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Showing posts with label Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Pacquiao ready to perform for Filipinos
Arum says southpaw will go down as one of the best in boxing history
Manny Pacquaio already was an international icon before his one-sided victory over Oscar De La Hoya in December, but his one-sided beatdown of the “Golden Boy” in Las Vegas cemented his status as boxing’s pound-for-pound king.
“It was different after I beat De La Hoya,” Paquiao said during a teleconference Friday, searching for the right words to convey how his extreme popularity in the Philippines reached yet another level after his dominant win over De La Hoya. “It’s hard to describe. But there was even a different feeling back home.”
Next Saturday the stakes climb even higher as the former four-weight world champion faces British boxing sensation Ricky Hatton in a megabout at the MGM Grand.
“For me, this is not a regular fight," said Pacquiao, who is about to wrap up his training camp at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club and head to Las Vegas.
"I consider this fight to be the toughest of my boxing career. After all he is undefeated at 140 pounds."
Indeed Hatton, the IBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight champ, poses a serious threat, as his 45-1 record with 32 knockouts attests.
Then factor in that “The Hitman” is now in his second training camp with Floyd Mayweather Sr., and showed flashes of their new techniques during his win over Paulie Malignaggi in November. Hatton has the skills to upset the heavy betting favorite.
“Ricky Hatton is a kind of different fighter to what I have been fighting before. He's a good and strong fighter,” said Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs). “I know he has a very strong left hand and I have to take care of that and focus on that.
"I've studied a lot of techniques for him. I don't want to tell anyone what. I want to keep it a surprise, what we have been doing in training."
While Pacquiao said he believes Hatton has picked up a few tricks from the talkative Mayweather Sr., he said their less-than-a-year partnership is too short a time period to change Hatton enough to be victorious on May 2.
“I believe a fighter can change his style but not right away. It takes more time to change your style," Pacquiao said.
"In my career, I don't want to change my style. I just want to apply some techniques to improve my style. I believe I'm improving."
The 30-year-old also said he’s not worried about Hatton’s slight benefit in size or his perceived power advantage.
“I don't care if he's bigger or stronger," said the reigning fighter of the year. "Boxing is more than that. It's also mental and about the quickness of your mind and quickness of your body. That's very important.
"Speed is very important."
So much so that Top Rank chief Bob Arum not only believes Hatton will have no answer for Pacquiao’s quickness, but also that his rare combination of speed and explosiveness ranks him on a short list of the best fighters of all time.
"I personally have never seen such explosiveness combined with speed in all my years of boxing," said Arum, who has promoted the likes of De La Hoya, Marvin Hagler and Floyd Mayweather Jr. "I believe Manny's body of work establishes him as one of the best fighters in the history of boxing."
As is always the case with Pacquiao, he said his place in history will take care of itself, and that he’s only worried about putting on a top performance for his nation, and international following, of fans.
"All I'm trying to do is give happiness and enjoyment to the people," he said.
Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/25/pacquiao-ready-perform-his-people/
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Fight analysis and prediction: Pacquiao vs. Hatton
We have formally entered the post-Oscar de la Hoya era. Boxing fans are hungry, searching, and yearning for a fresh face of the sport. No longer are Roy Jones, Jr. and Bernard Hopkins the flag bearers.
2009 as a Critical Period
The balance of 2009 will be the most critical time period for boxing for the next five years. No period for the next five years will be more important than what transpires in 2009. May 2nd can help to answer the question: "how buoyant and resilient is the sport of boxing?" The four major challenges are: (1) the development of multiple mainstream personalities, (2) the arrangement for marquee bouts that capture the public's imagination, (3) corporate sponsorships as drivers for enhanced media channels and visibility, and (4) matches that allow promising fighters and the cream of the crop to showcase their talents against quality opponents.
The Battle of East & West is also a Battle for Attention
What distinguishes the youth and middle-aged followers of sports in the late 2000s is the very high level of ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder - and extremely short attention spans. People in general, including sports fans, want instant gratification. When they turn on the channel, they want something exciting to happen within 10 seconds or they are flipping the channel. Worse, recessionary times have elevated the standard by which consumers dish out cash to attend live events. Baseball, to an extent, has suffered from this, and has had to quicken the pace of their game.
May 2nd's Significance
1. How much will the mainstream embrace (or be apathetic to) Manny Pacquiao?
2. Will the business feature attractive financial performance to induce major corporate players and media outlets?
3. Can Ricky Hatton's efforts produce an exciting bout to maintain or elevate boxing's station in its competition against a host of other sports, such as basketball, football, baseball, tennis, soccer, etc.?
Fight Analysis
Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood. - Gen. George S. Patton
Ricky Hatton
* Hatton has no choice but to close the distance between himself and Pacquiao. The Hitman has an impressive ability to quickly eliminate the gap between himself and his opponent, especially in the early to mid-rounds. A critical success factor for Hatton is to quickly eliminate the gap and grapple with the speedy and quick Pacquiao.
* Assuming Hatton can get a significant portion of the fight within close range, he stands a chance of frustrating the Pacman, and making Pacquiao uncomfortable with body shots, clenching, elbows, holds, and other rough and dirty tactics. Hatton can risk a point deduction or two against a clean fighter like Pacquiao, in the hopes of frustrating the Filipino. A frustrated Pacquiao will be much more tempted, and inclined, to brawl with the Hitman.
* A cool and level-headed Pacquiao spells doom for Hatton. A clear-headed Pacman will anticipate movements and strikes from the slower Brit. An angry or frustrated Pacman, however, who wants to brawl, will be susceptible to surprise hooks and crunching blows to the body. Ricky Hatton did significant damage to Jose Luis Castillo's ribs when they fought in 2007. Secondly, a Pacquiao that is hurt to the body can be subject to a combination of devastating uppercuts and hooks to the head.
Manny Pacquiao
* Manny is the faster, quicker, and more powerful puncher of the two. Additionally, he possesses a 67" reach while Hatton has a 65" reach. Manny can slowly, methodically, and predictably break down Hatton with his lightning quick jabs and lead lefts. Most likely, he will end his combinations with tags to Hatton's body that should begin to wear down the Brit's legs by the fourth or fifth round.
* Manny's lateral movements - and especially, his ability to throw effective, accurate counters while often backing up, will be critical. Fight fans are not used to seeing Pacquiao back up continuously. In this fight, he will have to step back from time to time more for purposes of risk management. It is better for him to create temporary distance than to get hit by a staggering surprise. Erik Morales is the last fighter to have beaten Pacquiao (in 2005), and the longer Mexican was able to hurt Manny from a distance. Unfortunately for Hatton, he does not possess the superior technicals that Morales once had.
* Telegraphing Hatton's moves. Knowing what Hatton does. Understanding the Brit's thought processes and intentions inside his head and in real time. Manny has evolved into a smart fighter. Now, he can often see things before they happen. That will be his biggest mental edge.
Prediction
Hatton comes on as a strong and charging close-range fighting cavalry - a schoolyard bully - the first three or four or so rounds. Doubtless, Manny's accurate and successful flushes to the head will wear down the Brit by the fourth or fifth round. Secondly, Manny's blows to the body should take out Hatton's legs by the fourth or fifth round. Thus, Hatton only has a four round window with which to win this fight - the first four rounds. His best chances for a victory come most likely by a surprising blow to the head - that staggers Manny, followed by a combo - or a surprising blow to the body, most likely while Manny is being frustrated or grappled - ala Jose Luis Castillo. Unfortunately, Manny is simply too quick, fast, and elusive here. Perhaps on fight night, "Pacman" should take on the moniker "The Fast & Furious." I see a low-risk game plan by Pacquiao's camp to slowly but surely reconfigure Hatton's face - patiently landing high percentage "free throw" shots, not "three pointers."
In the "Art of War," you do not fight your enemy's fight. You make the enemy fight your fight. As Hatton's diminished legs prevent him to quickly close the distance gap, doom is inevitable. The shark smells and sees blood, and chomps viciously. Pacquiao by KO or TKO in round six or seven.
Post Fight
Pacquiao's win will be a critical mass event for boxing in the post de la Hoya reality. People are sick and tired of watching weekly replays of fights that happened in the 1960's and 1970's. Are you kidding me? From 50 years ago? Mike Tyson is no longer fighting. Muhammad Ali has his debilitating disease. The greats are looking toward the ring to inspect if there is a worthy all-time great upon which to obsessively fixate one's eyes and mind.
Elite fighters are waiting for Manny (before the current pound for pound champ retires). There are juicy implications that can generate further inroads for the sport. As of this writing, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. are on an earth-shaking collision course. Humility vs. Flamboyance. Generosity vs. Personal Accumulation. Country vs. Self. Honor vs. Status. The American aircraft carrier is sailing East yet a massive Pacific Typhoon is squarely blocking its way. Both by the Mariana Trench. The one losing sinks into the freezing depths.
Upset
A Hatton win really throws in a wrench. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. may gun for Hatton instead, as opposed to aiming for a Pacquiao showdown. Juan Manuel Marquez will always pursue a fight with his nemesis. A Hatton win somewhat diminishes the luster of Pacquiao - Marquez III. And fighters like Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley, Nate Campbell, and the rest, can aid in bringing in more spotlight towards the Brit as they search for their next big payday.
Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-4514-Houston-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m4d25-Fight-analysis-and-prediction--Pacquiao-vs-Hatton
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2009 as a Critical Period
The balance of 2009 will be the most critical time period for boxing for the next five years. No period for the next five years will be more important than what transpires in 2009. May 2nd can help to answer the question: "how buoyant and resilient is the sport of boxing?" The four major challenges are: (1) the development of multiple mainstream personalities, (2) the arrangement for marquee bouts that capture the public's imagination, (3) corporate sponsorships as drivers for enhanced media channels and visibility, and (4) matches that allow promising fighters and the cream of the crop to showcase their talents against quality opponents.
The Battle of East & West is also a Battle for Attention
What distinguishes the youth and middle-aged followers of sports in the late 2000s is the very high level of ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder - and extremely short attention spans. People in general, including sports fans, want instant gratification. When they turn on the channel, they want something exciting to happen within 10 seconds or they are flipping the channel. Worse, recessionary times have elevated the standard by which consumers dish out cash to attend live events. Baseball, to an extent, has suffered from this, and has had to quicken the pace of their game.
May 2nd's Significance
1. How much will the mainstream embrace (or be apathetic to) Manny Pacquiao?
2. Will the business feature attractive financial performance to induce major corporate players and media outlets?
3. Can Ricky Hatton's efforts produce an exciting bout to maintain or elevate boxing's station in its competition against a host of other sports, such as basketball, football, baseball, tennis, soccer, etc.?
Fight Analysis
Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood. - Gen. George S. Patton
Ricky Hatton
* Hatton has no choice but to close the distance between himself and Pacquiao. The Hitman has an impressive ability to quickly eliminate the gap between himself and his opponent, especially in the early to mid-rounds. A critical success factor for Hatton is to quickly eliminate the gap and grapple with the speedy and quick Pacquiao.
* Assuming Hatton can get a significant portion of the fight within close range, he stands a chance of frustrating the Pacman, and making Pacquiao uncomfortable with body shots, clenching, elbows, holds, and other rough and dirty tactics. Hatton can risk a point deduction or two against a clean fighter like Pacquiao, in the hopes of frustrating the Filipino. A frustrated Pacquiao will be much more tempted, and inclined, to brawl with the Hitman.
* A cool and level-headed Pacquiao spells doom for Hatton. A clear-headed Pacman will anticipate movements and strikes from the slower Brit. An angry or frustrated Pacman, however, who wants to brawl, will be susceptible to surprise hooks and crunching blows to the body. Ricky Hatton did significant damage to Jose Luis Castillo's ribs when they fought in 2007. Secondly, a Pacquiao that is hurt to the body can be subject to a combination of devastating uppercuts and hooks to the head.
Manny Pacquiao
* Manny is the faster, quicker, and more powerful puncher of the two. Additionally, he possesses a 67" reach while Hatton has a 65" reach. Manny can slowly, methodically, and predictably break down Hatton with his lightning quick jabs and lead lefts. Most likely, he will end his combinations with tags to Hatton's body that should begin to wear down the Brit's legs by the fourth or fifth round.
* Manny's lateral movements - and especially, his ability to throw effective, accurate counters while often backing up, will be critical. Fight fans are not used to seeing Pacquiao back up continuously. In this fight, he will have to step back from time to time more for purposes of risk management. It is better for him to create temporary distance than to get hit by a staggering surprise. Erik Morales is the last fighter to have beaten Pacquiao (in 2005), and the longer Mexican was able to hurt Manny from a distance. Unfortunately for Hatton, he does not possess the superior technicals that Morales once had.
* Telegraphing Hatton's moves. Knowing what Hatton does. Understanding the Brit's thought processes and intentions inside his head and in real time. Manny has evolved into a smart fighter. Now, he can often see things before they happen. That will be his biggest mental edge.
