PacMan's Corner

[Gideon]

Very good fight, the way I wanted to see...

 

Para akong nanood ng UFC, talagang TKO...

[tagalinis]

sus, gayweather sr. has not stopped talking. kesyo hindi nakinig yung manok niya kaya natalo. eh tukmol naman sila pareho eh. kung sumunod ba sa kanya si hitman, mananalo sila? baka umabot lang sila ng 4 rounds pero bulagta pa rin.

 

at si gayweather jr. babalik from retirement para daw patunayan na siya ang pound for pound fighter. pound for pound of bull#$#@# lang itong mag amang ito.

 

puro dakdak na mag ama. pareho namang talunan!!!!

 

mag train nalang kayo mag ama lumaban ng piko baka manalo pa kayo sa mga bata sa kalye!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Edited May 3, 2009 by tagalinis

[tagalinis]

the headlines read earlier before the fight, "IT WILL BE A BRAWL".

 

tomorrow's headlines will be "IT WAS A DEMOLITION!!!"

 

"LIGHTS OUT FOR HATTON!!!!!!"

[agentjackbauer]

Pac has transcended HOF status and has now entered the rarefied ATG (all-time great) level. If he beats Money Mayweather, he arguably goes down as a top 5 all-time great. Comparisons to Sugar Ray Robinson, considered as the GOAT (greatest of all time), are well-deserved.

 

 

 

 

But first PBF must beat JMM this July 18th.

Edited May 3, 2009 by agentjackbauer

[Jackdripah]

Sir meron n b kau copy nito fight Paquiao vs Hatton?

 

Pa post nmn ng link Thanks

[bubuy]

meron na nagpost ng torrent jan, i-backread mo.

[tagalinis]

Tell me if its my imagination.

After the 1st knockdown in the 1st round, seems to be there were a 1-2 second 'delaying the fight' acts of the referee. If the ref did not 'delay' the fight baka 1st round counted out na si hatton.

[charmed shannen]

I'd like to say served 'em right! pero syempre dapat humble tayo...hahaha

BBC NEWS

Hitman's fans stunned by knockout

 

By Chris Summers

BBC News, Las Vegas

 

"There's only one Ricky Hatton," goes the British fighter's anthem.

 

But there needed to be two, three or four Ricky Hattons in the ring on Saturday night to cope with the phenomenal Filipino Manny Pacquiao.

 

Pacman, as he is known back home in the Philippines, gobbled up the Hitman with an awesome array of punches at dazzling speed, and a final fearsome left hook.

 

Hatton crashed to the canvas with a second to go in the second round, never looking likely to beat the count.

 

'Shocked and gutted'

 

The Mancunian hero was later taken to hospital for a precautionary check-up.

 

It was a stunning ending to the fight and shocked the 20,000 or so Hatton fans who had ignored the economic hard times to travel to Las Vegas to see their hero.

 

Rob Melbourne, from London, was in the arena with his girlfriend Katie Audsley and he said: "We're shocked and gutted. I can't believe it happened."

 

“ He has to go out with a win. He mustn't go out like that ”

Katie Audsley

 

But he added: "Total respect to Manny Pacquiao, he totally outclassed him."

 

Katie said: "I'm still pleased we came all the way out here because the atmosphere was amazing."

 

Neither of them wanted to see Hatton forced into retirement after such a performance and Katie said: "He has to go out with a win. He mustn't go out like that."

 

Tim Marshall, an expat who lives in Tokyo, said he felt Hatton looked tense beforehand while Pacquiao looked "super-relaxed".

 

'Just too quick'

 

He said: "After he was knocked down twice in the first round it was just a question of when and not if he lost."

 

For him there is a silver lining. "My wife Lori is Filipino. She's stayed at home with the kids but she will be very happy.

 

"Pacquiao has done the Philippines proud. The whole place comes to a standstill when he's fighting and the fight was shown live on TV there with thousands in the street."

 

As for Hatton, Tim thinks he needs to think long and hard about whether he should continue in the fight game after such a devastating defeat.

 

Bal Johal and his friends Surjit Rai and Gee Punia, all from London, were in despair.

 

“ Nobody beats Pacman. He is the strongest and the fastest ”

Joseph Palmes

 

Bal said: "We came over for the Malignaggi fight but this time we are so disappointed. There was 100% effort on Ricky's part but Pacquiao was just too quick."

 

Would it ruin their weekend, I asked.

 

"No. This is the party capital of the world. We knew Ricky was the underdog and we are still determined to enjoy the weekend," said Bal.

 

While thousands of British fans went off to drown their sorrows in the bars and fleshpots of Sin City, their Filipino counterparts prepared to party into the night.

 

Joseph Palmes had travelled all the way from South Cotabato - the same province where Pacquiao hails from - just for the fight and he was overjoyed.

 

"Nobody beats Pacman. He is the strongest and the fastest," he beamed.

 

So who next for the mighty Pacman?

 

Floyd Mayweather, the only man to have previously beaten Hatton, looms large on the horizon after he announced earlier in the day he was coming out of retirement to fight Juan Manuel Marquez in July.

