Hatton vs Pacquiao

Philip Hamer can't separate the local favourite from the Filipino champion as they face each other in their great Las Vegas decider.

As Ricky Hatton completed his local preparations for his forthcoming Las Vegas fight against the great Manny Pacquiao, the onlooker could be permitted a distinct feeling of déjà vu. We had been here before over 15 months ago as Hatton limbered up for his fight with another great, Floyd Mayweather. Not only did Mayweather inflict upon Hatton his first defeat, he gave him a boxing lesson. Will it be different this time?

The experts think it might be. In a recent Boxing Monthly poll, 28 boxing insiders couldn’t separate the two contenders, who will fight on 2 May. For promoter Frank Warren, veteran of out-of-the ring financial battles with Hatton and his father, Pacquiao has to be the winner.

According to Warren, Hatton's much-remarked-upon, reckless lifestyle between fights will catch up with him and Pacquiao will win: “Nowadays Ricky mostly breaks and holds. Pacquiao will break him up and stop him,” he says.

Ex world champion Colin McMillan sees it differently: “Hatton will be up for this. Pacquiao will not be fighting at his best weight. He’ll obviously be very confident, but if Hatton lands early there could be a stoppage.” Both are agreed on one point though: this is going to be one hell of a contest.

Just like Mayweather, Pacquiao bears the best pound for pound fighter tag. Pacquiao earned that with his destruction of ring legend Oscar de la Hoya, the previous bearer of that mantle. What most experts agree on is that the weight factor is going to be significant in this contest. The fight has been set at 140lbs with Hatton’s light-welterweight title up for grabs. As a ringsider at one of Hatton’s final workouts put it: “No one beats Ricky at 140lbs.”

Ricky's last fight, a brilliant defeat of Paulie Malignaggi, revealed that his new trainer – who is none other than Mayweather's father – has had a huge effect on his performance.

Against Malignaggi he revealed the awesome self-belief that had distinguished his career, but which seemed to quickly drain away against Mayweather.

Now age 30, the clock is ticking against Hatton as it was against de la Hoya when he faced Pacquiao. One Manchester boxing insider worries that Hatton is not the boxer he was pre-Mayweather, remarking: “He may not have another fight left in him.”

None of this fazes Hatton who looked utterly impressive in his last Manchester workouts. With his whirlwind aggressiveness, powerful chunkiness and extremely white skin, he is reminiscent of the post war American fighters Rocky Graziano and Jake la Motta.

Like the remarkable Joe Calzaghe with his aggressive style and extremely likeable personality, Hatton is now as popular with the Las Vegas fight-goers as he is with the people of Greater Manchester.

Hatton’s travelling fans are already assembling for the Vegas jaunt. It will be an indication of the impact on his home city of the financial crisis to see if his supporters are in any way diminished. Somehow I doubt it.

Source: manchesterconfidential.co.uk