Prediction
Hatton comes on as a strong and charging close-range fighting cavalry - a schoolyard bully - the first three or four or so rounds. Doubtless, Manny's accurate and successful flushes to the head will wear down the Brit by the fourth or fifth round. Secondly, Manny's blows to the body should take out Hatton's legs by the fourth or fifth round. Thus, Hatton only has a four round window with which to win this fight - the first four rounds. His best chances for a victory come most likely by a surprising blow to the head - that staggers Manny, followed by a combo - or a surprising blow to the body, most likely while Manny is being frustrated or grappled - ala Jose Luis Castillo. Unfortunately, Manny is simply too quick, fast, and elusive here. Perhaps on fight night, "Pacman" should take on the moniker "The Fast & Furious." I see a low-risk game plan by Pacquiao's camp to slowly but surely reconfigure Hatton's face - patiently landing high percentage "free throw" shots, not "three pointers."
In the "Art of War," you do not fight your enemy's fight. You make the enemy fight your fight. As Hatton's diminished legs prevent him to quickly close the distance gap, doom is inevitable. The shark smells and sees blood, and chomps viciously. Pacquiao by KO or TKO in round six or seven.
Post Fight
Pacquiao's win will be a critical mass event for boxing in the post de la Hoya reality. People are sick and tired of watching weekly replays of fights that happened in the 1960's and 1970's. Are you kidding me? From 50 years ago? Mike Tyson is no longer fighting. Muhammad Ali has his debilitating disease. The greats are looking toward the ring to inspect if there is a worthy all-time great upon which to obsessively fixate one's eyes and mind.
Elite fighters are waiting for Manny (before the current pound for pound champ retires). There are juicy implications that can generate further inroads for the sport. As of this writing, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. are on an earth-shaking collision course. Humility vs. Flamboyance. Generosity vs. Personal Accumulation. Country vs. Self. Honor vs. Status. The American aircraft carrier is sailing East yet a massive Pacific Typhoon is squarely blocking its way. Both by the Mariana Trench. The one losing sinks into the freezing depths.
Upset
A Hatton win really throws in a wrench. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. may gun for Hatton instead, as opposed to aiming for a Pacquiao showdown. Juan Manuel Marquez will always pursue a fight with his nemesis. A Hatton win somewhat diminishes the luster of Pacquiao - Marquez III. And fighters like Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley, Nate Campbell, and the rest, can aid in bringing in more spotlight towards the Brit as they search for their next big payday.
Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-4514-Houston-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m4d25-Fight-analysis-and-prediction--Pacquiao-vs-Hatton
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Manny Pacquiao: New icon of world boxing
The consensus best boxer in the world, pound-for-pound. The new face of boxing. A modern-day Henry Armstrong.
These are some of the flattering descriptions iconic Pinoy boxer Manny “PacMan”Pacquiao has earned for himself as he basks in the pinnacle of fistic success, opening doors to even greater wealth and fame for the former street hawker.
Pacquiao, PacMan to his legion of fans worldwide, is probably the most successful and most popular Filipino sportsman ever. Already considered a national hero in his country, Pacquiao’s global fame zoomed to unimaginable proportions after his stunning upset of the great Oscar De La Hoya, a 10-time world champion in six different weight divisions.
His masterful domination of De La Hoya fortified Pacquiao’s hold as the No. 1 boxer in every mythical best pound-for-pound listing in the sport. And with the recent retirement of De La Hoya, Pacquiao inherits the mantle of leadership as the new face of boxing.
“Beating De La Hoya takes Manny’s boxing career to a whole new level,” Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach told this writer in an interview before the “Dream Match” in Las Vegas.
These words of the renowned American coach, who has trained 23 world champions, proved to be prophetic. He also proved the critics wrong, including some PacMan fans, who thought Pacquiao-De la Hoya to be a massive mismatch.
Boxing’s top draw
As boxing’s top draw, Pacquiao can now choose his fights and even dictate his purse. For his coming super fight with British star Ricky Hatton but, Pacquiao is guaranteed $12 million. This amount could go up at least several million dollars more, if the fight’s pay-per-view numbers turn out to be good as expected.
If popularity is a good measure of personal triumph, then the former street urchin-turned-international sports celebrity is certainly a huge success. PacMan is the only Filipino listed in the 2009 Time Magazine “Time 100,” a survey of the world’s most influential people. So far, Pacquiao has garnered 20.3 million votes, outstripping all sports stars in the list and assuring him a slot among the world’s top movers and shakers.
Among the sports personalities included in the elite list are National Basketball Association superstar Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Brazilian soccer sensation Kaka, Racecar driver Danica Patrick of the US, New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriquez, billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and tennis superstar Rafael Nadal of Spain.
Modern-day Henry Armstrong
But what matters most for most die-hard boxing fans is perhaps the pundits’ putting Pacquiao in the same category as the peerless Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong, the late 1930s boxing legend.
Veteran boxing writer Jake Donovan of BoxingScene.com said Pac-quiao is one of the best boxers of his generation and is assured of his place among the elite boxing greats in history.
“Going into the [De La Hoya] fight, the assessment of Manny Pacquiao’s leap-frogging through weight classes conjured up memories of boxing’s most famous triple treat, Henry Armstrong,” Donovan said.
Donovan was referring to the “legendary human windmill” who became the only fighter in boxing history to simultaneously reign as lineal champion in three separate weight classes, ruling the roost at— in order—featherweight, welterweight and lightweight.
Pacquiao won the World Boxing Council junior lightweight crown by split decision from Mexican three-time world champion Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15, 2007, annexed the WBC lightweight crown three months later via a scintillating knockout of David Diaz in the 9th round.
And although no belt was at stake during his fight with De La Hoya, boxing pundits believe that beating the sport’s most famous fighter in such lopsided fashion was like winning another world crown.
“In fact, a new discussion begins. It doesn’t end with his referral as a modern-day Henry Armstrong,” Donovan said.
“It instead extends to where he belongs among the ranks of names like Armstrong, [Muhammad] Ali, [Joe] Louis, [Roberto] Duran and [Sugar Ray] Robinson after . . . scoring an upset of the ages after forcing Oscar De La Hoya to quit on his stool after eight shockingly one-sided rounds.”
‘Pambansang Kamao’
Dubbed as “Pambansang Kamao” (Nation’s Fist), Pacquiao has so thrilled millions of adoring fans that the crime rate goes drastically down every time he has a fight, because even criminals stop to watch his bouts.
It is also said that communist insurgents and Muslim secessionists lay down their firearms and declare a self-imposed truce with the military during his bouts so they would be able to watch him fight.
Born on December 17, 1978, to a poor family, Pacquiao became a street hawker at a tender age, selling doughnuts to help support his family. It is in the city streets where he developed his toughness and a liking for boxing.
By his own accounts, Pacquiao had his first fight at the age of 12 during which he earned P50 (almost equivalent to a dollar). He promptly gave the money to his mother for her to buy rice.
Pacquiao started his professional boxing career at the age of 16 at light flyweight (106 lbs). His early fights were mostly four or six-round bouts in small local venues and were shown on Vintage Sports’ Blow by Blow, an evening boxing show.
Following his professional debut against Edmund “Enting” Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won by decision, he quickly racked up 10 more wins, four of them by stoppage. He was so active he fought 11 times in less than 12 months.
Rebounding from defeat
His first loss was a third round knockout to Rustico Torrecampo, on February 9, 1996, after Pacquiao failed to make the weight. As a result, he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, putting Pacquiao at a disadvantage.
Pacquiao moved up to flyweight (112 lbs) and earned his first world title shot on December 24, 1998, and knocked out World Boxing Council flyweight champ Chatchai Sasakul of Thailand.
After just one successful defense of his titl—a fourth round technical knockout or TKO—over Gabriel Mira of Mexico, Pacquiao lost his WBC flyweight title to Thai Medgeon Singsurat via a third round knockout at Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Technically Pacquiao lost the belt at the scales as he failed to make weight for the fight. He was drained of energy trying to make the weight, which explained his lackluster performance.
Moving up to super bantamweight (122 lbs), Pacquiao won the WBC International Super Bantamweight title via second round knockout of Filipino Reynante Jamili. He then defended his title five times by knockout.
Team up with Roach
Deciding to fight in the United States, Pacquiao in early 2001 walked into Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood and told Roach he was looking for a trainer. Roach immediately took Pacquiao in after seeing the Filipino shadow-box in the ring. Thus started the highly successful Pacquiao-Roach partnership.
Shortly thereafter, Pacquiao got a big break when he was picked as a last minute replacement to challenge International Boxing Federation Super Bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba on June 23, 2001, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao scored a stunning upset, winning by TKO in the sixth round as the referee stopped the fight.
PacMan went on to defend his second world title five times before being held to a sixth-round technical draw by Agapito Sanchez on November 10, 2001, in San Francisco because of head butts. The Filipino sensation then successfully defended his title four more times by knockout.
Defining win
His defining moment came on November 15, 2003, when Pacquiao again moved up in weight to featherweight to fight Mexican three-division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera. Though a heavy underdog, Pacquiao stopped Barrera in the 11th round, inflicting the Mexican icon’s first ever knockout loss.
For stopping the legendary Barrera, The Ring magazine awarded Pacquiao the world featherweight title, which he held until relinquishing it in 2005.
About six months later, Pacquiao went on to challenge another respected Mexican champion, Juan Manuel Marquez, then holder of the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight titles. That fight ended in a controversial draw after Pacquiao decked Marquez three times in the first round but lost most of the latter rounds. One of the judges later admitted making an error in the scorecards because he scored the first round as “10-7” in favor of Pacquiao instead of the standard “10-6” for a three-knockdown round.
On March 19, 2005, Pacquiao fought Mexican Erik Morales, another three-division world champion at the MGM Grand Arena in the first match of what is considered one of the most thrilling trilogies in modern boxing history. Morales won by unanimous decision over a bloodied Pacquiao—the result of a cut he suffered early in the fight.
The Filipino fighter would soon avenge his defeat in decisive fashion as he inflicted Morales’ first knockout loss in the 10th round in their rematch. Getting sharper with every fight, Pacquiao thoroughly dominated the iconic Mexican champion with a third round stoppage in their rubber match on November 18 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
‘The Mexicutioner’
On his way to the top of the world’s pound-for-pound rankings, Pac-quiao defeated 10 of the best Mexican prizefighters, including three future Hall of Famers: Barrera, Marquez and Morales. This accomplishment would earn him the nickname, “Mexicutioner.”
“I don’t like being called Mexi-cutioner because I respect the great Mexican fighters I have met in the ring, and I respect and love the Mexican people,” Pacquiao, ever the humble and gentleman, said in one of his stops in the Bay Area.
In his last two fights, the Filipino sports hero stopped David Diaz of Chicago and De La Hoya.
Pacquiao has gone a long way from the lanky street kid who got paid P50 for his first boxing match to the world’s highest paid professional boxer. His act will definitely be hard to match.
Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/april/26/yehey/top_stories/20090426top5.html
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These are some of the flattering descriptions iconic Pinoy boxer Manny “PacMan”Pacquiao has earned for himself as he basks in the pinnacle of fistic success, opening doors to even greater wealth and fame for the former street hawker.
Pacquiao, PacMan to his legion of fans worldwide, is probably the most successful and most popular Filipino sportsman ever. Already considered a national hero in his country, Pacquiao’s global fame zoomed to unimaginable proportions after his stunning upset of the great Oscar De La Hoya, a 10-time world champion in six different weight divisions.
His masterful domination of De La Hoya fortified Pacquiao’s hold as the No. 1 boxer in every mythical best pound-for-pound listing in the sport. And with the recent retirement of De La Hoya, Pacquiao inherits the mantle of leadership as the new face of boxing.
“Beating De La Hoya takes Manny’s boxing career to a whole new level,” Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach told this writer in an interview before the “Dream Match” in Las Vegas.
These words of the renowned American coach, who has trained 23 world champions, proved to be prophetic. He also proved the critics wrong, including some PacMan fans, who thought Pacquiao-De la Hoya to be a massive mismatch.
Boxing’s top draw
As boxing’s top draw, Pacquiao can now choose his fights and even dictate his purse. For his coming super fight with British star Ricky Hatton but, Pacquiao is guaranteed $12 million. This amount could go up at least several million dollars more, if the fight’s pay-per-view numbers turn out to be good as expected.
If popularity is a good measure of personal triumph, then the former street urchin-turned-international sports celebrity is certainly a huge success. PacMan is the only Filipino listed in the 2009 Time Magazine “Time 100,” a survey of the world’s most influential people. So far, Pacquiao has garnered 20.3 million votes, outstripping all sports stars in the list and assuring him a slot among the world’s top movers and shakers.
Among the sports personalities included in the elite list are National Basketball Association superstar Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Brazilian soccer sensation Kaka, Racecar driver Danica Patrick of the US, New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriquez, billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and tennis superstar Rafael Nadal of Spain.
Modern-day Henry Armstrong
But what matters most for most die-hard boxing fans is perhaps the pundits’ putting Pacquiao in the same category as the peerless Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong, the late 1930s boxing legend.
Veteran boxing writer Jake Donovan of BoxingScene.com said Pac-quiao is one of the best boxers of his generation and is assured of his place among the elite boxing greats in history.
“Going into the [De La Hoya] fight, the assessment of Manny Pacquiao’s leap-frogging through weight classes conjured up memories of boxing’s most famous triple treat, Henry Armstrong,” Donovan said.
Donovan was referring to the “legendary human windmill” who became the only fighter in boxing history to simultaneously reign as lineal champion in three separate weight classes, ruling the roost at— in order—featherweight, welterweight and lightweight.