 

At the press conference after the fight, promoter Bob Arum said: "If Mayweather wants to pick on a little Filipino, just be my guest."

 

Pacquiao-Mayweather would be another monster fight and there is little doubting who most of Ricky Hatton's fans will be rooting for.

 

In victory Pacquiao was as charismatic and humble as Mayweather was arrogant and insensitive.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/8031286.stm

 

Published: 2009/05/03 06:27:35 GMT

 

© BBC MMIX

Edited May 3, 2009 by charmed shannen

[agentjackbauer]

There was nothing to it. Bayless was just making sure Manny kept his distance before he could signal the fight to continue.

 

 

Tell me if its my imagination.

After the 1st knockdown in the 1st round, seems to be there were a 1-2 second 'delaying the fight' acts of the referee. If the ref did not 'delay' the fight baka 1st round counted out na si hatton.

[agentjackbauer]

Manny now has titles in 6 different weight divisions. What is equally impressive though (if not more so) is that he is the lineal champ in 4 weight categories (flyweight-122, featherweight-126, jr.lightweight-130 and now at 140)

[immacul8bitca]

I think it's time Hatton change his tattoo from "Hitman" to "$hitman."

 

Pft.

 

Pacman was just awesome. He looked confident and ready to fight when he was introduced. ^__^ Galing!

[ixnay]

what actually surprise me is how he landed the right for the 1st knockdown. just consider the power behind it!..

 

It was a demolition that is being served for a big mouth!.. haha..

 

on mayweather coming oout of retirement, well it seems to me that he will likely suffer the same fate like the other boxers did in facing pacquiao.

[Fusarium_jimini]

Highlights:

 

* According to computer statistics, "Pacman" landed 73 of 127 punches in just under six minutes, including 34 of 53 power punches in the second round, while "Hitman" Hatton connected on only 18 of 78.

 

* "That was the best knockout punch I've ever seen," Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. "It was the perfect shot. That rarely happens."

 

* The referee Kenny Bayless took one look at Hatton and declared the fight over at 2:59 of the round. “I didn’t have to count,” Bayless said.

 

* "This was no surprise," Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. "Hatton pops his hand before he throws a punch. He's a sucker for the right hook and that's what we worked on the whole camp. He fights the same way over and over."

 

* Pacquiao's best on this night quickly quieted a boisterous crowd of 16,262 at the MGM Grand arena, many of them who came over from England to sing and chant Hatton's praises. They didn't even get a chance to warm up, though, before Hatton was on the canvas for the first time of the night

[Fusarium_jimini]

There’s only one Manny Pacquiao

 

by Kevin Lole-Yahoo! Sports

 

LAS VEGAS – Four years ago, in the very same ring where he scored a crushing second-round knockout over an opponent many thought would give him the challenge of his career, Manny Pacquiao lost a decision to Erik Morales.

 

Morales was one of the most entertaining fighters of his time, but never once were “Morales” and “all-time great” ever used together in the same sentence.

 

In 2005, Pacquiao was a good and exciting but hardly great fighter. After Saturday’s K.O. of Ricky Hatton, though, he stands atop the boxing world, even with the heavily hyped return of Floyd Mayweather Jr., who had been a near-unanimous choice as the world’s top fighter prior to his untimely retirement in June 2008.

 

Mayweather Jr. unretired on Saturday and said he’d fight Juan Manuel Marquez in July, but he’ll have to defeat Pacquiao if he wants to be regarded as the best after Pacquiao decimated Hatton at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

 

Pacquiao knocked Hatton down twice in the first round and then knocked him cold with a crushing left hand that may have been the best punch of his career late in the second round. Hatton fell face first and laid motionless for several minutes as the arena erupted.

 

If the Pacquiao Era hadn’t started with his decimation of Oscar De La Hoya in December, it began with a straight left that left promoter Bob Arum squealing.

 

Arum has promoted many of the game’s finest fighters, including Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler. Arum was so ebullient after Pacquiao’s devastating victory, he was comparing Pacquiao favorably to Ali.

 

“I promoted Muahmmad Ali and the best Ali I ever saw was the one who fought before he was forced to take a sabbatical for 3½ years,” Arum said. “That was the best Muhammad Ali. He had phenomenal speed and he had terrific reflexes, but he sure as hell didn’t have the explosive power that Manny Pacquiao has. … He was a great, great fighter, but there has never been a fighter with the same combination of speed and explosive power as Manny Pacquiao.”

 

It was hard to argue with any superlatives hurled Pacquiao’s way after the finest effort of his career. He picked apart a guy who was 45-1 coming into the fight and who was the linear super lightweight champion, making Hatton look like an upstart amateur.

 

Pacquiao was far too fast and far too strong for Hatton, who fought his entire career as a 140-pounder. Pacquiao, who began at just 106, hurt Hatton with nearly every shot on Saturday.

 

“Before the fight, a lot of people were saying I’m small at 140 and Ricky Hatton is bigger than me,” an unmarked Pacquiao said. “I didn’t put that in my mind.”

 

Ever since that disappointing loss to Morales, Pacquiao has made a transformation that has turned him into a superstar and has old-school boxing experts talking of him as an all-time great.

