight to be made - Manny against Ricky Hatton at 140lb.

"Manny would want to fight at 140 and so would Ricky. That's probably No.1 on the drawing board.

"But let the kid have a great Christmas and New Year then we'll sit down to business."

source: dailyrecord.co.uk