Pacquiao won the World Boxing Council junior lightweight crown by split decision from Mexican three-time world champion Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15, 2007, annexed the WBC lightweight crown three months later via a scintillating knockout of David Diaz in the 9th round.
And although no belt was at stake during his fight with De La Hoya, boxing pundits believe that beating the sport’s most famous fighter in such lopsided fashion was like winning another world crown.
“In fact, a new discussion begins. It doesn’t end with his referral as a modern-day Henry Armstrong,” Donovan said.
“It instead extends to where he belongs among the ranks of names like Armstrong, [Muhammad] Ali, [Joe] Louis, [Roberto] Duran and [Sugar Ray] Robinson after . . . scoring an upset of the ages after forcing Oscar De La Hoya to quit on his stool after eight shockingly one-sided rounds.”
‘Pambansang Kamao’
Dubbed as “Pambansang Kamao” (Nation’s Fist), Pacquiao has so thrilled millions of adoring fans that the crime rate goes drastically down every time he has a fight, because even criminals stop to watch his bouts.
It is also said that communist insurgents and Muslim secessionists lay down their firearms and declare a self-imposed truce with the military during his bouts so they would be able to watch him fight.
Born on December 17, 1978, to a poor family, Pacquiao became a street hawker at a tender age, selling doughnuts to help support his family. It is in the city streets where he developed his toughness and a liking for boxing.
By his own accounts, Pacquiao had his first fight at the age of 12 during which he earned P50 (almost equivalent to a dollar). He promptly gave the money to his mother for her to buy rice.
Pacquiao started his professional boxing career at the age of 16 at light flyweight (106 lbs). His early fights were mostly four or six-round bouts in small local venues and were shown on Vintage Sports’ Blow by Blow, an evening boxing show.
Following his professional debut against Edmund “Enting” Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won by decision, he quickly racked up 10 more wins, four of them by stoppage. He was so active he fought 11 times in less than 12 months.
Rebounding from defeat
His first loss was a third round knockout to Rustico Torrecampo, on February 9, 1996, after Pacquiao failed to make the weight. As a result, he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, putting Pacquiao at a disadvantage.
Pacquiao moved up to flyweight (112 lbs) and earned his first world title shot on December 24, 1998, and knocked out World Boxing Council flyweight champ Chatchai Sasakul of Thailand.
After just one successful defense of his titl—a fourth round technical knockout or TKO—over Gabriel Mira of Mexico, Pacquiao lost his WBC flyweight title to Thai Medgeon Singsurat via a third round knockout at Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Technically Pacquiao lost the belt at the scales as he failed to make weight for the fight. He was drained of energy trying to make the weight, which explained his lackluster performance.
Moving up to super bantamweight (122 lbs), Pacquiao won the WBC International Super Bantamweight title via second round knockout of Filipino Reynante Jamili. He then defended his title five times by knockout.
Team up with Roach
Deciding to fight in the United States, Pacquiao in early 2001 walked into Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood and told Roach he was looking for a trainer. Roach immediately took Pacquiao in after seeing the Filipino shadow-box in the ring. Thus started the highly successful Pacquiao-Roach partnership.
Shortly thereafter, Pacquiao got a big break when he was picked as a last minute replacement to challenge International Boxing Federation Super Bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba on June 23, 2001, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao scored a stunning upset, winning by TKO in the sixth round as the referee stopped the fight.
PacMan went on to defend his second world title five times before being held to a sixth-round technical draw by Agapito Sanchez on November 10, 2001, in San Francisco because of head butts. The Filipino sensation then successfully defended his title four more times by knockout.
Defining win
His defining moment came on November 15, 2003, when Pacquiao again moved up in weight to featherweight to fight Mexican three-division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera. Though a heavy underdog, Pacquiao stopped Barrera in the 11th round, inflicting the Mexican icon’s first ever knockout loss.
For stopping the legendary Barrera, The Ring magazine awarded Pacquiao the world featherweight title, which he held until relinquishing it in 2005.
About six months later, Pacquiao went on to challenge another respected Mexican champion, Juan Manuel Marquez, then holder of the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) Featherweight titles. That fight ended in a controversial draw after Pacquiao decked Marquez three times in the first round but lost most of the latter rounds. One of the judges later admitted making an error in the scorecards because he scored the first round as “10-7” in favor of Pacquiao instead of the standard “10-6” for a three-knockdown round.
On March 19, 2005, Pacquiao fought Mexican Erik Morales, another three-division world champion at the MGM Grand Arena in the first match of what is considered one of the most thrilling trilogies in modern boxing history. Morales won by unanimous decision over a bloodied Pacquiao—the result of a cut he suffered early in the fight.
The Filipino fighter would soon avenge his defeat in decisive fashion as he inflicted Morales’ first knockout loss in the 10th round in their rematch. Getting sharper with every fight, Pacquiao thoroughly dominated the iconic Mexican champion with a third round stoppage in their rubber match on November 18 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
‘The Mexicutioner’
On his way to the top of the world’s pound-for-pound rankings, Pac-quiao defeated 10 of the best Mexican prizefighters, including three future Hall of Famers: Barrera, Marquez and Morales. This accomplishment would earn him the nickname, “Mexicutioner.”
“I don’t like being called Mexi-cutioner because I respect the great Mexican fighters I have met in the ring, and I respect and love the Mexican people,” Pacquiao, ever the humble and gentleman, said in one of his stops in the Bay Area.
In his last two fights, the Filipino sports hero stopped David Diaz of Chicago and De La Hoya.
Pacquiao has gone a long way from the lanky street kid who got paid P50 for his first boxing match to the world’s highest paid professional boxer. His act will definitely be hard to match.
Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/april/26/yehey/top_stories/20090426top5.html
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Hatton diary: Working with Floyd
From the outside it must seem like one of the oddest partnerships in sports.
There's Floyd Mayweather Sr, a brash, middle-aged American trainer who likes rapping and trash talk and who's seen enough in and out of the ring to fill 10 lifetimes.
Then there's me, a simple lad from the streets of Manchester, England, who has followed my boxing dreams to the bright lights of Las Vegas.
But despite the differences in our personalities, I know without any doubt that Floyd is the right man to prepare me for my fight with Manny Pacquiao next Saturday.
There have been plenty of funny incidents along the way, like at a press conference in Hollywood, California, when Floyd pretended to run off with the top trainer trophy that will be on the line between him and Freddie Roach on May 2.
On that same occasion, Floyd made some bold predictions in the form of a lengthy and barely-understandable rap song that claimed I would deliver a hiding to Pacquiao.
Of course, you have to take everything Floyd says with a pinch of salt. He goes over the top with his words and his antics, but he means every word of it. They are not lies.
When he says he has prepared me to handle everything Pacquiao throws at me in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, then it comes from the heart. He is confident I will win and so am I.
When Floyd and I first started working together he raised some concerns about how my weight balloons a bit between fights, and the message has sunk in.
He came to Manchester at the start of this training camp, and he could see my life is in order now. I am engaged, I am living at home with my fiancée Jennifer, and I am showing a bit more responsibility.
We had our last hard sparring session on Wednesday. Normally it would be Friday, eight days before a fight - but you don't want to overcook it.
Floyd and co-trainer Lee Beard have got me feeling sharper than ever, so I will resist the temptation to squeeze out that little bit more.
From now I will do my run at 6 a.m. and just keep things topped up with some strength work and a big focus on technique.
I can't remember feeling this good ahead of a fight, especially in America. I have learned as I've gone along.
My first time fighting in Las Vegas was when I beat Juan Urango. We came out only a week before and stayed in a casino, and I got sick. With all the air conditioning, you are breathing in everyone else's junk and my nose got blocked, which is the last thing you want as a boxer.
Next time out, against Jose Luis Castillo, I arrived in Vegas two weeks before and stayed in a rented house. For Floyd Mayweather Jr it was three weeks before, and even though I lost it felt closer to ideal preparation.
This time around it will be five weeks, and although Vegas will never feel like home I am very comfortable here. After training I put my feet up, we have a meal and a game of cards.
In the evening I might nip out for a coffee or a bit of a walk before bedtime.
I've been a good boy and I have worked hard. There's been no partying and no drinking, that's strictly for when I'm out of training.
But I've got a feeling I will have something to celebrate in just over a week so watch out: Ricky Fatton could be coming soon to a pub near you.
I will be back Tuesday to keep you posted with how things are going ahead of the fight of my life.
Ricky Hatton / Eurosport
Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/25042009/58/hatton-diary-working-floyd.html
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PacMan to win by a KO
On Sunday (Manila time), boxing fans in the Philippines and other parts of the globe, like the United States and the United Kingdom, will be treated to a mega bout that could be worthy of comparison and hype to the great fights of the last century: Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier I and III; Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns; and Aaron Pryor-Alexis Arguello, among others.
Expect a thrilling brawl when boxing superstars Manny “PacMan”Pacquiao of the Philippines and Ricky Hatton of Britain clash for their much-awaited super fight dubbed “Battle of East and West” on May 2 in Las Vegas.
“This fight will be short and sweet,” said Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach as he predicted an early knockout by Pacquiao.
Roach said Hatton is expected to force the action but Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 by knockout) would respond in kind while sticking to the “game plan,” only Team Pacquiao knows at this time.
“Manny has speed, power and boxing ability—so I think he will overwhelm Ricky in this fight,” said Roach, who has been Pacquiao’s trainer for eight years. “Ricky’s a tough guy, no doubt about that. He’s a great fighter, he’s tough, and he comes to fight.”
Size, power factors
But Hatton said his edge in size and power, plus the fact that he has not lost as a junior welterweight in 12 years, would decide the outcome of the fight.
“I honestly believe that I cannot be beaten at this weight and that I will have a huge advantage in terms of size and power,” Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) said in his Yahoo! blog.
Hatton said that in between the weigh-in and fight night, he would probably put on 14 pounds and thus be “significantly heavier” than Pacquiao.
Roach said he expects his prized Filipino student to “fight the perfect fight the same way he did against David Diaz and Oscar De la Hoya.”
Las Vegas and online betting lines, meanwhile, continue to be in at least 2-1 in Pacquiao’s favor.
The latest odds show that a $215 bet on the best boxer Filipino in the world, pound-for-pound best, wins only $100. In contrast, a $100 bet on Hatton will yield $185.
A better Pacquiao
Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, said he expects the Filipino icon to be a lot better than he was when he pounded De La Hoya in their December 6 “Dream Match.”
“I’ve never seen a better Manny Pacquiao,” said Arum.
“Believe me, the Manny Pacquiao that will be in the ring against Ricky Hatton is a better fighter than the one that went in the ring against Oscar De La Hoya,” Arum said
“Manny keeps on improving from fight-to-fight which to me shows that we have a fighter who’s still not yet at his peak. What usually happens is that fighters, they reach a particular peak before they hit a plateau and decline. But Manny hasn’t peaked yet. He’s getting better.”Arum added.
Intense training
Pacquiao, PacMan to his legions of fans worldwide, said he is excited about fighting a Briton for the first time and is pushing himself to the limit in training because he knows Hatton is doing the same thing.
“I want to be ready for everything Hatton brings to the ring,” said Pacquiao who spars 12 rounds with three or four different people as his team pushed his training a notch higher.
“I’m in great shape, my body is ready for whatever tempo the fight takes to,” Pacquiao said, hinting he is ready counter Hatton’s aggressiveness and to fight fire with fire.
He said he can’t underestimate Hatton, who he described as a “great and tough fighter.”
Pacquiao said he is comfortable at 140 lbs, adding he does not consider the weight issue to be at his disadvantage, because did not have any problem fighting De la Hoya at welterweight.
Hatton wants decisive win
Hatton said he would go for a “decisive win” against Pacquiao.
“[Pacquiao’s] been shaken up several times. He’s been stopped twice by body shots,” Hatton said, referring to Pacquiao’s two knockout losses early in his career.
“He’s improved technically. I hope that he’s improved on that body and that chin because he’s going to get hit by the biggest man that he’s ever fought. I don’t think that fight is going to be won on points,” the British junior welterweight slugger said.
Hatton said he and Pacquiao are the type of fighters who generally don’t win by decision because of their explosive, forward-moving style of fighting.
“This fight won’t go to the scorecards—I’m quite sure of that,” Hatton said.
Veteran Filipino sportswriter Hermie Rivera said Pacquiao is in tremendous form as he described the way PacMan “mangled” his sparring partners, forcing Roach to bring in bigger sparmates who could withstand Manny’s power.
‘Rousing brawl’
“For sure, fans will be treated to a rousing brawl in this pairing of a British whopper against a Filipino whacker,” said Rivera, a Bay Area-based ring cognoscenti.
Besides unbeaten lightweight standout Urbano Antillon (25-0, 18 KOs), Pacquiao’s current sparring mates are junior welterweight knockout artist Mike Alvarado (25-0, 18 KOs) and welterweight Ray-mond Serrano (9-0, 5 KOs).
Roach said the one thing that Pacquiao should avoid is to be pushed to the ropes or the corner by Hatton where he could unleash his crunching left hook to the body or the head.
“His left hook is Ricky’s best weapon, and he uses it well on the ropes,” Roach said. “But in the middle of the ring, he’ll never catch us.”
Rousing ending
With both fighters obsessed over getting into their best shape, the fight is expected to have a rousing ending, which will make it worthy to be categorized as being one of the best and memorable fights in pugi- listic history. And if Pacquiao wins, his place among boxing’s greats will definitely be cemented.
Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/april/26/yehey/top_stories/20090426top1.html
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Expect a thrilling brawl when boxing superstars Manny “PacMan”Pacquiao of the Philippines and Ricky Hatton of Britain clash for their much-awaited super fight dubbed “Battle of East and West” on May 2 in Las Vegas.
“This fight will be short and sweet,” said Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach as he predicted an early knockout by Pacquiao.
Roach said Hatton is expected to force the action but Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 by knockout) would respond in kind while sticking to the “game plan,” only Team Pacquiao knows at this time.
“Manny has speed, power and boxing ability—so I think he will overwhelm Ricky in this fight,” said Roach, who has been Pacquiao’s trainer for eight years. “Ricky’s a tough guy, no doubt about that. He’s a great fighter, he’s tough, and he comes to fight.”
Size, power factors
But Hatton said his edge in size and power, plus the fact that he has not lost as a junior welterweight in 12 years, would decide the outcome of the fight.
“I honestly believe that I cannot be beaten at this weight and that I will have a huge advantage in terms of size and power,” Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) said in his Yahoo! blog.
Hatton said that in between the weigh-in and fight night, he would probably put on 14 pounds and thus be “significantly heavier” than Pacquiao.
Roach said he expects his prized Filipino student to “fight the perfect fight the same way he did against David Diaz and Oscar De la Hoya.”
Las Vegas and online betting lines, meanwhile, continue to be in at least 2-1 in Pacquiao’s favor.
The latest odds show that a $215 bet on the best boxer Filipino in the world, pound-for-pound best, wins only $100. In contrast, a $100 bet on Hatton will yield $185.
A better Pacquiao
Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, said he expects the Filipino icon to be a lot better than he was when he pounded De La Hoya in their December 6 “Dream Match.”
“I’ve never seen a better Manny Pacquiao,” said Arum.
“Believe me, the Manny Pacquiao that will be in the ring against Ricky Hatton is a better fighter than the one that went in the ring against Oscar De La Hoya,” Arum said
“Manny keeps on improving from fight-to-fight which to me shows that we have a fighter who’s still not yet at his peak. What usually happens is that fighters, they reach a particular peak before they hit a plateau and decline. But Manny hasn’t peaked yet. He’s getting better.”Arum added.
Intense training
Pacquiao, PacMan to his legions of fans worldwide, said he is excited about fighting a Briton for the first time and is pushing himself to the limit in training because he knows Hatton is doing the same thing.
“I want to be ready for everything Hatton brings to the ring,” said Pacquiao who spars 12 rounds with three or four different people as his team pushed his training a notch higher.
“I’m in great shape, my body is ready for whatever tempo the fight takes to,” Pacquiao said, hinting he is ready counter Hatton’s aggressiveness and to fight fire with fire.
He said he can’t underestimate Hatton, who he described as a “great and tough fighter.”
Pacquiao said he is comfortable at 140 lbs, adding he does not consider the weight issue to be at his disadvantage, because did not have any problem fighting De la Hoya at welterweight.
Hatton wants decisive win
Hatton said he would go for a “decisive win” against Pacquiao.
“[Pacquiao’s] been shaken up several times. He’s been stopped twice by body shots,” Hatton said, referring to Pacquiao’s two knockout losses early in his career.
“He’s improved technically. I hope that he’s improved on that body and that chin because he’s going to get hit by the biggest man that he’s ever fought. I don’t think that fight is going to be won on points,” the British junior welterweight slugger said.
Hatton said he and Pacquiao are the type of fighters who generally don’t win by decision because of their explosive, forward-moving style of fighting.
“This fight won’t go to the scorecards—I’m quite sure of that,” Hatton said.
Veteran Filipino sportswriter Hermie Rivera said Pacquiao is in tremendous form as he described the way PacMan “mangled” his sparring partners, forcing Roach to bring in bigger sparmates who could withstand Manny’s power.
‘Rousing brawl’
“For sure, fans will be treated to a rousing brawl in this pairing of a British whopper against a Filipino whacker,” said Rivera, a Bay Area-based ring cognoscenti.
Besides unbeaten lightweight standout Urbano Antillon (25-0, 18 KOs), Pacquiao’s current sparring mates are junior welterweight knockout artist Mike Alvarado (25-0, 18 KOs) and welterweight Ray-mond Serrano (9-0, 5 KOs).
Roach said the one thing that Pacquiao should avoid is to be pushed to the ropes or the corner by Hatton where he could unleash his crunching left hook to the body or the head.
“His left hook is Ricky’s best weapon, and he uses it well on the ropes,” Roach said. “But in the middle of the ring, he’ll never catch us.”
Rousing ending
With both fighters obsessed over getting into their best shape, the fight is expected to have a rousing ending, which will make it worthy to be categorized as being one of the best and memorable fights in pugi- listic history. And if Pacquiao wins, his place among boxing’s greats will definitely be cemented.
Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/april/26/yehey/top_stories/20090426top1.html
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Pacman can absorb punishment - trainer
HOLLYWOOD – Not even Ricky Hatton’s killer punch, his left hook either to the head or body, should give Manny Pacquiao sleepless nights here in LA.
“That’s gonna be the least of Manny’s worries,” said Alex Ariza, the conditioning coach whose main task is to make sure that Pacquiao is in tip-top shape during training and on fight night.
“I’m rating him at a hundred percent. And numbers don’t lie,” he said after watching Pacquiao train for three hours at the gym under Buboy Fernandez, Nonoy Neri and ex-heavyweight champ Michael Moorer.
Freddie Roach was away in Puerto Rico to man Gerry Peñalosa’s corner when he shoots for Juan Manuel Lopez’ IBO super-bantanweight crown. Roach should be back with Pacquiao on Monday.
“We’re making sure that Manny will be stronger on that night, and Manny’s going to be so much more powerful,” Ariza said.
Hatton’s left hook, again whether it lands on the body or the head, has floored a number of his opponents, but Pacquiao is ready for that as he’s always been.
“Ako pa, sa katawan masasaktan? (Me getting hurt in the body?),” Pacquiao often says.
Ariza said Pacquiao has undergone a battery of tests during sparring, and would often let himself get hit in the body to further toughen himself up.
“Like (sparring partner) Urbano (Antillon) who is such a technician to the body. If you can handle Urbano for five rounds going to your body (as Pacquio does) then not even flinch then Hatton can’t bring anything Manny hasn’t seen in this camp,” said Ariza.
“He’s just so much powerful now than he was during the Oscar dela Hoya camp. And people will be surpised.”
Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=461401&publicationSubCategoryId=69
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Pac: I'm too quick for Hatton
Manny Pacquiao is confident his speed in the ring will prove too much for Ricky Hatton during their eagerly awaited showdown in Las Vegas next Saturday.
Hatton will step into the ring with the Filipino legend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 2 to defend his IBO and Ring Magazine light-welterweight titles.
But Pacquiao, widely acknowledged as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, says his quick hands and agile mind will more than compensate for the Englishman's superior size and strength.
"I don't care if he's bigger or stronger," he said. "Boxing is more than that.
"It's also mental and about the quickness of your mind and quickness of your body. That's very important. Speed is very important."
Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) is unbeaten at 140lb and in the build-up to this fight has made much his perceived advantages.
Threat
But Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) has been studying Hatton's fights on video every night for the past month and believes he has identified the Mancunian's greatest threat.
"Ricky Hatton is a kind of different fighter to what I have been fighting before," he added. "He's a good and strong fighter.
"I know he has a very strong left hand and I have to take care of that and focus on that."
The 30-year-old southpaw was, however, unwilling to reveal the methods he proposed to use to nullify the danger.
"I've studied a lot of techniques for him," said Pacquiao, for whom victory would bring a world title in a sixth different weight division.
"I don't want to tell anyone what. I want to keep it a surprise, what we have been doing in training."
Source: http://www.skysports.com/hatton/story/0,25890,13303_5236871,00.html
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Pacquiao all set to stop Hatton
Los Angeles – Manny Pacquiao plans to befuddle then stop Ricky Hatton dead in his tracks come May 2 in Las Vegas.
“He’ll get dizzy with all these moves I am going to show on fight night,” said Pacquiao on Friday afternoon, throwing punches in the air, bobbing and weaving as he discusses some of the moves with Buboy Fernandez, his longtime friend and one of his cornermen.
Fernandez will be in charge of Pacquiao’s training while top trainer Freddie Roach is away in Puerto Rico with Michael Moorer also expected to lend a hand while the Wild Card guru is out of town.
Pacquiao had just completed a power-packed nine-round session with the mitts, leaving Fernandez not only gasping for air at the end of the workout but complaining of the wicked pain on his left hand that he blamed on Pacquiao’s power.
It’s hard to describe the feeling because it hurts so bad,” said Fernandez, his left hand twitching from the punishment that it took from Pacquiao’s main weapon, his left straight.
“You won’t believe that a punch can cause so much pain,” said Fernandez, who will preside again over Saturday’s training session since Roach will only be back on Sunday, just in time for Pacquiao’s last heavy workout on Monday and his party’s departure for Sin City in the afternoon.
Pacquiao will spar for five rounds with Uzbek Alisher Rahimov and David Rodela then add four more on Monday for a grand total of 149 rounds. As in the past, Pacquiao will start the sparring day with a light run around Pan Pacific Park, a scenic spot near his apartment unit at The Palazzo in La Brea then head back there for breakfast and some rest.
“Manny is all set for the fight,” said Fernandez, who made his US debut in Pacquiao’s corner when Pacquiao halted Jorge Julio of Colombia in June 2002 at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis.
Pacquiao kicked off training camp in the first few days of March, fresh from a whirlwind promotional tour of London and Manchester.
Pacquiao has had seven sparring partners, most of whom he either knocked down or beat up, making Roach and the entire training team even more confident that Hatton doesn’t stand a chance.
Roach has even gone too far of saying that Pacquiao is going to put Hatton away in three rounds or less.
Source: http://mb.com.ph/articles/203694/pacquiao-all-set-stop-hatton
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Hatton should be ready for Pacquiao, says coach Ariza
MANILA, Philippines – Ricky Hatton, beware.
A stronger and faster Manny Pacquiao is expected to climb the ring a week from now for his 12-round title fight with Hatton at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, much even better than the one who sent boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya from permanent retirement.
Alex Ariza, Pacquiaos’ soft-spoken conditioning coach, certified it after having seen the Filipino boxing superstar up close and personal working out in his training camp at the Wildcard Gym in Hollywood, California.
Ariza worked the physical conditioning of the 30-year old Pacquiao in his last two fights against former World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion David Diaz and De La Hoya, both of which he won by stoppage in the late rounds.
“Manny’s going to be so much more powerful and we’re making sure that Manny will be stronger that night," he said. “He’s so much stronger than he was in the De La Hoya camp."
The slugfest with De La Hoya was fought at 147 pounds, while the one with Hatton will be at 140.
“So, medyo bumaba siya ng timbang kaya mas lalo pang lumabas ‘yung bilis at lakas niya," Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez butted in. “Kasi iba ‘yung galaw mo nung 147 ka lang na mini-maintain mo lang yun. Eh ngayon, biglang bumaba siya kaya gumaan yung katawan niya."
While known for his reputation as a puncher, Hatton’s punching power doesn’t concerns Ariza a bit. “Ricky’s punch? That’s gonna be the least of Manny’s worries considering the numbers of sparring partners that he’s had."
In the seven weeks that he’s been in training camp, Pacquiao had a total of seven sparmates, four of them at one time were also knocked down by the General Santos City native.
Pacquiao’s main sparring partner Urbano Antillon is a good technical fighter who punished the “Pacman" to the body frequently during sparring days, a technique Hatton has been known for following his “single shot to the body" wins over Luis Collazo and Jose Luis Castillo.
Ariza doesn’t see Pacquiao suffering the same fate against the “Hitman" from Manchester, England.
“Urbano is such a technician to the body," said Ariza. “If you can handle Urbano for five rounds going to your body, then not even flinch, then Hatton can’t bring anything Manny hasn’t seen in this camp."
“Watching him these last few weeks with his sparring partners, he’s literally hurting them every time he gets them."
Ariza said making the weight limit won’t be a problem for the Filipino, whom he said is planning to come in at 148 pounds during fight night.
“I think that’s good. But definitely, nothing more than 148," he said.
So where does he think Pacquiao is right now with eight days to go before the fight?
“I’m rating him at a hundred percent," said Ariza. – GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158563/Hatton-should-be-ready-for-Pacquiao-says-coach-Ariza
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A stronger and faster Manny Pacquiao is expected to climb the ring a week from now for his 12-round title fight with Hatton at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, much even better than the one who sent boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya from permanent retirement.
Alex Ariza, Pacquiaos’ soft-spoken conditioning coach, certified it after having seen the Filipino boxing superstar up close and personal working out in his training camp at the Wildcard Gym in Hollywood, California.
Ariza worked the physical conditioning of the 30-year old Pacquiao in his last two fights against former World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion David Diaz and De La Hoya, both of which he won by stoppage in the late rounds.
“Manny’s going to be so much more powerful and we’re making sure that Manny will be stronger that night," he said. “He’s so much stronger than he was in the De La Hoya camp."