 

He barely squeaked out a victory over Marquez 14 months ago, but his trainer, Freddie Roach, said it would be no contest if they were to fight now.

 

“He’s a different now than he was [when he lost to Morales],” Roach said. “He’s not that guy. He’s a different guy. If he fought Marquez right now, I guarantee you he’d knock him out in three rounds. I’m telling you. I know that’s a bold statement, but he’s a much better fighter than the guy who fought those guys.

 

“Something clicked inside of him. I can’t pinpoint it. He’s just a different guy.”

 

Pacquiao isn’t a guy who simply goes to the gym to shed pounds to make the weight. He uses his training sessions as a classroom and takes a studious approach to improving himself.

 

Roach worked diligently with him to improve his right hook and on Saturday, it was his key punch. Hatton would cock his left as he went to throw it, a sign for Pacquiao to unleash his right hook, which he did in devastating manner.

 

He hurt Hatton with a combination that began with a right hook about 90 seconds into the fight, sending the British star spaghetti-legged in the corner. As Hatton’s many fans in the sellout crowd of 16,262 sang “There’s only one Ricky Hatton,” you had to wonder if Hatton somehow thought there might have been two Manny Pacquiaos the way punches were raining down upon him.

 

Hatton wasn’t in Pacquiao’s class, though he might have beaten him a few years ago. Pacquiao and Roach now form the best team in boxing as Pacquiao has developed his game to a point where he compares favorably with any man alive.

 

“What I am watching is something that is astounding,” Arum said. “Usually when a world championship-caliber boxer reaches the top, he can be good for a number of years. But most of the time, there is no improvement. This young man improves every single fight.

 

“He’s doing things he didn’t do two years ago. He’s doing more things and he’s doing other things he didn’t do before. His defense is tremendous and his reflexes now are tremendous. I have never, ever in more than 40 years – and I say this without hyperbole – I have never seen a fighter combine speed and explosive power the way he does.”

 

Boxing now needs a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. If it occurs, it could be the most significant fight in the sport in decades.

 

But Pacquiao doesn’t need Mayweather to affirm himself as one of the sport’s greats. Pacquiao answered that question plenty well in the ring on Saturday.

Edited May 3, 2009 by Fusarium_jimini

[Fusarium_jimini]

Hatton’s fans silenced by one Pacquiao punch

 

By Jonathan Baum, Yahoo! Sports

 

LAS VEGAS – Many expected Manny Pacquiao to win Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Nobody expected it to be so quick, so brutal.

 

Especially Ricky Hatton’s fans.

 

The Hatton band, full of forlorn faces, slowly meandered around the media center after Hatton’s second-round knockout defeat. Its members were largely unable to muster even a smile when taking a picture with a Hatton fan.

 

“Stunned,” is how one member of the band described the feeling. “Didn’t expect it would be so fast.”

 

See, these fans knew Hatton could lose. They just didn’t necessarily believe it.

 

“There’s only one Ricky Hatton!,” the fans would chant to the tune of “Winter Wonderland.” They beat their drums, and they drowned out the announcers and anything else they didn’t want to hear. This was their fighter, their life.

 

And all the cockiness the affable Hatton refused to display, these fans happily compensated for with unabashed enthusiasm. They stood and screamed and chanted here all weekend, during the undercard Saturday night and throughout the main event until the very last second.

 

You know, the 2:59 mark of the second round.

 

A smaller but just as passionate nation of Pacquiao fans exploded while Hatton’s army fell into silence as their fighter fell to the canvas. And as referee Kenny Bayless waived his arm, as Pacquiao retreated to his corner to pray and then celebrate, all these fans from U.K. could do was stare in shock as Hatton’s camp rushed into the ring to tend to their fighter laying motionless on his back.

 

Even in the face of defeat, even stricken with the initial uncertainty surrounding their hero’s health, many of the fans could think of nothing else to do than again offer a chant.

 

“There’s only one Ricky Hatton …”

 

For what they saw, they still couldn’t believe.

 

They had crossed an ocean, painted their faces, spent who knows how many paychecks and rearranged their lives for this fight, only to see it end all too fast, all too stunningly.

 

“Vegas makes [the trip] worth it, but I don’t know about the fight,” said Hatton fan Gavin Levey, who traveled from Scotland.

 

The Hatton supporters weren’t the only ones coming from long distances for the fight. Pacquiao is as much of a hero in the Philippines as England’s Hatton is in the U.K., if not more so. And those fans, filled with that same pride, that same emotion, were rewarded in seeing their fighter offer a stunning, potentially career-defining (for now) performance.

 

Even the Hatton fans could appreciate this.

 

“We’re disappointed, but at the end of the day, Manny was great,” said Levey, draped in a Union Jack flag.

 

Said fellow fan Cameron Stark: “We’ve seen the greatest fighter ever.”

 

That remains to be seen. Perhaps an eventual bout between Pacquiao and the newly unretired Floyd Mayweather Jr. will help determine that.

 

But Hatton’s future is less clear. Promoter Bob Arum said Hatton will be fine, that he told him not to be discouraged, that he still has more bouts to win. But Hatton’s weaknesses were exposed Saturday night. And that wasn’t lost on his fans.

