When Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton square off on May 2, boxing fans will be presented with two of the most exciting, pressure, action fighters in the sport today. If styles make fights, this could be a barn burner as both fighters usually come out at the opening bell swinging and don’t stop fighting until the fight is won or lost.
What Pacquiao Needs to Do to Win
Pacquiao has the better boxing skills of these two warriors, although his defense is often very suspect. The danger for Pacquiao will be if he starts trading with Hatton and gets caught with a big shot. If he does that, he may find himself in never never land sprawled out on the canvas.
Even though this fight is at 140 pounds, Ricky Hatton is the naturally bigger man. In fact, he appears to carry around a lot of weight when he’s not training for a fight. While Pacquiao fought De La Hoya at a higher weight and carried it well, and still demonstrated his punching power, Hatton is a rough customer at 140 pounds.
Ironically, what Pacquio needs to do to win this fight is use his superior speed and boxing skills to out quick Hatton but keep moving out of range and not let Hatton land any big shots.
While not normally his style, Pacquiao did a good job of this against Oscar De La Hoya, who he dominated. He needs to pull back on his urge to chase Hatton or get into an all out brawl with him or it could spell his doom.
So in a nutshell, Pacquiao needs to adjust his straight ahead fighting style to increase his chances of winning the fight.
What Hatton Needs to Do to Win
If Hatton doesn’t entice Pacquiao into a brawl this could be a long night for him. Pacquiao is faster and a better all around boxer, with punching power. But Hatton should be able to land some blows if they stand toe to toe and slug it out.
Hatton would be well served to try to cut off the ring and get Pacquiao cornered. Pacquiao didn’t fight that well off the ropes against the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez. But that’s going to be much easier said than done against the crafty Pacquiao.
For Hatton, this fight presents exactly the kind of boxing style he likes. Unlike Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who has great defensive skills and isn’t ashamed to run, stick, and move, Pacquiao is a pressure fighter who likes to be in his opponent’s face. Hatton is likely to punch him in the face if he does that.
The positive for Hatton in this fight is he doesn’t need to change his style much at all. It would serve him well to be a little bit more on the defense, but that won’t win him the fight. His best chance to win is to keep coming forward and applying the pressure. The more this fight is fought in a phone booth the better chance Hatton has to win.
Prediction
Both of these boxers now have outstanding trainers. It will be interesting to see what Floyd Mayweather, Sr. brings to the table in Hatton’s corner. But I think Pacquiao will be able to adjust as needed, and his speed and superior boxing skills will carry the day. I see a TKO for Pac Man in the late rounds.
But I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get knocked out either. That’s what makes this fight rather exciting.
What the Fight Means for Each Fighter’s Legacy
Win or lose, Manny Pacquiao’s legacy and global celebrity as one of the greatest pound for pound fighters in his era is cemented. He has an impressive list of defeated opponents including Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz (okay, not that impressive), and Oscar De La Hoya.
They don’t call him the Mexican killer for nothing. He can retire today and his celebrity and place in boxing history is cemented.
For Hatton, this fight means much, much more. The defining moment in his career was making Kostya Tszyu quit on his stool in their championship fight at 140 pounds in 2005. And while he did defeat Luis Collazo and Jose Luis Castillo, when he really stepped up in class against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., he was exposed.
To me, Hatton has not had enough defining wins in his career, like Pacquiao, to be remember as anything more that a tough, pretty good fighter. That is, unless he beats Pacquiao.
If he accomplishes that, then the conversation about Hatton’s legacy will take on entirely different tone.
Source: bleacherreport.com
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