The slugfest with De La Hoya was fought at 147 pounds, while the one with Hatton will be at 140.
“So, medyo bumaba siya ng timbang kaya mas lalo pang lumabas ‘yung bilis at lakas niya," Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez butted in. “Kasi iba ‘yung galaw mo nung 147 ka lang na mini-maintain mo lang yun. Eh ngayon, biglang bumaba siya kaya gumaan yung katawan niya."
While known for his reputation as a puncher, Hatton’s punching power doesn’t concerns Ariza a bit. “Ricky’s punch? That’s gonna be the least of Manny’s worries considering the numbers of sparring partners that he’s had."
In the seven weeks that he’s been in training camp, Pacquiao had a total of seven sparmates, four of them at one time were also knocked down by the General Santos City native.
Pacquiao’s main sparring partner Urbano Antillon is a good technical fighter who punished the “Pacman" to the body frequently during sparring days, a technique Hatton has been known for following his “single shot to the body" wins over Luis Collazo and Jose Luis Castillo.
Ariza doesn’t see Pacquiao suffering the same fate against the “Hitman" from Manchester, England.
“Urbano is such a technician to the body," said Ariza. “If you can handle Urbano for five rounds going to your body, then not even flinch, then Hatton can’t bring anything Manny hasn’t seen in this camp."
“Watching him these last few weeks with his sparring partners, he’s literally hurting them every time he gets them."
Ariza said making the weight limit won’t be a problem for the Filipino, whom he said is planning to come in at 148 pounds during fight night.
“I think that’s good. But definitely, nothing more than 148," he said.
So where does he think Pacquiao is right now with eight days to go before the fight?
“I’m rating him at a hundred percent," said Ariza. – GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158563/Hatton-should-be-ready-for-Pacquiao-says-coach-Ariza
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Pacquiao expects war right from opening bell
MANILA, Philippines – It’s going to be one hell of an explosive fight, a slugfest and a war.
Manny Pacquiao guarantees that once he and Ricky Hatton come face-to-face at the center of the ring on May 2 (May 3, Manila time) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Pag-bell, PAK! Let’s get it on," said the Filipino ring idol, letting out a big laugh when asked about the possible opening scenario of the fight considered the first biggest for the year 2009.
But seriously, there’s really nothing to anticipate but an all-out brawl when two of the planet’s top sluggers are pitted against each other.
Pacquiao had no problem with it. That’s the kind of fight he’s known to thrive on.
“Gusto ko yun," he said eagerly like a child waiting for his first Christmas present. “Mas hirap kasi ako pag tinatakbuhan ako. Mas gusto ko yung pinapasok ako. Yun kasi ang style ko."
Their records alone speak of the kind of fighters they are. Pacquiao is 48-3 with 36 KOs while Hatton is 45-1, 32 of them coming inside the distance.
It’s no wonder their respective trainers – Freddie Roach for the “Pacman" and Floyd Mayweather Sr. for the “Hitman" – had boldly predicted the 12-round bout won’t last for more than three rounds.
Pacquiao said he’s not in the business of predicting fight endings, stressing “ako naman laban lang lagi, e. Mahirap mag-salita ng tapos."
Besides, he’s not setting aside Hatton’s talent.
“Huwag nating isipin na this is an easy fight, na kayang-kaya natin ito," said the top pound-for-pound fighter of the world. “Mabilis din si Hatton. Magaling din yun, malakas at champion."
Conditioning eventually will have a big say on who gets to win the mega-showdown.
He’s not saying he’s the better conditioned fighter, but Pacquiao said he’s ready against Hatton the same way he did against Oscar De La Hoya, whom he demolished inside eight rounds last year.
“Kundisyon na tayo," he assured everyone.
Giving Pacquiao that extra glow in his eyes was the arrival of wife Jinkee here Wednesday night.
The three Pacquiao children were left behind in Manila so as not to distract the boxing superstar from his training, although his mother, Dionisia, is here as early as Sunday in her first trip to the United States. – GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158525/Pacquiao-expects-war-right-from-opening-bell
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Manny Pacquiao guarantees that once he and Ricky Hatton come face-to-face at the center of the ring on May 2 (May 3, Manila time) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Pag-bell, PAK! Let’s get it on," said the Filipino ring idol, letting out a big laugh when asked about the possible opening scenario of the fight considered the first biggest for the year 2009.
But seriously, there’s really nothing to anticipate but an all-out brawl when two of the planet’s top sluggers are pitted against each other.
Pacquiao had no problem with it. That’s the kind of fight he’s known to thrive on.
“Gusto ko yun," he said eagerly like a child waiting for his first Christmas present. “Mas hirap kasi ako pag tinatakbuhan ako. Mas gusto ko yung pinapasok ako. Yun kasi ang style ko."
Their records alone speak of the kind of fighters they are. Pacquiao is 48-3 with 36 KOs while Hatton is 45-1, 32 of them coming inside the distance.
It’s no wonder their respective trainers – Freddie Roach for the “Pacman" and Floyd Mayweather Sr. for the “Hitman" – had boldly predicted the 12-round bout won’t last for more than three rounds.
Pacquiao said he’s not in the business of predicting fight endings, stressing “ako naman laban lang lagi, e. Mahirap mag-salita ng tapos."
Besides, he’s not setting aside Hatton’s talent.
“Huwag nating isipin na this is an easy fight, na kayang-kaya natin ito," said the top pound-for-pound fighter of the world. “Mabilis din si Hatton. Magaling din yun, malakas at champion."
Conditioning eventually will have a big say on who gets to win the mega-showdown.
He’s not saying he’s the better conditioned fighter, but Pacquiao said he’s ready against Hatton the same way he did against Oscar De La Hoya, whom he demolished inside eight rounds last year.
“Kundisyon na tayo," he assured everyone.
Giving Pacquiao that extra glow in his eyes was the arrival of wife Jinkee here Wednesday night.
The three Pacquiao children were left behind in Manila so as not to distract the boxing superstar from his training, although his mother, Dionisia, is here as early as Sunday in her first trip to the United States. – GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158525/Pacquiao-expects-war-right-from-opening-bell
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Friday, April 24, 2009
No. 10: The biggest chapter in two champions’ storied careers
Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton, boxing's top two international superstars, square off in "The Battle of East and West" on May 2 at the MGM Grand. In the days leading up to this blockbuster bout, the Las Vegas Sun is presenting a Top 10 countdown of key points of interest for Pacquiao vs. Hatton.
As if any boxing fan needed to be told, May 2 will be the biggest fight of either boxer's career — but for completely different reasons.
Officially, the 12-rounder is for Hatton's IBO and Ring Magazine World Junior Welterweight titles. Unofficially, it's for pound-for-pound superiority, a poor country's lowest class, redemption, the “world’s best” trainer trophy — take your pick.
In the United States, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosely are just boxers. In the Phillipines, Manny Pacquiao is much more.
For a country where more than a third of its inhabitants (30 million people) live below the poverty level, Pacquiao stands for hope and pride.
When his boxing career ends, the 30-year-old has said he likely wants to enter politics to help his fellow Filipinos.
"Manny really wants to help his country and that's why the politics issue is so big," said Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach during a recent interview with the Sun at his Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles.
"This is me looking in from outside of course, but it's a corrupt system from what they say. There's no welfare system. If you don't have a job, no food, you have to revert to stealing to survive. Manny wants to implement a welfare system so the people that don't have anything don't starve to death. He truly, truly wants to help his people."
Pacquiao's followers know of his loyalty to them and they believe in it. Defeating Hatton, the only other boxer that seems to represent a country as much as himself, might be the greatest gift he could give them in his career.
"They just want to be close to him," Roach said. "We'll have 250 people in the parking lot when he comes to work out wanting to take pictures of him and get autographs from him. We let them come up and they are so excited we have trouble keeping them away."
Sometimes it doesn't matter how many wins you have. Ten, 20 or 30 — one loss can overshadow them all.
In the case of Hatton, that number is 45. Until Dec. 8, 2007 “The Hitman” had never lost.
The popular British fighter came up against Mayweather Jr., and had a similar opportunity to dethrone boxing's undisputed pound-for-pound king.
Instead the bout ended in the 10th round when a left hook from Mayweather Jr. put Hatton on the mat at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Hatton got back up, but moments later the match ended with a technical knockout, still the only blemish on “The Hitman’s” sterling career record.
According to Hatton’s longtime friend and agent, Paul Speak, the loss changed him.
"He learned an awful lot from that fight," Speak said. "This will be the biggest fight of his career. The first time with Mayweather, the hullabaloo surrounding it was just massive.
“When he fought Mayweather the cards were stacked against him because he fought him with his weight at 147. This is a chance with no excuses, against a man recognized as the best in the world."
Truly, the only way to avenge that kind of loss is to win under similar circumstances. Facing Pacquiao, Hatton will receive what may be his only chance to do so.
"You know, when you first lace on gloves as a youngster you goal is to win a world title," said Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs).
"But to be regarded as the best world champion of all weight divisions like Manny Pacquiao is, you can't get any higher than that. That's the bar behind challenging him, he's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. To say it's massive is an understatement."
There has certainly been no shortage of important fights in these two boxer’s well-chronicled careers, however none of them can be considered at the same level as this.
"I've been involved in a lot of big fights," Roach said. "But nothing as international or as big as this."
Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/punchy-points/2009/apr/23/no-10-biggest-chapter-two-storied-careers/
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Pacman skips training, Roach says it's OK
HOLLYWOOD – Manny Pacquiao skipped another beat in training Wednesday at the Wild Card Gym here barely 10 days before his anticipated showdown with Ricky Hatton.
It was not the first time he did not show up at the gym to train for this fight. But it was the first time he did it so close to a very big fight, a fight that could actually go either way.
His trainer, Freddie Roach, said Pacquiao skipping gym work in the afternoon after running in the morning came according to plan, following a whirlwind trip to San Francisco Tuesday.
Pacquiao hopped a private plane to the city by the bay and threw the ceremonial pitch in the Giants-Padres match at the AT&T ballpark. He left after the first inning, boarded the same plane and was back in Los Angeles at around 10 p.m.
Roach said Pacquiao got tired from the trip, after sparring six rounds earlier in the day, and slept late, leading to his decision to give boxing’s pound-for-pound king another day-off in his two-month training.
Roach said when the Giants thing was still “a maybe” they felt that he could train the following day.
“But when it was finalized I said okay. He gets to box early that day, we’re gonna travel, throws the first pitch off and travel again. So it’s gonna be a long day. So the next day he might be a little tired. So I’m thinking give me a perfect day to have a day-off,” said Roach.
Some special people were at the gym, an ABS-CBN crew and some fans were in and out of the gym but as of 4 p.m. there was no sign of Pacquiao when he was supposed to start training at 1 o’clock.
“I tried to give him the whole day off. He wants to run and everything, he insisted to run this morning, So he ran at 9 a.m. a little bit late (he normally runs at 5 a.m.) because he slept late last night,” Roach added.
“I called him when he said he’s coming to the gym, so I said ‘Manny stay home and get some rest.’ He said ‘okay.’ He rested for a while and he took his mother shopping just across the street for a little while. He just really took it easy.”
Roach was busy doing his chores at the gym, packed with boxers other than Pacquiao, when he received a call from the Filipino icon, saying he was on his way. In fact, his lead-off car, the Lincoln Navigator, was already at the gym.
Somehow, Roach was able to convince Pacquiao to turn back and head for home for good.
“I don’t want him to come to the gym and then he called just half an hour ago and said that he’s on his way. I told him if he comes, I’m gonna send him home. That the fact we talked for about for 40 minutes, yeah (he’s hard to convince),” Roach explained.
But he didn’t sound worried at all, Pacquiao skipping a day at the gym with just 10 days before the fight, and as they were wrapping up his sparring sessions.
He assured that Pacquiao is already in top shape another day-off won’t hurt.
For this fight, Pacquiao has missed the gym twice already – the first when he came back from a promotional gig in London, and the second at the height of the ABS-CBN-Solar Sports tug-of-war over the promotional rights on the boxer a month ago.
“It’s the best thing in the world for him because you know what, he’s ready to fight. He’s been ready for a while. I don’t want to see him overdoing, over-training. I demand that he takes a rest,” Roach said.
Pacquiao should be back in the gym today, and will spar another six rounds. On Saturday, Roach said, sparring goes down to five, then four. By that time, they should be in Las Vegas, although normaly they wrap up sparring before they leave for Sin City.
“Again, it’s the best thing in the world for him. I look at it as a good thing. I have a guy who’s ready to fight. If I have a guy who wasn’t ready and I was kind of pushing to get him to where I wanna be, then I would be worried,” said Roach.
Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=460669&publicationSubCategoryId=69
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It was not the first time he did not show up at the gym to train for this fight. But it was the first time he did it so close to a very big fight, a fight that could actually go either way.
His trainer, Freddie Roach, said Pacquiao skipping gym work in the afternoon after running in the morning came according to plan, following a whirlwind trip to San Francisco Tuesday.
Pacquiao hopped a private plane to the city by the bay and threw the ceremonial pitch in the Giants-Padres match at the AT&T ballpark. He left after the first inning, boarded the same plane and was back in Los Angeles at around 10 p.m.
Roach said Pacquiao got tired from the trip, after sparring six rounds earlier in the day, and slept late, leading to his decision to give boxing’s pound-for-pound king another day-off in his two-month training.