 

“Ricky should say enough is enough,” Lewis Baird said.

 

It was hard not to feel for these fans. Still, Stark, Baird and Levey had a couple of chants left in them hours after the fight. But some Pacquiao fans made it their own.

 

“There’s only one Manny Pacquiao!”

Edited May 3, 2009 by Fusarium_jimini

[uaeboy25]

sana magtuloy tuloy pa ang laban nya. para mapasok na sya sa top 10. sana ma2loy ang laban nila ni gayweather junior.

 

 

buti naman napatahimik si gayweather sr. nde na nagbigkas ng powetry nya.

 

hintay natin ang latest update ng record ni pacman.

 

record nya after winning goldenboy. lets see the results tomorow

 

1. Manny Pacquiao

Points: 310 (31 of 31 first-place votes)

Record: 48-3-2 (37 KOs)

Title: None

Last outing: TKO8 over Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6

Previous ranking: 1

Up next: May 2 in Las Vegas vs. No. 10 Ricky Hatton for super lightweight title

Analysis: Win will give him a world title in sixth weight class (112, 122, 126, 130, 135)

[Fusarium_jimini]

Brilliant Pacquiao cements legacy with win

 

By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports

 

LAS VEGAS – It took just 359 seconds to add the latest devastating chapter to a legacy that will last for decades.

 

Manny Pacquiao’s flurried fists made short work of Ricky Hatton on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and delivered the most emphatic proof yet that boxing has a superstar for the ages operating at his peak.

 

Pacquiao sent the Englishman crashing to the canvas twice in a frenetic first round, then sealed the contest with a brutal left hook that had Hatton out cold on his back with one tick remaining in the second round.

 

Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have announced his comeback from a brief and scarcely-believable retirement on Saturday morning. But there can be no doubt that Pacquiao is boxing’s undisputed king as he continues to ride a remarkable wave of momentum.

 

“Our strategy was the one punch,” Pacquiao said. “Left hook. Right hook. That was going to be the key to this fight.”

 

The Filipino fighter is a quiet and reserved man out of the ring, but between the ropes he morphs into an electrifying machine – and Hatton felt his full force.

 

The Hatton camp had hoped their man’s power would be telling, yet he simply had no response to Pacquiao’s pace and precision. A right hook put Hatton down with 54 seconds remaining in round one and proved to be the beginning of the end.

 

“I knew it was over,” said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer. “Ricky fights the same way over and over. He doesn’t have the ability to adjust.”

 

As Pacquiao moved in for the finish in the second round, Hatton tried to cling on only to be sent down again with a fierce straight left. Doctors immediately rushed to the aid of Hatton, who eventually and thankfully was able to walk from the ring under his own steam.

 

“I am surprised this fight was so easy,” said Pacquiao. “I did work hard in my training camp and it paid off. This is as big a victory for me as when I beat Oscar De La Hoya.”

 

That December triumph over De La Hoya did not convince the entire boxing fraternity of Pacquiao’s ability, primarily as the Golden Boy’s powers had so clearly dimmed from his prime. Now there is no speculation. Pacquiao is the top dog, until someone proves otherwise in the ring.

 

Floyd Mayweather Sr. was a no-show at the postfight news conference, leaving Hatton’s co-trainer, Lee Beard, to explain the mauling by Pacquiao.

 

“We knew about Manny’s speed and that it could play a factor in the fight,” Beard said. “What you saw was two rounds of action and Ricky got caught.”

 

Roach’s status as a trainer grows in line with each victory his top fighter posts and it became clear his game plan was perfect. Hatton could not avoid Pacquiao, who landed with 73 of his 127 punches. The Brit could only land 18 of 78.

 

“This is no shock at all,“ Roach said. “Hatton pumps his hands before he throws a punch, and it makes him a sucker for the right hook.

 

“Manny is a monster. He is the best fighter ever. There is no surprise here.”

 

Defeat was a bitter blow to the thousands of Hatton fans among the 16,262 in attendance who had journeyed across the Atlantic but saw their dreams dashed within a few brutal minutes.

 

The typical symphony of chanting carried on even after their man had been sparked out, but it may not strike up again. Hatton, who was alert in his locker room before being taken to the hospital, is one of the most popular boxers ever with an incredible fan base, but his fighting future is now in serious doubt.

 

For Pacquiao, the future is brighter than ever, and his legend continues to grow.

 

Said Pacquiao: “I can fight anybody.”

Edited May 3, 2009 by Fusarium_jimini

[Fusarium_jimini]

Pacquiao proves he's the best

 

by Jake Donovan, BoxingScene.com (lifted from FOX Sports0

 

The British can chant all they want that there's only one Ricky Hatton.

 

Floyd Mayweather Jr. can claim all he wants that he never lost his pound-for-pound crown in the ring.

 

Floyd Mayweather Sr. can claim the answers to all of boxing's greatest riddles reside in his mind.

 

Juan Manuel Marquez and Golden Boy Promotions can claim all they want that the Mexican owns two wins over the Philippines' greatest icon.

