As Ricky Hatton prepares to defend his world junior welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao on May 2, most boxing experts think Hatton won't be able to withstand Pacquiao's punching power for 12 rounds.
But Hatton has other ideas. He says Pacquiao takes too many risks with his aggressive, hard-punching style, and that as soon as Hatton makes him miss with a hard shot, Pacquiao will be off-balance and ripe for the taking.
"I think Manny, because he's so aggressive, he sometimes gambles with every punch," Hatton said. "He puts everything he's got into that left cross and he drills the whole right back. I think if you can make him miss, I think sometimes he puts that much into his punch. I think if you can make him miss, he's very open and he's off balance, and along with my head move and my hand speed, my footwork and everything will work. And now, if he misses, he's going to have some big shots waiting for him."
Hatton also said he has improved as a boxer and he doesn't believe Pacquiao is going to be adequately prepared for the way he fights.
"Manny's probably watching videos of Ricky Hatton, all the videos that he's watching will be the old Ricky Hatton, and then when the new Ricky Hatton turns up, I think he's going to get a shock," Hatton said, speaking of himself in the third person. "I think one thing that won't shock him is my strength and my size, which I think obviously if he's not preparing for it, he should be. But I think there's a technical side, the defensive work and the speed is going to shock him more than anything."
Hatton added that he expects to walk into the ring at about 154 pounds, meaning he'll have a significant size advantage over Pacquiao, Hatton is the underdog, but he exudes confidence.
Source: fanhouse.com
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