Roach said when the Giants thing was still “a maybe” they felt that he could train the following day.
“But when it was finalized I said okay. He gets to box early that day, we’re gonna travel, throws the first pitch off and travel again. So it’s gonna be a long day. So the next day he might be a little tired. So I’m thinking give me a perfect day to have a day-off,” said Roach.
Some special people were at the gym, an ABS-CBN crew and some fans were in and out of the gym but as of 4 p.m. there was no sign of Pacquiao when he was supposed to start training at 1 o’clock.
“I tried to give him the whole day off. He wants to run and everything, he insisted to run this morning, So he ran at 9 a.m. a little bit late (he normally runs at 5 a.m.) because he slept late last night,” Roach added.
“I called him when he said he’s coming to the gym, so I said ‘Manny stay home and get some rest.’ He said ‘okay.’ He rested for a while and he took his mother shopping just across the street for a little while. He just really took it easy.”
Roach was busy doing his chores at the gym, packed with boxers other than Pacquiao, when he received a call from the Filipino icon, saying he was on his way. In fact, his lead-off car, the Lincoln Navigator, was already at the gym.
Somehow, Roach was able to convince Pacquiao to turn back and head for home for good.
“I don’t want him to come to the gym and then he called just half an hour ago and said that he’s on his way. I told him if he comes, I’m gonna send him home. That the fact we talked for about for 40 minutes, yeah (he’s hard to convince),” Roach explained.
But he didn’t sound worried at all, Pacquiao skipping a day at the gym with just 10 days before the fight, and as they were wrapping up his sparring sessions.
He assured that Pacquiao is already in top shape another day-off won’t hurt.
For this fight, Pacquiao has missed the gym twice already – the first when he came back from a promotional gig in London, and the second at the height of the ABS-CBN-Solar Sports tug-of-war over the promotional rights on the boxer a month ago.
“It’s the best thing in the world for him because you know what, he’s ready to fight. He’s been ready for a while. I don’t want to see him overdoing, over-training. I demand that he takes a rest,” Roach said.
Pacquiao should be back in the gym today, and will spar another six rounds. On Saturday, Roach said, sparring goes down to five, then four. By that time, they should be in Las Vegas, although normaly they wrap up sparring before they leave for Sin City.
“Again, it’s the best thing in the world for him. I look at it as a good thing. I have a guy who’s ready to fight. If I have a guy who wasn’t ready and I was kind of pushing to get him to where I wanna be, then I would be worried,” said Roach.
Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=460669&publicationSubCategoryId=69
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Hatton’s fighting chance against Pacquiao
Lem Banker, the dean of professional sports betting in Las Vegas, has witnessed just about every major boxing match since the middle of the last century.
He has made money wagering on many of them.
It stands to reason Banker has an informed take on the long-anticipated Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight May 2 at the MGM Grand.
In fact, whenever Banker tells me he has taken a position on a fight, I’m reminded of the great scene in “Lost in America” in which Albert Brooks explains to Garry Marshall that his ideas should command respect because, after all, he was a highly paid advertising executive for a prestigious agency. (These are professional opinions you’re getting!)
It turns out Banker, no stranger to bucking popular opinion in the betting marketplace, does not necessarily subscribe to the ballyhoo that places Pacquiao firmly atop the consensus rankings of the most talented boxers in the sport.
Banker likes Hatton, the scrappy Englishman who has used an aggressive style in the ring to dominate the sport’s 140-pound division for years, as a betting underdog of about plus 225 (risk $1 to net $2.25).
“I think Hatton has a very good shot to win this fight,” Banker said.
Banker said he has been impressed by the work done by Hatton’s trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., and no one — least of all Mayweather – would deny that Mayweather is one of the best in the business.
Another component of Banker’s reasoning, however, might surprise fight fans who have been closely following the buildup to the May 2 showdown. Banker thinks Hatton, with his larger frame, could bully Pacquiao in the ring, using rough-and-tumble tactics to physically push Pacquiao around. Hatton might even mix in an elbow or two in his effort to frustrate Pacquiao, Banker speculated.
This line of thinking runs counter to the shiny new image Hatton has been selling of himself as a guy who rejected his old one-dimensional brawling style only to emerge as a sort of reincarnation of Willie Pep.
“If you were to watch tapes of Ricky Hatton three, four, five fights ago, I’d have been easy to beat,” Hatton said. “I feel I’m a lot more difficult to beat now and I hope to show that.”
Mayweather as well has been on board with this supposed extreme makeover, Ricky Hatton edition.
“Defense wins fights,” Mayweather said. “The name of the game is hit and don’t get hit. That’s what I’ve been working with Ricky to do.”
Of course few boxers, with a couple of notable exceptions such as Bernard Hopkins and Jameel McCline, openly discuss their intention to push either the letter or the spirit of the Marquess of Queensberry’s code before a fight.
Hatton has allowed that he expects his power to play a role in the fight’s outcome. He’s an entirely different physical specimen compared with previous opponents of Pacquiao such as Oscar De La Hoya, David Diaz, Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera, Hatton said.
“I think size will be a big factor,” Hatton said. “De La Hoya couldn’t let punches go and was very, very slow compared with the Oscar we’re used to seeing. Diaz, I think, was a nice opponent for Manny and a comfortable win. Marquez was a very patient and safety-first fighter.
“If there’s one thing that comes to mind with Ricky Hatton, it’s that he’s all over you. He’s a handful ... I think the old Ricky Hatton is ultimately the one that’s going to win this fight. But he’s a lot more polished in other areas now.”
Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/23/hattons-ghting-chance/
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Pacquiao to demolish Hatton, says Moorer
MANILA, Philippines – Michael Moorer was straight to the point. Manny Pacquiao will demolish Ricky Hatton in their upcoming title fight.
The two-time world heavyweight champion is saying it not because he’s biased, being chief assistant to Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach.
But to the eyes of this former fighter who once beat ring great Evander Holyfield, Hatton is simply not in the caliber of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter.
“Ricky? I’ve seen him before and I’m not impressed with him," said the 41-year old Moorer of “The Hitman" from Manchester, England.
“With all due respect and what he (Hatton) has accomplished, Manny is still the all-around better fighter," he added. “He’s the pound-for-pound king, and with his accomplishments over the years, Ricky can’t even touch that."
He describes the Filipino as a “machine". “He just works and works and works He never gets tired."
Moorer, who has a ring record of 52-4, with 40 KOs before retiring in 2004, of course, knows boxing like the palm of his hand.
Like Pacquiao, he is also a southpaw and a noted knockout artist, having won all of his first 26 pro fights inside the distance.
He was a former World Boxing Organization (WBO) light-heavyweight king (1988), edged out Holyfield by majority decision to annex the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) titles in 1994, and then reigned again as IBF champion in 1996 following a 12-round split decision win over Axel Schultz in Berlin, Germany.
A blot in Moorer’s career was his 10th round knockout loss to the legendary George Foreman in their November 1994 title bout that made Foreman the oldest heavyweight champion at 45.
He also dropped an eight-round setback in his rematch with Holyfield in 1997 to give up his title. At the time, he already hooked up with Roach with whom he’s been reunited beginning this year as one of his handlers at the famed Wildcard Gym.
“I work for Freddie, so I’m Freddie’s assistant," stressed the serious-looking, soft-spoken boxer.
As part of his work, he said “I aide in developing Manny and do the things that are supposed to be done."
Moorer didn’t personally saw Pacquiao’s eighth-round technical knockout of Oscar De La Hoya last year, but said, “I knew Manny was going to beat him."
Moorer said the same thing will going to happen in the Hatton fight. “It is gonna be a short night, with Manny the winner. He’s a different caliber of fighter. – GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158300/Pacquiao-to-demolish-Hatton-says-Moorer
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The two-time world heavyweight champion is saying it not because he’s biased, being chief assistant to Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach.
But to the eyes of this former fighter who once beat ring great Evander Holyfield, Hatton is simply not in the caliber of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter.
“Ricky? I’ve seen him before and I’m not impressed with him," said the 41-year old Moorer of “The Hitman" from Manchester, England.
“With all due respect and what he (Hatton) has accomplished, Manny is still the all-around better fighter," he added. “He’s the pound-for-pound king, and with his accomplishments over the years, Ricky can’t even touch that."
He describes the Filipino as a “machine". “He just works and works and works He never gets tired."
Moorer, who has a ring record of 52-4, with 40 KOs before retiring in 2004, of course, knows boxing like the palm of his hand.
Like Pacquiao, he is also a southpaw and a noted knockout artist, having won all of his first 26 pro fights inside the distance.
He was a former World Boxing Organization (WBO) light-heavyweight king (1988), edged out Holyfield by majority decision to annex the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) titles in 1994, and then reigned again as IBF champion in 1996 following a 12-round split decision win over Axel Schultz in Berlin, Germany.
A blot in Moorer’s career was his 10th round knockout loss to the legendary George Foreman in their November 1994 title bout that made Foreman the oldest heavyweight champion at 45.
He also dropped an eight-round setback in his rematch with Holyfield in 1997 to give up his title. At the time, he already hooked up with Roach with whom he’s been reunited beginning this year as one of his handlers at the famed Wildcard Gym.
“I work for Freddie, so I’m Freddie’s assistant," stressed the serious-looking, soft-spoken boxer.
As part of his work, he said “I aide in developing Manny and do the things that are supposed to be done."
Moorer didn’t personally saw Pacquiao’s eighth-round technical knockout of Oscar De La Hoya last year, but said, “I knew Manny was going to beat him."
Moorer said the same thing will going to happen in the Hatton fight. “It is gonna be a short night, with Manny the winner. He’s a different caliber of fighter. – GMANews.TV
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158300/Pacquiao-to-demolish-Hatton-says-Moorer
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NO ONE Will Be Rooting Harder For Manny Over Hatton Than Floyd
With the boxing world counting down the days until the much awaited IBO/Ring magazine junior welterweight title clash between Manny Pacquiao 48-3-2 (36) and Ricky Hatton 45-1 (32) takes place, there is certainly no guessing required to figure out who is the one person most interested in observing the fight on May 2, 2009.
If you haven't figured that out yet, here are a couple of hints.
That person is a recently retired fighter who was undefeated and considered the best pound for pound fighter in boxing when he hung up his gloves. He's always clamored for more attention than he received, and to this writer he wasn't quite as great as he and some fans perceived him to be. If you haven't figured out yet who is currently the biggest Manny Pacquiao fan in the world, I have one last batch of clues -- Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. There, that should do it!
The names Gatti, De La Hoya and Hatton should be a dead give away since it correlates into his rooting interest for Pacquiao. Yes, I'm talking about Floyd Mayweather Jr (39-0, with 25 KOs). Remember him? Because if you'd forgotten about him you're probably not alone. Mayweather was last in the ring seen stopping Ricky Hatton in the 10th round of their WBC welterweight title bout back in December of 2007. At the conclusion of that fight most agreed that Mayweather was boxing's best and most complete fighter, then he retired. Since his retirement Manny Pacquiao now holds that distinction. Only Manny has something that Floyd never had, and it's paramount as to why Mayweather not only wants, but needs Pacquiao to beat Hatton on May 2, 2009. See, Pacquiao is a huge draw. Every time Manny fights there's almost global interest, regardless of who the opponent is. That's something Mayweather never had, despite the gifted fighter he was/is.
Like Roy Jones before him, some view Floyd Mayweather as a guy who didn't take risk to prove beyond a doubt their greatness. But in Roy's defense, he never looked at the fighters in the divisions beneath him for a challenge. Could you imagine the outrage there would've been had Roy after beating James Toney at 168 started calling out Felix Trinidad who was undefeated and recently captured a piece of the welterweight title?
Mayweather has managed himself superbly. His skill set borders on greatness, but I'm not comfortable calling him an all-time great, at least not in the vein of Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns or even Roy Jones. Think about this, there was a time in mid 2007 where the top ranked welterweights behind Mayweather, the supposed best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, were Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Kermit Cintron, and Andre Berto, yet he clamored and lobbied to fight Ricky Hatton, an undefeated junior welterweight. Which of course was the perfect fight for Mayweather. Hatton was made for him from a style vantage point, he wasn't a legitimate welterweight and most importantly he had a huge following. This translated into Floyd Mayweather earning one of his biggest purses without taking too much risk, which is how it works in a perfect boxing world.
Regardless of how anyone views Mayweather the fighter, whether you think he's great or overrated, one thing that can't be refuted is Floyd has never been a marquee name fighter by himself. He's always needed an opponent with box office appeal to carry the sales and promotion. Floyd is an outstanding fighter fundamentally, but he never really took many chances and his resume above 135 is iffy. On top of that, he doesn't have a personality that makes him easy to love or hate. He's boring as a nice guy and comes off like a punk as a bad guy. Neither version of him is appealing to boxing fans, let alone quasi fans.
Mayweather's first pay per view fight was against Arturo Gatti at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City during the summer of 2005. Gatti, had a huge East Coast following at the time. All of his fights were sellouts in Atlantic City, not to mention Arturo always came to fight and he couldn't deliver a dull fight if he was paid a bonus to do so. On top of all that Mayweather was a level above Gatti as a fighter, especially at that time, and those involved in the promotion were certain that not only would Floyd win, but Gatti wouldn't get blown out in the first round and would provide Floyd more than a few rounds for him to exhibit his full arsenal of jabs, hooks, crosses and uppercuts, and he did.