 

But thanks to his devastating second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton on Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao proved nobody's better than him.

 

Based on talent and achievement, it's not even close.

 

The two-time Fighter of the Year staked his claim for a third award (and second straight) thanks to the most brutally one-sided performance in a superfight since ... well, since his eight-round destruction of Oscar De La Hoya in December.

 

But that win was about two things: fattening the Filipino's bank account and furthering his status as an international superstar.

 

Saturday night's performance in Las Vegas was about making history, and Pacquiao did so in emphatic fashion, becoming the first fighter to claim lineal world titles in four weight classes thanks to his thrashing of the longtime junior-welterweight king.

 

Pacquiao was also considered the best fighter at flyweight, featherweight and super featherweight to go along with alphabet-title wins at super bantamweight and lightweight.

 

Saturday he dominated Ricky Hatton in a way no other fighter has done before — no, not even former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. And he did so while barely breaking a sweat.

 

"I'm surprised that the fight was this easy," Pacquiao said after getting his 49th win, dropping Hatton three times in just under six minutes.

 

Something strange was in the air beginning with the prefight walk to the ring. Hatton, widely regarded as the true 140-pound king going into the fight, elected to enter the ring first.

 

The decision seemed to throw everyone for a loop, including those operating the public address system, as there was a serious delay in cuing up his entrance music. We would be reminded that England's Hatton has never seen a salad or a diet; his fans would be denied the customary "Blue Moon" entrance until he was already perched in the ring for well over a minute.

 

In stark contrast, Pacquiao looked as calm as an assassin and as giddy as a schoolyard child, offering an ear-to-ear grin as he made his way down the aisle.

 

The arena erupted for the entrances, and once again at the opening bell, though it took about 20 seconds before either fighter threw a meaningful punch. Hatton was the first to throw, but immediately clinched. Pacquiao connected with a right hook, drawing a rise from his Filipino contingent in the crowd.

 

Two more punches would land inside of the first half of the opening round, while Hatton enjoyed mild success with his right hand.

 

Then came the storm.

 

Hatton was wide in efforts to throw a left hook, to which Pacquiao perfectly timed an inside right hook that smashed on Hatton's chin for the bout's first knockdown. Pacquiao remained on the offensive, swarming Hatton with a sea of bombs, punctuated by a straight left to send Hatton tumbling to the deck with less than 10 seconds to go in the round.

 

The two-way firefight that was anticipated erupted in the second round. Hatton landed a right hand early, letting Pacquiao know that there was plenty of fight left. Pacquiao took the punch well, and later responded with a flush straight left at center ring to cause Hatton to briefly wobble. Pacquiao looked to move in, but ate a left hook for his troubles.

 

Oohs and ahhs echoed throughout the arena in the final minute of the second, with Pacquiao letting his hands go. Many of the punches fell short, but still served as a precursor of things to come.

 

One thing in particular.

 

Just when it appeared Hatton would survive to fight another round, Pacquiao had other ideas. An overhand left came crashing down on Hatton's jaw, knocking out the Brit upon impact, as he collapsed in a heap at center ring. Referee Kenny Bayless, who gave Hatton every opportunity to recover in the first round, wisely waved off the fight without a count.

 

The official time was 2:59 of Round 2.

 

With the win, more answers are given surrounding Pacquiao's greatness, though even more questions arise regarding where he rates as an all-time great.

 

Wherever he lands, he still remains the very best in the sport. His chief rival, Juan Manuel Marquez, can have a say should he defy the odds and spoil the comeback of Floyd Mayweather in their highly anticipated summer catchweight bout.

 

So too would Mayweather, of course, if he wins to remain unbeaten.

 

For the moment, Pacquiao claims no vested interest in the fight, more concerned with simply giving the people what they want.

 

"I'm satisfied. I'm always trying my best to give more to the people," he said. "I can fight anybody. I leave that to my promoters. I'm just a fighter, and doing my job training and keeping my concentration on fighting.

 

"It's nothing personal; I just come to do my job."

 

At this very moment, even with the return of Floyd Mayweather Jr, there's nobody in the sport who does their job better than Manny Pacquiao.

[jerzz]

Next :

 

Miguel Cotto or Sugar Shane - Legitimate Welterweights

[Kurtsky Keigee]

Dapat next si mayweather Jr. para mawala kayabangan niya

[jerzz]

Dapat next si mayweather Jr. para mawala kayabangan niya

 

Not available na

 

Kinontrata na agad si JMM para makaiwas sa hamon ni Pacman

Edited May 3, 2009 by jerzz

[Fusarium_jimini]

Manny Pacquiao's fists are loaded, and his bouts are a lock

 

by Bill Dwyre- Los Angeles Times

 

Manny Pacquiao can no longer be identified as a boxer. Lethal weapon, maybe. Or destroyer missile. Whatever the definition, he is unquestionably the sport's top gun.

 

What he did to Ricky Hatton on Saturday night, in a boxing ring at the MGM Grand Garden, before a crowd of 16,262 and millions more all over the world watching on pay-per-view, was mostly mayhem. The man from Manchester was manhandled.

