MANILA, Philippines – Ricky Hatton may claim the light welterweight division (140-lbs) as his exclusive domain but former 126 and 130-lb campaigner Manny Pacquiao is poised to crash the "Hitman's" yard.
Asked by AOL Fanhouse what he thinks is the ideal weight class for him, the reigning pound for pound king said he feels great at Hatton’s 140-lb "turf."
“I’m comfortable at 140-lbs," Pacquiao told Fanhouse.
The Filipino ring sensation has mystified fight buffs with his ability to jump up in weight and at the same time dominate in a career that started at strawweight (106-lbs). It’s an open secret that Pacquiao had been struggling to make weight before at feather and superfeather so he moved up last year to lightweight (135-lbs) in a title-clinching win over David Diaz, and welterweight (147-lbs) in a thrashing of superstar Oscar De La Hoya.
But Pacquiao seems to be at home at 140-lbs. Four and half weeks before the fight, the puncher from General Santos City has only eight pounds left to shed come weigh-in – a luxury he didn’t have in the lower weights.
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, confirmed his prized ward’s ease at light welter.
“At 140, Manny Pacquaio’s gonna be happy. He’s in great shape. When Manny Pacquiao struggled to make weight, he’s not happy, he’s miserable, grouchy and all that, he didn’t fight that well," Roach said in a video interview posted at teampilipinas.info.
“Now, he’s comfortable, he’s happy, he’s joking the whole time. I’ve got a happy fighter and a happy fighter is a good fighter," he added.
Hatton had claimed he is the “boss" over at 140-lbs, in which he is unbeatable so far. His lone loss, to Floyd Mayweather Jr. was fought at welterweight.
But Roach said the slugger from Manchester has met his match in Pacquiao.
“We’re gonna kick his ass," said the celebrated trainer, who predicted that Hatton would not last three rounds against Pacquiao. –GMANews.TV
Source: gmanews.tv
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