Mayweather's biggest fight financially occurred 23 months after his fight with Arturo Gatti, when he met part time promoter and fighter, the Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya. Another perfect fight for Floyd from every conceivable angle. De La Hoya agreed to fight Floyd at a catch-weight, was clearly on the decline as a fighter and guaranteed Mayweather the biggest purse of his career, which turned out to be 20 plus million dollars. After winning a split decision over Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather lured undefeated British IBO Junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton to Las Vegas to challenge for his WBC welterweight title. Needless to say Hatton brought half of the UK with him to watch the fight. Once again, Mayweather is paid handsomely without taking much risk.
Ironically, it is Ricky Hatton who controls Floyd's fate again economically. And just as it was when they fought, Mayweather is in the opposing corner. Outside of Manny Pacquiao and his immediate family, nobody is rooting harder for him to beat Hatton than is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Sure, Floyd has been retired for a year plus, but he's stayed in shape and has always had his eye open to the biggest money fight out there, with the least risk involved of course. You don't really think Mayweather would entertain coming back to clean out the welterweight division, in the process turning back the almost 38 year old Shane Mosley or the once defeated Miguel Cotto?
No, Mayweather is hoping Pacquiao looks great and stops Hatton, and solidifies his perch as the best pound for pound fighter in boxing. Talk about a perfect comeback fight for Mayweather, it just doesn't get any better. Pacquiao's following will explode in leaps and bounds if he gets by Ricky Hatton on May 2nd. On top of that Mayweather is the rested and bigger man. What a way for Floyd to announce how great he is after retiring undefeated having beaten an opponent who weighed in at 106 pounds for his pro debut.
You better believe Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the biggest Manny Pacquiao fan in the world who's not related to Manny. And you better believe we'll see Mayweather vs. Pacquiao if Manny does in fact beat Ricky Hatton in his next fight. In fact I'll go one further, if Hatton upsets Pacquiao, we'll see Mayweather-Hatton II.
Source: http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/6746/one-rooting-harder-manny-over-hatton-than-floyd/
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If you haven't figured that out yet, here are a couple of hints.
That person is a recently retired fighter who was undefeated and considered the best pound for pound fighter in boxing when he hung up his gloves. He's always clamored for more attention than he received, and to this writer he wasn't quite as great as he and some fans perceived him to be. If you haven't figured out yet who is currently the biggest Manny Pacquiao fan in the world, I have one last batch of clues -- Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. There, that should do it!
The names Gatti, De La Hoya and Hatton should be a dead give away since it correlates into his rooting interest for Pacquiao. Yes, I'm talking about Floyd Mayweather Jr (39-0, with 25 KOs). Remember him? Because if you'd forgotten about him you're probably not alone. Mayweather was last in the ring seen stopping Ricky Hatton in the 10th round of their WBC welterweight title bout back in December of 2007. At the conclusion of that fight most agreed that Mayweather was boxing's best and most complete fighter, then he retired. Since his retirement Manny Pacquiao now holds that distinction. Only Manny has something that Floyd never had, and it's paramount as to why Mayweather not only wants, but needs Pacquiao to beat Hatton on May 2, 2009. See, Pacquiao is a huge draw. Every time Manny fights there's almost global interest, regardless of who the opponent is. That's something Mayweather never had, despite the gifted fighter he was/is.
Like Roy Jones before him, some view Floyd Mayweather as a guy who didn't take risk to prove beyond a doubt their greatness. But in Roy's defense, he never looked at the fighters in the divisions beneath him for a challenge. Could you imagine the outrage there would've been had Roy after beating James Toney at 168 started calling out Felix Trinidad who was undefeated and recently captured a piece of the welterweight title?
Mayweather has managed himself superbly. His skill set borders on greatness, but I'm not comfortable calling him an all-time great, at least not in the vein of Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns or even Roy Jones. Think about this, there was a time in mid 2007 where the top ranked welterweights behind Mayweather, the supposed best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, were Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Kermit Cintron, and Andre Berto, yet he clamored and lobbied to fight Ricky Hatton, an undefeated junior welterweight. Which of course was the perfect fight for Mayweather. Hatton was made for him from a style vantage point, he wasn't a legitimate welterweight and most importantly he had a huge following. This translated into Floyd Mayweather earning one of his biggest purses without taking too much risk, which is how it works in a perfect boxing world.
Regardless of how anyone views Mayweather the fighter, whether you think he's great or overrated, one thing that can't be refuted is Floyd has never been a marquee name fighter by himself. He's always needed an opponent with box office appeal to carry the sales and promotion. Floyd is an outstanding fighter fundamentally, but he never really took many chances and his resume above 135 is iffy. On top of that, he doesn't have a personality that makes him easy to love or hate. He's boring as a nice guy and comes off like a punk as a bad guy. Neither version of him is appealing to boxing fans, let alone quasi fans.
Mayweather's first pay per view fight was against Arturo Gatti at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City during the summer of 2005. Gatti, had a huge East Coast following at the time. All of his fights were sellouts in Atlantic City, not to mention Arturo always came to fight and he couldn't deliver a dull fight if he was paid a bonus to do so. On top of all that Mayweather was a level above Gatti as a fighter, especially at that time, and those involved in the promotion were certain that not only would Floyd win, but Gatti wouldn't get blown out in the first round and would provide Floyd more than a few rounds for him to exhibit his full arsenal of jabs, hooks, crosses and uppercuts, and he did.
Mayweather's biggest fight financially occurred 23 months after his fight with Arturo Gatti, when he met part time promoter and fighter, the Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya. Another perfect fight for Floyd from every conceivable angle. De La Hoya agreed to fight Floyd at a catch-weight, was clearly on the decline as a fighter and guaranteed Mayweather the biggest purse of his career, which turned out to be 20 plus million dollars. After winning a split decision over Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather lured undefeated British IBO Junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton to Las Vegas to challenge for his WBC welterweight title. Needless to say Hatton brought half of the UK with him to watch the fight. Once again, Mayweather is paid handsomely without taking much risk.
Ironically, it is Ricky Hatton who controls Floyd's fate again economically. And just as it was when they fought, Mayweather is in the opposing corner. Outside of Manny Pacquiao and his immediate family, nobody is rooting harder for him to beat Hatton than is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Sure, Floyd has been retired for a year plus, but he's stayed in shape and has always had his eye open to the biggest money fight out there, with the least risk involved of course. You don't really think Mayweather would entertain coming back to clean out the welterweight division, in the process turning back the almost 38 year old Shane Mosley or the once defeated Miguel Cotto?
No, Mayweather is hoping Pacquiao looks great and stops Hatton, and solidifies his perch as the best pound for pound fighter in boxing. Talk about a perfect comeback fight for Mayweather, it just doesn't get any better. Pacquiao's following will explode in leaps and bounds if he gets by Ricky Hatton on May 2nd. On top of that Mayweather is the rested and bigger man. What a way for Floyd to announce how great he is after retiring undefeated having beaten an opponent who weighed in at 106 pounds for his pro debut.
You better believe Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the biggest Manny Pacquiao fan in the world who's not related to Manny. And you better believe we'll see Mayweather vs. Pacquiao if Manny does in fact beat Ricky Hatton in his next fight. In fact I'll go one further, if Hatton upsets Pacquiao, we'll see Mayweather-Hatton II.
Source: http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/6746/one-rooting-harder-manny-over-hatton-than-floyd/
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PACQUIAO THE COMPLETE FIGHTER - ROACH
Ricky Hatton must prepare to face a complete fighter when he steps into a Las Vegas ring on May 2 to face Manny Pacquiao, according to the Filipino's trainer Freddie Roach.
Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) and Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) meet at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the Englishman's IBO and Ring Magazine light-welterweight titles with both fighters claiming to have become more refined in their fighting styles than earlier in their respective careers.
Hatton, who last year hired Floyd Mayweather Sr to temper his brawling instincts, put on an impressive performance last November with his new trainer in his corner for the first time to stop American Paulie Malignaggi in the 11th round of their contest.
Roach, meanwhile, believes Pacquiao is becoming a complete boxer, something he has tried to develop in a fighter who once relied solely on his speed and power at the expense of defence and poise.
The American trainer, Pacquiao's handler since 2001, believes his southpaw charge became a genuine boxer in his WBC lightweight title victory over David Diaz last June and continued that trend in his upset win at welterweight over Oscar De La Hoya in December.
"We've been working on that a long time and it's finally coming into play," said Roach. "He's boxing a lot smarter now.
"It started with the Diaz fight where he boxed a beautiful fight. His defence is much better, the Oscar fight was similar and the way things are going, the Hatton fight will be the same."
Roach also said he did not buy into the perception that Hatton had a size and strength advantage over Pacquiao.
"I disagree," he added. "Manny's really settled in the 140-pound weight division, he's really getting used to the weight and he's knocked out four sparring partners out of seven and in training camp he's been looking very strong.
"Ricky will be a little heavier by fight time but being heavier really doesn't make you stronger.
"I know I have the stronger fighter going into the fight, I guarantee that."
Mayweather Sr, however, believes his man is also fast improving and Roach is giving his man some futile advice.
"The name of the game is hit and don't be hit and that's what I've been getting Ricky to do and he's most definitely going to perfect that," Mayweather said.
"I heard Freddie Roach saying on TV (to Pacquiao) 'don't let him hit your body, don't let him hit your body.'
"Of course he's going to hit his body, it's just a matter of time. We've got 12 rounds in this fight and he's not going 12 rounds without his body being hit."
Source: http://www.sportinglife.com/boxing/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=boxing/09/04/23/BOXING_Hatton.html
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RICKY READY TO KO THE KNOCKERS
Ricky Hatton says he'll KO his critics as well as Manny Pacquiao on May 2.
The Hitman has already four world titles in two weight divisions and compiled a stellar 45-1 career record.
And on Saturday week in Las Vegas he bids to dethrone boxing's reigning P4P king Pacquiao when they clash in the biggest fight of the year so far at the MGM Grand.
But despite all his success in becoming one of Britain's greatest ever ring superstars, Hatton says he's had to fight as hard for respect outside the ring as he has for victories inside the ropes.
He explained: "I've come up my whole career with people thinking I was just an exciting kid, a brawler who put on too much weight between fights. My lifestyle was going to catch up with me. Kostya Tszyu was going to flatten me. It seems like I've spent my whole career with knockers.
"Nobody is giving me a prayer in this fight too. It's them knockers that I'm going to knock on their a*** on May 2. It seems like I've come from this overhyped, overprotected a guy who wanted to stay in Manchester, in England, in his home town. And I feel like I've done the exact opposite.
"After beating Kostya Tszyu it would have been very easy to stay in the comfort zone. When you're the number one in the division everybody really should come to you. But I wanted to prove to critics that I didn't want to stay in Manchester, in England, in the comfort zone.
"I wanted to go out and be the best, fight world champions, move up and down in divisions and fight the best P4P fighters in the world and that is what I've done my whole career."
Hatton feels he's done things right inside and outside the ring, becoming a cult hero for his willingness to spend time with his fans in what he calls "an era of celebrity b****cks".
"If you don't find me at the bar with a beer, you'll find me at the buffet with a chicken breast," he said.
"I'm not somebody who will put you to sleep inside the ring and I like to think I'm not somebody who will put you to sleep outside the ring."
As Hatton prepares to face Pacquiao for all the marbles in the Nevada desert, he's counting down the hours to his big chance to silence the critics for good. By becoming the best boxer on the planet.
"All I seem to do is get knocked, but that's my inspiration. I don't see myself as a star. Everybody sees me as a little, fat brawler and I know I'm better than that. May 2 you'll all be sharpening your pens and writing something different."
Source: http://www.sportinglife.com/boxing/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=boxing/09/04/22/manual_135827.html
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The Hitman has already four world titles in two weight divisions and compiled a stellar 45-1 career record.
And on Saturday week in Las Vegas he bids to dethrone boxing's reigning P4P king Pacquiao when they clash in the biggest fight of the year so far at the MGM Grand.
But despite all his success in becoming one of Britain's greatest ever ring superstars, Hatton says he's had to fight as hard for respect outside the ring as he has for victories inside the ropes.
He explained: "I've come up my whole career with people thinking I was just an exciting kid, a brawler who put on too much weight between fights. My lifestyle was going to catch up with me. Kostya Tszyu was going to flatten me. It seems like I've spent my whole career with knockers.
"Nobody is giving me a prayer in this fight too. It's them knockers that I'm going to knock on their a*** on May 2. It seems like I've come from this overhyped, overprotected a guy who wanted to stay in Manchester, in England, in his home town. And I feel like I've done the exact opposite.
"After beating Kostya Tszyu it would have been very easy to stay in the comfort zone. When you're the number one in the division everybody really should come to you. But I wanted to prove to critics that I didn't want to stay in Manchester, in England, in the comfort zone.
"I wanted to go out and be the best, fight world champions, move up and down in divisions and fight the best P4P fighters in the world and that is what I've done my whole career."
Hatton feels he's done things right inside and outside the ring, becoming a cult hero for his willingness to spend time with his fans in what he calls "an era of celebrity b****cks".
"If you don't find me at the bar with a beer, you'll find me at the buffet with a chicken breast," he said.