 

British fans who swoop down on this city every time Hatton fights -- which is three times since December 2007 -- serenaded him into the ring as usual, with the now-annoying version of "Winter Wonderland" that begins: "There's only one Ricky Hatton."

 

They were right. He was the only one who ended up on his back in the middle of the ring.

 

The fight summary is one paragraph. Pacquiao knocked Hatton down twice in the first round, dominated the second and caught Hatton with a vicious left hook as the round ticked down. Hatton's eyes rolled back and his body fell, like a sack of potatoes, flat on his back. Referee Kenny Bayless knelt over him for several seconds, then waved his hands, with one second left in the round, to signify that the fight was over.

 

The aftermath was a bit scary. Hatton didn't move right away, and soon there were many people with concerned looks on their faces, kneeling and hovering. Hatton may have been on his back longer than he was on his feet during the fight.

 

Eventually, they brought his stool to the middle of the ring and got him on it, and a few minutes later he left the ring under his own power, waving feebly to a crowd of Brit fans who may have been driven to drink by the result. Of course, any result would have driven them to drink.

 

Pacquiao, the Filipino powerhouse whose record went to 49-3-2 (with 37 knockouts), weighed in Friday at 138 pounds and went to 148 by fight time. Hatton, now 45-2-0 (with 32 knockouts), weighed in at the limit of 140 and gained 12 pounds by fight time.

 

A measure of how dominant Pacquiao has become is that this victory marked his fourth different weight-class win in the last 14 months. His previous conquest, of boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya at 147 pounds, sent De La Hoya into retirement. Hatton is only 30, two months older than Pacquiao, but may be pondering a similar path. The pubs of Manchester are a lot safer than Pacquiao's left hand.

 

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, now the pound-for-pound best corner man in his sport, pretty much called the shot again, just as he had against De La Hoya on Dec. 6. He said Pacquiao would knock Hatton out in the third round. Pacquiao apparently had earlier dinner reservations.

 

"This fight was no surprise to me," Roach said.

 

The star trainer always seems to have a secret strategy, and he revealed afterward that, for this one, he had watched hours of film of Hatton -- "I knew him better than my own fighter," he said -- and realized that Hatton was wide open for the right hook.

 

"Hatton pumps his fist before he throws," Roach said. "We also knew he'd be looking for the left," Pacquiao's main weapon.

 

The first knockdown in the first round came via a right, the second with a left. Hatton had actually survived somewhat better in the second, despite Pacquiao's quickly evident superior hand speed, foot speed and punching power. But the left that finished him started at about 7 o'clock, landed on Hatton's face at about 12 noon and made the likely obvious result official.

 

Hatton didn't attend the post-match news conference, because he was taken to Valley Hospital. Before he left, he said, "It was a hard lot, but I'm OK. I really didn't see the punch coming, but it was a good shot."

 

Pacquiao, ever the diplomat, said, "I'm surprised the fight was so easy. I worked hard in training camp and he was open for the right all night. It was nothing personal. I was just doing my job."

 

Bob Arum, whose Top Rank Promotions handles Pacquiao, called his boxer "a monster" afterward, and started making noises about Pacquiao's becoming boxing's "all-time great."

 

Two things to consider there. As a promoter, Arum is wired for hyperbole. But also, he is no newcomer to this and began his career promoting no less than Muhammad Ali.

 

The only thing that might stop Pacquiao now is his desire to become a prominent government official someday soon in his beloved Philippines. There is even talk of the presidency someday.

 

Were that to happen now, it would make Pacquiao the answer to the trivia question: Which country has a president even more popular than Barack Obama?

 

For Hatton, a nice guy and tough competitor who is also beloved in his country, there may not be a lot of return trips upcoming.

 

Which, of course, will send the beer distributors of Las Vegas into deep depression.

Edited May 3, 2009 by Fusarium_jimini

[Fusarium_jimini]

Lay it to rest, Manny Pacquiao is the best

 

By Epifanio M. Almeda

PhilBoxing.com

 

Ricky Hatton, his eyes closed, was at rest before his back hit the mat after taking the sleep inducing left hook from Manny Pacquiao in their 2 May 2009 140-lb IBO and Ring Magazine title fight.

 

After regaining consciousness, Ricky realized that indeed there was somebody who could beat him and who did beat him, and devastatingly, in his claimed domain at 140 lbs. The much hyped Battle of the East and West proved to be not a battle after all because Manny Pacquiao deftly defused it.

 

Doubters should now put to rest the lame excuse that Oscar dela Hoya was not his usual self when the Pacman beat him like he never was. This excuse downgraded Manny’s accomplishment to some extent. Hatton even bought the idea and said that he could have likewise beaten the drained Oscar that night of 6 December 2008. Oscar’s partial assessment of a stronger and bigger Hatton winning over Manny supported the doubters’ proposition that Manny is not really that great.

 

With Ricky’s easier and earlier dismissal by Manny than Oscar was, Freddie Roach proves right in his assessment that the Oscar of 6 December 2008 could still beat many top fighters of today. And this does not exclude the Ricky Hatton of 2 May 2009.

 

When Floyd Mayweather, Jr. announced his comeback, these doubters immediately removed Manny from the top P4P pedestal and reinstalled Floyd to it. That because of Manny’s previous 3 losses as against none to Floyd the latter should be on top. But if past performances against common opponents were to be the gauge, which should not be, Manny’s have the edge.

 

Floyd struggled with Oscar to earn a split verdict while Manny dominated and made Oscar quit before the start of the 9th round. The old-man-making defeat eventually led to Oscar’s retirement from being a fighter.

 

It took Floyd almost 10 rounds to beat Ricky who, before the stoppage, was holding his own to give Floyd problems. Manny easily beat Ricky who was on dreamland just before the bell to end the 2nd round. Now Ricky might be contemplating retirement himself.

 

By unseating Ricky Hatton, Manny won his 6th title in as many weight divisions. More so, he is the first fighter to win a 4th lineal or real championship in 4 weight divisions. He has now won the flyweight, featherweight (which many erroneously do not recognize), junior-lightweight and now junior-welterweight lineal championship.

 

So the question as to who is the best P4P fighter should now be laid to rest. Even with the return of Floyd Jr. to the mix, the world champion from the east is simply and would still be the best.

[Fusarium_jimini]

Ricky Hatton knocked out in second round by Manny Pacquiao

 

by Kevin Mitchell-Guardian.co.uk

 

Again and again, they showed the replay on the big screens overlooking what had so briefly been a battlefield. Each time, Ricky Hatton floated to the floor, eyes shut before he landed, hopes of clinging to a place in boxing's big-time consigned to the future-land of anecdotes, the night he was blown away inside two rounds by the great Manny Pacquiao.

 

It was brutal in every way: short, painful, utterly one-sided. A left hook from hell, thrown with preternatural strength, officially will be acknowledged as the finisher – but there can be no denying Hatton's hard-drinking lifestyle played a part.

 

His hangover this morning, though, will be leather-induced.

 

The Mancunian, according to the billboards, was defending the light-welterweight title sanctioned by the IBO and The Ring magazine but, in reality, was challenging Pacquiao for the Filipino's universally acknowledged accolade: the best fighter in the world – at any weight.

 

He could not have made the point that this is fact any more emphatically.

 

How in control of his emotions is the little man? He smiled nearly the whole way from the dressing room to the ring, to be greeted by a stern-faced champion who could see nothing but a tough night's work in front of him. How right he was.

 

They are friendly, without being friends, but Hatton said a few days ago, "Right now, I hate him more than any man on the planet", and the Filipino quickly gave him good reason to feel that way.

 

The Hitman and the Pacman shared the 17,000-plus audience about 60-40. But sentiment counted for little as soon as they touched gloves.

 

Hatton looked a bit dry, but was sweating up soon enough – especially when he walked on to a peach of a right hook from the southpaw stance that dropped him in centre ring. He did not know quite where he was for the rest of the round, until decked again by a left in his own corner as the bell sounded. Perhaps it would have been kinder had he been hit earlier, and given the referee good cause to stop it right there.

 

As it was, his head had cleared only enough for him to identify roughly where his opponent was standing – and moving – when they resumed.

 

All those weeks of fine-tuning his defence, the promises to move his head, to take his time, to box not brawl, were soon all going out the window, down the toilet or any other metaphor for a ring nightmare.

 

There was an inevitability about the end that was sad in the way it is awful to see a once-fine athlete taken apart in public.

 

This was also a clash billed as a tactical war between the trainers, Floyd Mayweather Snr for Hatton, Freddie Roach for Pacquiao. Well, that one went clearly to Roach.

 

"He punches his hands before he throws a punch," Pacquiao said later. "He's a sucker for a right hook. I knew he'd be looking for my left. It was nothing personal. I was just doing my job."

 

And what a job he did.

 

Time and again in round two, Hatton shipped heavy shots, failing to impress his claimed greater strength and power on the allegedly smaller man. Pacquiao looked bigger by the exchange and never more of a ring giant than when he threw the concluding punch of the fight, a left hook that could not have landed with more force on the point of Hatton's chin.

 

He lay motionless, his eyelids barely open, as Pacquiao returned to his corner and knelt in a prayer of thanks.

 

The hope that spread throughout the packed arena in those seconds immediately after this most crushing of knockouts – worse than Amir Khan's by Breidis Prescott last year – was that Hatton had not suffered serious damage.

 

He said beforehand he had decided not to allow his eight-year-old son, Campbell, to come in case something like this happened.

 

He was up soon enough and walked unaided back to his dressing room, and if there was a grimmer room in this city of losers than that place last night it would be hard to find. Hatton said later, on his way to Valley Hospital for a mandatory examination: "It was a hard loss, but I'm OK. I really didn't see the punch coming but it was a great shot. I know I'll be OK."

 

It was Hatton's inability, though, to cope with the occasion – as was the case when he was stopped by Floyd Mayweather Jnr in the same ring in December 2007 – combined with the brilliant simplicity of Pacquiao's game plan that led to defeat.

 

He will not box on after this because there is nowhere for someone so comprehensively flattened on a major stage to sell his wares. Even if, as Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, said, "Ricky just got beat by the greatest fighter of all time".