"I'm not somebody who will put you to sleep inside the ring and I like to think I'm not somebody who will put you to sleep outside the ring."
As Hatton prepares to face Pacquiao for all the marbles in the Nevada desert, he's counting down the hours to his big chance to silence the critics for good. By becoming the best boxer on the planet.
"All I seem to do is get knocked, but that's my inspiration. I don't see myself as a star. Everybody sees me as a little, fat brawler and I know I'm better than that. May 2 you'll all be sharpening your pens and writing something different."
Source: http://www.sportinglife.com/boxing/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=boxing/09/04/22/manual_135827.html
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Pacquiao and his bobbleheads good for boxing
Willie Mays said hey to him, and a frenzied crowd at AT&T Park couldn't get enough of him. Not a bad night for Manny Pacquiao, even if they did run out of his bobblehead dolls.
Not a bad time for boxing, either. The sport everyone loves to bash just lost its biggest cash cow in Oscar De La Hoya, but the reports of its demise are, shall we say, premature at best.
Good thing, because where else are you going to get lines like this?
"There's going to be another bobblehead night on May 2," said Freddie Roach, who trains Pacquiao. "Only this time we're going to use Ricky Hatton's head."
They just don't say those kind of things in baseball, which may be good because guys carry bats in their hands. But that didn't stop the San Francisco Giants from honoring Pacquiao on Tuesday with a Filipino heritage night promotion complete with 10,000 bobbleheads of the fighter for a packed house against the San Diego Padres.
The night tied nicely, of course, into the promotion for Pacquiao's upcoming fight against Hatton, his first since sending De La Hoya into retirement. The fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is officially sold out (more on that later), but promoters want you to open your wallet to see it in the comfort of your living room with family and friends.
HBO wants you to do that, too, which is why it's airing another episode Saturday night of its "24/7" reality series that surely will feature lots of footage of Manny Mania in the Bay Area. You'll see Manny being mobbed by fans, Manny throwing out the first pitch, and Manny having a clubhouse chat with Mays.
Pacquiao is a star, at least at home in the Philippines and among Filipino-Americans. Hatton is a star, too, but mostly just in his native England.
That's boxing these days. It's a niche sport that caters to niche fan bases, crossing over every once in awhile with a fighter such as De La Hoya who can sell to the mainstream.
That doesn't mean it's dying. Far from it.
Yes, promoters and their television partners almost killed it by refusing for years to match the best fighters against each other, but that has changed. And with it has come a resurgence of sorts for a sport that once seemed threatened to be trampled by the onrushing success of mixed martial arts.
De La Hoya may be retired, but even that's not all so bad. His retirement frees up pay-per-view dates, and, he'll still be active as one of the top promoters in the sport. Fans will still see plenty of him, with the only difference being he won't be taking punches to the face.
"I would argue that boxing is stronger with De La Hoya retired because he so dominated the sport," promoter Bob Arum said. "Now that he's gone all the other flowers will bloom bigger."
Indeed, Pacquiao and Hatton would not be fighting next week if De La Hoya hadn't officially announced his retirement earlier this month. The Cinco de Mayo weekend was always his on pay-per-view if he wanted it, and his fight two years ago with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the richest fight ever.
Pacquiao-Hatton won't match that, but the 140-pound bout has got the makings of a pretty good fight by itself. Pacquiao holds the mythical title of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, while Hatton's only loss came on a knockout at the hands of Mayweather. Both are eager to trade punches at a moment's notice, and neither work too much on their defense.
Both have big fan bases, too, which is why promoters were able to announce this week that the 16,000-seat MGM arena was sold out with a top ticket price of $1,000. Then again, the same promoters announced two hours after tickets went on sale for the De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight that it was a sellout, and 2,000 tickets remained unsold at fight time.
Not all is always what it appears to be in boxing, though that's part of the charm of the sport. But with Mayweather on the brink of unretiring, middleweight Paul Williams looking dominating, and Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye expected to draw 60,000 to a German soccer stadium in June for an intriguing heavyweight title fight, there should be some good days ahead.
De La Hoya is gone, but as good as he was at selling tickets, someone will take his place. That's the way boxing has always been.
Maybe even someone with his own bobblehead.
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNA7BVxReEf3mkzeHwX_fh1lmyKAD97NQ1T00
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Not a bad time for boxing, either. The sport everyone loves to bash just lost its biggest cash cow in Oscar De La Hoya, but the reports of its demise are, shall we say, premature at best.
Good thing, because where else are you going to get lines like this?
"There's going to be another bobblehead night on May 2," said Freddie Roach, who trains Pacquiao. "Only this time we're going to use Ricky Hatton's head."
They just don't say those kind of things in baseball, which may be good because guys carry bats in their hands. But that didn't stop the San Francisco Giants from honoring Pacquiao on Tuesday with a Filipino heritage night promotion complete with 10,000 bobbleheads of the fighter for a packed house against the San Diego Padres.
The night tied nicely, of course, into the promotion for Pacquiao's upcoming fight against Hatton, his first since sending De La Hoya into retirement. The fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is officially sold out (more on that later), but promoters want you to open your wallet to see it in the comfort of your living room with family and friends.
HBO wants you to do that, too, which is why it's airing another episode Saturday night of its "24/7" reality series that surely will feature lots of footage of Manny Mania in the Bay Area. You'll see Manny being mobbed by fans, Manny throwing out the first pitch, and Manny having a clubhouse chat with Mays.
Pacquiao is a star, at least at home in the Philippines and among Filipino-Americans. Hatton is a star, too, but mostly just in his native England.
That's boxing these days. It's a niche sport that caters to niche fan bases, crossing over every once in awhile with a fighter such as De La Hoya who can sell to the mainstream.
That doesn't mean it's dying. Far from it.
Yes, promoters and their television partners almost killed it by refusing for years to match the best fighters against each other, but that has changed. And with it has come a resurgence of sorts for a sport that once seemed threatened to be trampled by the onrushing success of mixed martial arts.
De La Hoya may be retired, but even that's not all so bad. His retirement frees up pay-per-view dates, and, he'll still be active as one of the top promoters in the sport. Fans will still see plenty of him, with the only difference being he won't be taking punches to the face.
"I would argue that boxing is stronger with De La Hoya retired because he so dominated the sport," promoter Bob Arum said. "Now that he's gone all the other flowers will bloom bigger."
Indeed, Pacquiao and Hatton would not be fighting next week if De La Hoya hadn't officially announced his retirement earlier this month. The Cinco de Mayo weekend was always his on pay-per-view if he wanted it, and his fight two years ago with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the richest fight ever.
Pacquiao-Hatton won't match that, but the 140-pound bout has got the makings of a pretty good fight by itself. Pacquiao holds the mythical title of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, while Hatton's only loss came on a knockout at the hands of Mayweather. Both are eager to trade punches at a moment's notice, and neither work too much on their defense.
Both have big fan bases, too, which is why promoters were able to announce this week that the 16,000-seat MGM arena was sold out with a top ticket price of $1,000. Then again, the same promoters announced two hours after tickets went on sale for the De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight that it was a sellout, and 2,000 tickets remained unsold at fight time.
Not all is always what it appears to be in boxing, though that's part of the charm of the sport. But with Mayweather on the brink of unretiring, middleweight Paul Williams looking dominating, and Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye expected to draw 60,000 to a German soccer stadium in June for an intriguing heavyweight title fight, there should be some good days ahead.
De La Hoya is gone, but as good as he was at selling tickets, someone will take his place. That's the way boxing has always been.
Maybe even someone with his own bobblehead.
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNA7BVxReEf3mkzeHwX_fh1lmyKAD97NQ1T00
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WHEN TRAINERS COLLIDE: Roach Wins This Round Over Mayweather
Freddie Roach and Floyd Mayweather Sr., two men who’ve been delivering the spiciest trash talk going into the May 2 Manny Pacquiao/Ricky Hatton clash, didn’t disappoint on a Wednesday conference call to hype the bout.
The two trainers talked up their boxers’ chances in Vegas, and managed to throw some vicious haymakers in the call, refereed by publicist Kelly Swanson. TSS thinks Roach got the decision, by a wide margin, as he busted on Mayweather for being in jail while his brother Roger turned Floyd Jr. into a pound for pound pugilist, and mocked the former pro boxer for blaming a bullet wound to his leg for a disappointing career. Senior got in his hits, without any of his trademark poetry, as he labeled Roach the biggest punching bag among pro boxers laboring in the 1970s and 1980s. By the end of the call, as the insults turned more vicious, and Mayweather said he wanted to track down Roach, Golden Boy exec Richard Schaefer curtailed the call, so the trainers could save some vitriol.
The 56-year-old Mayweather, who fought as a pro from 1974-1990 and ended with a 29-6-1 mark, said that he’s just having fun when he labels Roach a “joke” and degrades his skills as a trainer. But, he said, “Who has he really worked with? He had a lot of big fighters, but he’s done nothing with them. What fighters has he ever made? This guy ain’t made nobody! But, I’m having fun with this.”
The 49-year-old Roach fought as a pro from 1978-1986, and left the ring with a 39-13 mark. He said he doesn’t pay much attention to Senior’s trash talk. He pointed out that he worked with former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Virgil Hill since the hitter turned pro, and then turned the screws on Sr., saying, “Roger made Floyd Junior as a fighter.”
Among other highlights:
Mayweather said that he picked up a tidbit from watching HBO’s 24/7, that Roach was hesitant to let sparring partners hit Pacquiao to the body.
Roach said he takes issue with a common conception, that Hatton will be the stronger man comes fight night. “I disagree with that,” he said. “Manny has kayoed four sparring partners out of seven. He’s looking good at this weight. Hatton will be heavier at fight time but that doesn’t make him stronger. I have the stronger fighter, I guarantee that.”
When asked if Hatton would win the bout because Senior was his trainer, Floyd flurried, and then backed off. “I would say so,” he said, then paused and added, “He probably could win without me. He definitely has a much better chance with me than without me.” Freddie took the smart route from the start, saying that Manny was a great fighter when he came to the Wild Card, eight years ago, and that is up to Manny to win the fight. “He will win the fight himself, he doesn’t need me,” Roach said.
Roach scored on this judge’s card when he accused Senior of being scared to let 24/7 viewers watch Hatton in sparring. Senior said that the show made a judgment on what to show, and denied he had requested no footage of sparring be shown. “Don’t blame me on what (HBO) does,” he said. He then said Pacquiao’s sparring partners were acting when they crumpled to the canvas after taking a Manny body shot. “There ain’t gonna be acting on May second,” Mayweather said.
Freddie quipped a few times that a translator was needed to understand Floyd; at times, this joking does take on a personal tone that transcends the expected banter that accompanies big fights.
Floyd pushed Freddie’s buttons when he said he has a poster which shows Roach as an undercard attraction on a card that Mayweather was in the main event. “I was definitely a better fighter than Freddie,” he said.
“He got shot and it ruined his career,” Freddie cracked sarcastically. “I fought on TV a lot more than he did.”
Freddie also played the relative card. “You’re a bum. Your brother was great.”
“Roach, he was OK,” Senior allowed.
“You’re not OK, you’re a bum,” Freddie said.
Roach then invited Mayweather to present the 2008 Boxing Writers Association Trainer of the Year Award to him at the June 12 BWAA dinner in New York. “It’s the closest you’ll ever get to it,” said Roach, who was awarded the honor in 2003 and 2006. “We’ll see about that,” Senior replied. “I won it three times. You never won it. Never,” Freddie said.
What would come after a win was then touched on. Senior said his son Junior is in training, and said that Roach doesn’t want to see a Floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquiao fight, which in fact Roach has said in the past. “He knows what’d happen,” Senior said. Roach said that he and his team are concentrating on Hatton, and Hatton only, at this time. (I do agree that Roach shouldn’t be keen on seeing Pacquiao try his hand at Mayweather. Feel free to disagree, Manny Nation!)
As for any tips on what sort of strategies we might see May 2, Mayweather did say that he thinks Manny isn’t at his best backing up: “Ricky will definitely back him up. He can’t fight backing up, he’s no Muhammad Ali.” And even if Hatton reverts to “old Ricky” form, he’ll still be able to get the nod in Vegas, Mayweather said. Roach said Hatton will taste a left hand, and will hit the deck from the force.
Roach busted on Floyd’s middle name, Joy (“Is that a girl’s name?), and the men debated who had the better record. (Freddie had more wins, but Floyd had a better winning percentage –81% to 74%-- and neither man won in their minor title shots.)
“I know you got shot, poor Floyd,” Roach mocked.
Mayweather said that his bro Roger got the better of Freddie in sparring, and Roach smashed that lob back in his face. “I boxed Roger once and you weren’t there. I think you were in jail…Selling drugs or something.”
“I’m in your head,” Mayweather taunted.
“I’m not fighting you, Manny is fighting Ricky,” countered Roach.
“I want you Freddie,” Mayweather said. “Come get me, you know where I am,” Roach replied.
Schaefer then broke up the beef.
All in all, I love me some solid trash talk, and Manny isn’t the one to splash around in that swamp, so hats off to Mayweather and Roach for letting the cracks fly. Will it matter come fight time? Not one single solitary stitch. But it might juice the gate and the PPV take a bit, and that is smart business.
Source: http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/6744/when-trainers-collide-roach-wins-round-over-mayweather/
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