 

There was trouble in the Hatton camp the past week, so strong they could not keep the rumours out of the papers. His trainer had fallen out in a major way with Lee Beard, his assistant, and no amount of fine words could disguise the tension.

 

This reached a high point on Friday when it was learned that Richard Schaeffer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, had asked Roach if he would be interested in coaching Hatton after this fight. That will not happen.

 

If that clumsy rumour were designed to unsettle Pacquiao it had no effect at all. We are privileged to be in his time.

 

For Pacquiao, the world remains, like Hatton for too many worrying minutes, at his feet. He will be perfectly placed to bargain to his advantage for a fight against Mayweather, who earlier in the day announced he was coming back at this venue on 18 July, against Juan Manuel Márquez.

[Fusarium_jimini]

Wonder of the World Pacquiao Is The Undisputed Best Now

 

Published by Scoop Malinowski-Boxing Insider

 

There’s only one Manny Pacquiao. We haven’t witnessed such a boxing marvel as this humble, smiling destroying machine. The idol and inspiration of a nation, a wonder of the world, the blindingly fast, atomic-fisted Manny Pacquiao proved last night in emphatic style that he is without a doubt the greatest warrior on the planet today.

 

Ricky Hatton, never beaten before at 140 pounds, was made to look like a journeyman pug by this lethal assassin. It was a brutal mismatch from the first bell, like watching a bobcat carve up a blind-folded bulldog. All the technical coaching advices from Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya, who stood in Hatton’s corner, offered absolutely nothing to trouble this amazing Filipino.

 

Even Floyd Mayweather, the pound-for-pound pretender, calculated that it would be a competitive fight and couldn’t name a winner. After seeing Hatton flattened in less than two rounds, even the talented but timid Mayweather must now be having serious apprehensions about ever wanting to step into a ring with Pacquiao.

 

Because Pacquiao is one of those rare, supernatural athletes who seems to be capable of producing magic. Pacquiao is almost like an indescribable force, with the support and love and inspiration from millions of his countrymen, that actually seems to be still improving and growing more powerful with each contest.

 

“I’m inspired to focus to win the fight because millions of Filipinos will be watching,” says the humble warrior shortly before the match without a trace of malice or conceit.

 

That friendly smile and disposition disappears though once Pacquiao steps through the ropes. When he goes down to his knee to pray in a corner, the artist LeRoy Neiman comments, “He’s only praying that he doesn’t k*ll his opponent.”

 

With Hopkins, De La Hoya, Mosley and thousands of Brits standing with him, Hatton looks as ready as he can be. When the first bell rings, Larry Merchant says, “They are warrior kings with armies of fans who follow them to the battlefield. Now they will be alone in the battle.”

 

Within a minute, everyone can see Pacquiao is quicker, the more fluid mover, and by far the more accurate hitter. Two separate blows drop Hatton twice in the first round. But the bulldog is determined and those setbacks impel him to try harder. But Hatton’s urgency only hastens his destruction. In the blink of an eye, a pinpoint perfect left hand to the jaw transforms in an instant the ferocious Hatton into a lifeless form. Flat on the canvas Hatton, who prepared for two months for this evening, suddenly has no idea where he is.

 

“That’s as convincing as you can get,” LeRoy Neiman says. “He’s so effective. What he intends to do, he does it.”

 

When it was all over, having performed one of his most impressive triumphs, Pacquiao did not sound the least bit arrogant or full of himself when he spoke with Larry Merchant. “I expected my right hook was going to be dangerous for him…I’m satisfied. Nothing personal. I just do my job. I’m always doing my best in the ring. For the people to enjoy.”

 

Pacquiao’s legendary coach Freddie Roach said, “(Manny) can fight anybody…(Hatton) doesn’t have the ability to adjust.”

 

Emanuel Steward was another very impressed ringside observer. “This Manny Pacquiao is something else. All the great fights he’s been in. He can do everything, that’s what makes him so complicated. He can do it all. He is the pound-for-pound champion as far as 122-140. He hasn’t ducked ANYBODY.”

 

That was an obvious dig at Floyd Mayweather, the self-proclaimed best fighter, who, as everyone knows, has no interest to fight, or if you will, ducked and dodged Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley.

 

Larry Merchant also took a shot at Mayweather, with some heavy sarcasm. “I’d like to credit Mayweather’s perspicacity in choosing opponents. He’s always been smarter outside the ring than he’s been in the ring. Now he’s not interested in fighting Mosley. Of course he didn’t want to fight Margarito. He’s an excellent fighter but he’s real smart on who to and who NOT to fight.”

 

Better be careful there Larry, Mayweather might call you a racist again like he did last year for daring to criticize his handpicking ways.

 

But despite Mayweather’s piggybacking off Pacquiao’s name this weekend by announcing his return to the ring from hiding, to face Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18, this was Manny Pacquiao’s night. This was another example of the unbelievable spectacular excitement that boxing can create when you watch a true, natural, genuine, superstar champion phenomenon like Manny Pacquiao at his very best.

 

But the thing is, the best of Manny Pacquiao may be still yet to come. And that’s an exciting prospect for the sport of boxing.